Australia is a constitutional monarchy created by the Majority of Electors of 1900. The Governor-General is Head of State and Elizabeth II is Sovereign.

Since the creation of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1900 the Crown of Australia has been worn by six monarchs: Victoria, Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI and Elizabeth II.

• CONSTITUTIONAL THOUGHT EXPERIMENT

‘Monarchy to Republic’:  Whether or not to change the Australian Constitution from monarchy to republic is currently being thought through and discussed by Australian Electors.

•

Peoplepower: the Majority of Electors

200 years ago Napoleon’s master, Prince Talleyrand, said, “There is someone more intelligent than Voltaire, more powerful than the emperor–and that is the people.”

100 years later in 1900, this became true in Australia. Today, it is still one of the enduring truths of our Commonwealth.

The Majority of Electors was the original power in 1900 that created The Constitution and is still, the only power in Australia that can change The Constitution.

In contrast to other political realities like in Iraq, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Fiji or even the Vatican, the USA, India and China, the fact is that the Electors of Australia have been able to hold, without interruption, the ultimate constitutional power in Australia for over a hundred years!

This continuous record of peoplepower and political stability is unprecedented in modern world history.

Australia is the name given to an agreement between The Majority of Electors of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania, and Western Australia to unite in one federation under the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia.

So who really created what we now know as ‘Australia’?

On July 5, 1900, Australia was legally created by an Act of the Westminster Parliament known as the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act. The Act was proclaimed to commence on January 1, 1901.

At that time, the population of Australia was under four million and consisted of a number of colonies which regarded themselves as British. This Act was the product of a vision which began fifty years earlier in the self-governing colonies. The Constitution of Australia is also internationally regarded as one of the cleverest agreements ever designed.

It was crafted in Australia by our own people. It was a product, not of war nor of revolution, but of many years of business discussion, political debate, legal argument and peaceful referendum.

The First Convention

Two Conventions were held in 1891 and in 1897-98. Delegates to the 1891 Convention were appointed by the colonial parliaments and met in Sydney.

The Convention President was the Premier of New South Wales, Sir Henry Parkes whose image is still on today’s five dollar bill.

The draft of a Bill for a Constitution was approved by the Convention.

This Bill was drafted with the help of Sir Samuel Griffith, Premier of Queensland, who later became the First Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia.

The Second Convention

The second Convention was held in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne in 1897 and 1898. Delegates to this Convention were elected by the Majority of Electors.

•

The document produced at this Convention became the new Constitution and many features coming from the first Convention were included.

In 1899, the draft of the Constitution was approved by the Majority of Electors in a state by state referendum–each held in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland. New Zealand which was represented at the first Convention did not join the Federation.

Western Australia voted to join in 1900. Thus, the Constitution was designed, not at Westminster but in Australia and by our own electors.

In the words of the Eleventh Chief Justice of the High Court, The Honourable Murray Gleeson AC: “The Commonwealth Constitution was not drafted by civil servants in London, and presented to the colonies on the basis that they could take it or leave it. Its terms were hammered out in Australia in a process of public debate, and political and legal negotiation, by the leading figures of the day.”

The Senate of the Parliament of Australia offers an online copy of The Constitution here and a picture of the founding document can be seen here.

The Third Convention

One hundred years later, in 1998, a third Convention was held. From 2-13 February 1998, 152 delegates from all over Australia met at Old Parliament House in Canberra to discuss whether Australia should become a republic.

Seventy-six of the delegates were elected by the Majority of Electors in a voluntary postal ballot. The other seventy-six were appointed by the parliament whose members were also chosen by the Majority of Electors.

The delegates come from every State and Territory and had a wide diversity of backgrounds and interests. The Convention was chaired by the Rt Hon Ian Sinclair MP, with the Hon Barry Jones AO MP as Deputy Chairman.

RESOLUTION:

It was finally resolved at the third Convention that a republican model of an appointed president be put to the people in a constitutional referendum.

