That constitution.

@Thevy29 One advantage in not having a bill of rights is that any legal siuation is decided by the High Court in context of todays society. Not a two century old document.😷

@Thevy29 You said: "Only they didn't want to declare independence from Britain and were so vague in the writing so no one would think we might."

Why would Australians want independence for? You are located on the far side of the universe in the middle of nowhere and stranded on an island. If you didn't have raw materials, even the Chinese wouldn't come a calling.

Why would anyone need a Constitution to live among each other?

@sree251 Small point of Order. Australia is not on the far side of the "universe".And as the only island continent, based on immigration, it has the best of everything. In reality, its where the people with "get up and go" get up and go to..😷

@sree251 At the time the constitution was needed. Australia's states and territories were independent of one another. Kind of like separate countries. However there was talk of political unrest in Europe, and they realised if war broke out, it would be better if there was one government calling the shots instead of 6. But they didn't want England to feel that we were declaring independence from them in any way.
(There is a story, the guy who wrote our constitution did it because of a $5 bet. That's why his face was on the earlier $5 note)
As a nation we kind of stumbled a bit after that. It wasn't a good time to be a person of colour. WW2 changed that. Immigrants were allowed in which changed the nature of the country itself. This is why Starbucks failed here. The Italians had already brought a coffee culture far better.
We have a lot of mining here, that's true. We also have a lot of farming and wine making. There is a lot of technologies being invented here. Wifi, Refrigeration and counterfeit proof currency being an example.

@sree251 First. There are several Australian accents just as there are many American accents. First, we have the famous Crocodile Dundee.. Next he have the neutral accent shared with some New Zealanders, Notably Sam Neil and Russel Crowe. But also Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and Hugh Jackman. Next, please allow me to take issue with you in support of Americans. While there are certainly those who fit your description to a "T". the ones I have met personally inside America were almost without exception perfectly lovely, generous of spirit and with their time and curious about us in a polite and friendly way.. As for being a "pretty rough bunch" I suppose the ones you meet in Asian bars could well be in good spirits while overseas.. The end of season "footy" trips are notorious in Bali.. But please note that 25% of Australias population were born elswhere. In fact a lot of elsewheres. And in that we pick up some of the best cultural habits.. The Italian coffee culture has been mentioned. Chinese, Japanese, indian and thai food. The Vietnamese have a proud history of French baking. Now if only we could get a decent English Pork Pie..They call this the lucky country and its true. But in my opinion, the greatest luck can be found in its people, who no matter where they started out, are Australians and pretty much everyone gets that, which I know is not as common as in other places..😷

@whowasthatmaskedman Hey, I take no issue with you guys. Be as you are just as we like being us. But you people need to stand up for yourself in your part of the world instead of tagging along with the US to contain China. We can't be trusted to stand by you.

@sree251 I accept that. And heres the thing. We do. We recently went into a much publicized deal to buy some Nuclear (powered) submarines, which were specifically required to take up the slack of patrolling up into the South China Sea area that America was finding it expensive and time consuming to do. Now wwe find that due to congress cutbacks American may not be able to provide those subs, but thats all up in the air. We may get British ones instead..Either way its a long lead time. and our old Diesel powered ones just dont have the range to sail that far from home waters.. And we have always found its easier and cheaper to trade with those we have differences with. Some of the less intelligent people here claim that China will come and take our rescources. But in fact its cheaper and easier for them to buy them that invade and have to try and get them that way..In the end war is about settling matters you cant make a deal over..😷

@whowasthatmaskedman You said: "But in fact its cheaper and easier for them to buy them that invade and have to try and get them that way..In the end war is about settling matters you cant make a deal over..😷"

We Americans have a dire need to control the planet regardless of the fact that it cannot be done. It is militarily undoable and economically impossible. This is why we use bio-weapons to degrade the Chinese population, and incite insurrection from within using Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The Chinese are no fools, and far smarter than any non-white culture we have dominated since the British ruled the seas. They countered our Covid offensive that backfired because we couldn't manage our people the way the Chinese could vaccinate, self-isolate, and mask everyone in the population. Thanks to Fauci, we ended up suffering the most casualties in the world.

As for insurrection, a CIA technique we have perfected since WW2 with tutorship by UK's MI6, we are lucky that China is not doing it to us. We Americans literally hate our politicians and those among us who support their inane policies. Trump is America's Che Guevara and could crush America's Deep State with China's backing. Making America great again does not benefit but a danger to China. Trump can only have 4 more years to keep Deep State at bay. It is not worth Xi's investment for a better America that allows China's 1000 year vision to let a hundred flowers bloom.

@sree251 While I acknowledge some of the facts of your case, slating it all back to a deep state conspracy is where you lose me.I just dont see any group wanting to control the world per se. Only to profit from it. So I follow the money and ask. "Who profits when Jeffrey Epstein "suicides " in his cell and the investigation is carrid out on the back of a cereal box?" Or "Who profits when a Boeing quality Whistleblower shows up dead in his vehicle in the middle of giving testimony on a court case involving Being?" And how much will we hear about it publicly?
The public have a terible short term memory, prefering to focus on Taylor Swift and her Superbowl connection and easily scared into worrying about themselves. They dont been ruling. Just give them a gun and tell them they are free. They will believe you..😷

@whowasthatmaskedman You said: "While I acknowledge some of the facts of your case, slating it all back to a deep state conspracy is where you lose me."

I know! I lose myself also whenever I try to get a fix on Deep State. My guess is that this monster is not an actual gang of individual evil doers with a coherent globalist social agenda.

