Revolution resulted in thousands slaughtered

The letter from Klaas Woldring (Peninsula News 270, July 25), "Celebrating a republican revolution", shows how desperate the republicans here have become.

The storming of the Bastille, and the revolution that followed it in 1789, resulted in thousands of innocent people being slaughtered, with the streets of Paris flowing with rivers of blood?

France was in turmoil for decades afterwards, with political instability continuing on to the 20th century.

Is this what the republicans would like to see happen in Australia?

Surely not.

No, this is not the way we do things in this country.

We have a proud record of progressive democracy here, which has made us the envy of the World.

There is no imperative for a revolt, but as Her Majesty commented to Paul Keating, "It is a matter for Australians to decide" if we wish to become a republic or not.

The Queen has never interfered with the internal workings of this Nation, nor has Her Majesty any intention of abdicating as Monarch of the United Kingdom.

The citizens of Australia with republican leanings must face up to the fact that the concept of a directly-elected president was rejected by the republicans themselves at the Constitutional Convention of 1998, and the Australian Republican Movement model for a republic was soundly voted out by the people in a referendum the following year.

Let the republicans come up with an improvement of our parliamentary system if they can, by all means, but no more talk of a French-style revolution please.

Don Parkes, Woy Woy, Letter, 2 Aug 2011