 

OPTION PROPOSED:

On 5 November 1999, the Electors of Australia were asked:

“Do you agree with A proposed law to alter the constitution to establish the Commonwealth of Australia as a Republic with the Queen and Governor General being replaced by a President appointed by a two-thirds majority of members of the Commonwealth Parliament?”

RESULT:
The result of the constitutional referendum, as decided by the Majority of Electors, was: NO.

•

You can visit the Electors of Australia here …

You can visit the Governor General of Australia here …

You can visit the Queen of Australia here …

You can visit the Prime Minister of Australia here …

•

The Flag of Australia

As there are many brands of English Thinking in both hemispheres of the globe it’s a fair question for you to ask, “What particular brand of English Thinking will you be teaching?” The answer is, of course, the Australian English brand of English Thinking. Here’s why.

First, I’m the world authority in Australian English Thinking. Second, I’m the most experienced teacher of Australian English Thinking in all of human history. So there. Third and most practically, it’s working very, very well, so far. In fact, it’s working ten times better than America or even England itself when you are willing to take into consideration  the economy of Australia.

•

ENGLISHTHINKERS.COM™

… the unfair advantage

•

Coming January 31, 2012

SOT wishes you a very Happy New Year in 2012.

Thank you for your contributions to SOT in 2011 through your DFQs and posted comments. Your thoughts and feedback are a critical part of the success of the school because at SOT the students–as individuals and as a body–are also part of the faculty.

In response to the SOT daily feedback questions (DFQs) students around the world voluntarily contributed many thousands of comments on the SOT lessons and articles in 2011. Many insights, edits, suggestions, corrections and improvements result from this ongoing interactive and daily collaborative effort.

SOT students range widely from farmers, truck-drivers and retirees to young school students, teachers, parents, scholars and Nobel scientists to knowledge-workers in media, business, sport, politics and the arts, and from more than 50 countries worldwide.

Wherever you are now …

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Early in 2012 I will be launching a brand new program–designed especially for China and other countries–called ENGLISH THINKING: Learn-To-Think in English, Lessons One to One Hundred.

Because many English speakers are not yet English Thinkers this will be a new program with a new website–for members only–at ENGLISHTHINKERS.COM™ and membership will be for those who seriously want to become world class English Thinkers.

It is a four-month program of daily training from lesson one to one hundred.

Membership fees are AUD$1000. In addition to the daily lessons membership will include a range of other benefits, gifts, rights and opportunities. There will also be weekly tutorials–a new opportunity for live training and social networking.

The new program at ENGLISHTHINKERS.COM™ is the culmination of more than 30 years of experience teaching thinking skills–in English–to millions of people in many countries around the world. This unique professional experience includes pioneering research and knowledge, innovations of design and applications, and a wide range of successful installations in education, science and business.

SOT members will be invited and this newsletter will keep you informed of the launch of this program scheduled for January 31, 2012.

Extract from ENGLISH THINKING: Learn-To-Think in English, Lessons One to One Hundred by Michael Hewitt-Gleeson:

Modern English is the first global decision language because it is the most widely spoken language across the world. The boardrooms of the world think in English. English is the premium language of decision-making in communications, science, information technology, business, seafaring, aviation, radio and diplomacy. English thinkers are the brains behind the global entertainment industry, gaming and the social networking phenomenon. The world wide web is dominated by English thinking.

Are you an English thinker? A working knowledge of how to think in English is critical for advancement in a number of professions and occupations from medicine to IT to fashion. In today’s world more than a billion people can think in English to at least a basic level. The world is now divided into two groups: those who can think in English and those who cannot. The former has an unfair advantage over the latter. When it comes to thinking in English my advice is: catch up or miss out!

Why English Thinking? Looking back we can see how English became the lingua franca of today’s world. English thinking spread beyond the British Isles with the growth of the British Empire, and by the late 19th century its reach was truly global. Following British colonisation from the 16th to 19th centuries, English became the dominant language in the United States, Canada, Australia and India.

In the latter half of the 20th century widespread use of English was much reinforced by the global economic, financial, scientific, military, and cultural pre-eminence of the English-speaking countries. Most profoundly, the economic and cultural influence of America and its might as a global superpower since World War II have significantly accelerated the language’s spread across the planet.