Deep State USA is a sick condition of American society much like a disease fouling up the human body. This sickness is moral corruption. Basically, we are corrupt. The symptom was evident in the form of the Dulles brothers in the State Department and the CIA. It is not these guys running US foreign policies per se who are sick. It is the American people (me included) in particular, and humanity as a whole, that are stinking up the world. It is a mistake to conclude that we are sick and you are ok. But right now, the criticality of this illness that is impacting the world is America on account of our lethality as a military and economic power.

@sree251 I accept you last point. But that is fading. First because the time of the Carrier strike force is passing, on one front because a single nuclear blast close by can make a hole in the water where a dozen ships used to be, wiping out hundreds of billions of dollars and more servicepeople than America lost in Vietnam..And on a second front, where relatively cheap smart weapons and drones can make those same groups redundant as a way to wage a limited conflict in any area. a few trucks worth of equipment and some techs who have played games since they could walk and you are good to go. The Russian experience in Ukraine provides a good example of conventional forces coming up against well deployed drones..As fot your thoughts on Society. I will retreat to saying, who decides whats "normal". Looking at the US model, there is the idea that if I am right everyone else must be wrong..And that just isnt right..There are hundreds of ways to be wrong and America is engaging in a lot of them, using god and freedom whnever they have no other excuse..😷

@whowasthatmaskedman You said: "I accept you last point. But that is fading."

Forgive me. I was not being clear. I am not endorsing America's military and economic might as a solution for national survival. Pushing our way around, because we can do it, is stupid; but this has been our modus operandus since forever. We have worked our way into a corner that we can't back out of. I know that US foreign policy is dumb. How come the rest of the western world is just as dumb? Why is every western country walking in lockstep with the US?

@sree251 Ah! Now you come to the good questions. Pick one or more from the column. * Its the Status Quo.* The nation relies on aid or trade, selling to the US and thereby holding $US. * Dewfence support agreements (like Nato) * Reliance on high tech networks that need upkeep. *International businesses that employ in the host country and HQ in America.. * Straight out patronage and corruption of the leadership...Or fear of the "other alternative. (ie China or Russia)😷

@whowasthatmaskedman Ok, so the western world is dominated by and dependent on the American mother-ship. I can get that. I don't think anyone fears China or Russia. It's just that everybody speaks English, and not particularly drawn to Russian food and Chinese music.

@sree251 All true.. But Russia and china both make their near neighbours nervous. The Truth is America is a "habit" and "The devil you know". Those relationships take willpower to tear down and replace..And that wont happen overnight. Chinas next big move it to remove the $US as the global trade currency and thats maybe a decade long process. One the Chinese have the patience for and America doesnt have the leverage to halt..😷

@whowasthatmaskedman You said: "Chinas next big move it to remove the $US as the global trade currency and thats maybe a decade long process. One the Chinese have the patience for and America doesnt have the leverage to halt..😷"

I doubt that very much, my friend. I did think like you do also: that China would shove the US aside and take over world reserve currency status. After reading a few articles on this topic, I doubt it will happen. First of all, the Chinese is an inward looking culture. It's very name (in Chinese) says China is the center (of the world). It is an organic center that comes about naturally and not one created through ambitious design. For the yuan to be a reserve currency, the world will have to become Chinese and assimilate into the Chinese culture. The Japanese, on the other hand, is different. They would conquer the world and force everyone to speak Japanese.

@sree251 I can wait to see which of us is correct..But the Chinese are in no hurry. They will choose a moment the US is most vulnerable. Like maybe when the nation is in turmoil after a contested election. of civil disbedience is commonplace.😷

@whowasthatmaskedman You said: "I can wait to see which of us is correct..But the Chinese are in no hurry."

So, you think the Chinese has world domination ambitions of the US kind? If you are right, then the west will strike first to pre-empt that from happening. We won't wait a thousand years. Time is of the essence when dealing with a foe whose forte is patience, a principal Chinese virtue.

Now that Russia has aligned with China, we don't have the option of shock and awe.

@sree251 I dont think so. WW3 has already been fought.. Its an economic war, and China won. Now they are just mopping up. And not a shot fired..😷

@whowasthatmaskedman What do you mean China won? Their GDP per capita ($12,000) is still as low as that of Mexico's and Chile. There are 1.4 billion Chinese and China is focused on improving life for the bottom 10% of her population. China is a socialist state and intent on redressing injustice suffered by her people. China has no interest competing with the US for world pre-eminence.

@sree251 Follow the money. Who owes who what? Its not rocket science..😷

@whowasthatmaskedman You said: "Follow the money."

I know. China is holding tons of US Treasuries (i.e. debt). I have no doubt that China will grow ever larger as an economic power but right now the US is dominant and part of the western bloc. World GDP is at 96 trillion. China's 17 trillion is part of the world's western rules-based economic order. China has a hybrid capitalist/socialist economy that is easier to control and manage than the free-for-all market economies of the west. I am sure the Chinese is already prepared to deal with the next global financial earthquake of the kind that wiped out Lehman Brothers. The tsunami will stop at China's economic "Great Wall" stopping every ripple from the west. When that happens, the US dollar could collapse. So, it's not a case of who races who to the top. It's a matter of who will be the last man standing.

@sree251 We agree apart from the fact that American "dominance" is built on printed money backed by nothing but debt. And because of that and its ability to buy up that US debt from its many trading partners cheaply when America is faltering, China will be the last man standing. I think we have covered this enough now...😷