Media screamed at Australians to vote for a republic...now a low order issue.mpg

Among calls from politicians for a media enquiry, former Prime Minister John Howard has poured cold water on fears about the influence of the media. Interviewed on the ABC's Insiders television programme on 17 July 2011, he recalled that in 1999 Rupert Murdoch's News media, the major Fairfax media empire, and the public broadcaster, the ABC had all screamed for voters to approve an Australian republic. Australians rejected that. The ABC Insiders' Barrie Cassidy said that at the time he thought John Howard had put off change to a republic for 10 years. He thinks it will be much longer. John Howard agreed, saying that change to some sort of republic is a very low order issue, even among passionate republicans. He presumably was speaking about republican politicians and not the marginalised republican movement

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Australian republic
• power of media
• constitutional monarchy