Today, more than half of all scientific journals are published in English, while in France, almost one third of all natural science research appears in English. English has replaced German as the dominant language of science Nobel Prize laureates. It is now the lingua franca of international Air Traffic Control communications. In international diplomacy during the 20th century and at the United Nations, English has surpassed French as the dominant language.

What is English Thinking? There are two main facets to the term ‘English Thinking’. The first is the language and the second is the methodology. English Thinking not only requires a working knowledge of both the language and idiom of English but it also means the ability to understand and operate the historical cognitive techniques of English Thinking: logical/critical thinking; the scientific method and enlightenment/evolutionary thinking; and the more recent innovation/creative thinking tools of cognitive science.

Many English speakers are not English Thinkers.

“The world is divided into two groups: those who can think in English and those who cannot. The former has an unfair advantage over the latter. When it comes to thinking in English my advice is: catch up or miss out!“

- Michael Hewitt-Gleeson, author, ENGLISH THINKING: Learn-To-Think in English, Lessons One to One Hundred.

To all SOT members in 52 countries around the world may I wish you a Happy New Year. 2012 looks set to be an even more interesting year than 2011! To our Australian members have a relaxing and happy break over the January summer holidays.

In Australia, we are beach-lovers. This is our summer break so we mostly head off to our beaches and favourite holiday destinations with our family and friends. Traditionally, it’s a time for Aussies to relax together, to renew friendships and to have some fun.

We also have time to do a lot of reading and thinking. We meditate alone on our past year and our plans for the coming year. We have many shared discussions while sitting on the beach with friends or over a family barbecue. (Here’s a picture of St Kilda Beach where I was born and where I live today.)

Of course, I realise that SOT members in other countries do not live on the beach but in an amazingly diverse range of locations and picturesque settings. So whatever situation you find yourself in January, I do hope you will have time to meditate and think and to renew your life as you embark on a new year.

Very best wishes to you and your family and friends, and I hope we will continue our journey into thinking … together in 2012.

Michael

In the decade since September 11, 2001 the world has witnessed a dramatic and inexorable shift in the geo-political tectonic plates that are Europe, the USA and Asia.

In big global terms the world has watched as the post WWII position of USA dominance has shifted from growth to decline. We have all looked on as the Euro experiment has come to a shuddering, stalling halt. We have observed the rapid rise of Asia.

In particular the world has seen India assert itself as a rising global power. And, nothing has captured the imagination of the wired global audience more than the phenomenon of the growth of China.

During the past decade School of Thinking China has been researching the Chinese market and conducting projects for private corporate clients in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing.

Learn-To-Think in English™

Since 1995, SOT has developed the biggest program in the world for teaching ‘How To Think in English’. Now SOT has designed a special program for China called ENGLISH THINKING: Learn-To-Think in English, Lessons One to One Hundred. This innovative program for China will be launched nationwide in 2012.

W C Fields makes a poker face.       Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis

If you can fool yourself, you’ll be better at fooling others.

Lying is second nature to us and under the influence of self-delusion we’ll hang ourselves if given enough rope. Robert Trivers is one of the few scientists able to take command of an evolutionary perspective on subterfuge, and in his new book Deceit and Self-Deception: Fooling Yourself the Better to Fool Others, he does exactly that.
•• Read the original article …

In one of the most dramatic psychology experiments ever conducted, Professor Stanley Milgram proved that I would torture you and that you would torture me if we were directed to do so by a recognised authority.

This was the famous experiment called the Milgram Experiment.

Hard to believe? Well they’ve done it again …

BBC News:
Decades after a notorious experiment, scientists have found test subjects are still willing to inflict pain on others – if told to by an authority figure. US researchers repeated the famous “Milgram test”, with volunteers told to deliver electrical shocks to another volunteer – played by an actor.

Even after faked screams of pain, 70% were prepared to increase the voltage, the American Psychology study found. Both may help explain why apparently ordinary people can commit atrocities.

••• Click here for more on this article …