If republicans are to achieve even a measure of unity, they must first remind themselves of what they hold in common. I could probably add one more example of common ground. They are not members of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy, a fact which points to the hypocrisy and dishonesty of those republicans such as Peter Reith and the independent MP Ted Mack who line up with the monarchists to campaign for a No vote. Mr Reith, for example, claims he supports a popularly elected president. Acknowledging that the most crucial and fundamental principles held by republicans are points of common ground, let's look now at what divides them.
Republicans differ over their choice of model.
Some republicans who want a popularly elected president believe that by voting No in November they will usher in a new era of participatory democracy. One thing is clear. The points which unite republicans are stronger than those that divide them. There should be room for compromise over questions of strategy, models, and future outcomes. Republicans are not fighting over their fundamental beliefs, they simply disagree on how they might best be realised.