Alan
Quick comments as I’m just heading out:
On Fitzgibbon:  I don’t accept that he is a Constitutional vandal - it’s not an immutable document, only one that has strong safeguards to prevent capricious changes.  Nor has he ‘rubbished’ the Constitution - he is simply advocating change, a completely legitimate thing to do in a constitutional democracy.  And if we only mention ideas when we think that they have hope of ‘achieving’ something, then we will simply impoverish our discourse. Let’s close all the humanities faculties of all the universities now and be done with them!
On Cranmer:  I’m pretty sure that his ordination would have involved some form of declaration of allegiance (more likely obedience) to the bishop of Rome.  The statement that said bishop had no jurisdiction in the realm of England came later than that.  I’m all for Cranmer.  The point of the analogy was simply that there are times when, not withstanding current obligations, people can and should speak up for change.
Bob

Bob,

Jack Lang always argues that federation was a conspiracy against NSW.

Lets lose the Federation and just have a European Union approach to Australia.

Canberra has always reminded me of Belgium.

James