No, not because of the division in the Republicans camp at all ACB....because Howard intentionally derailed the entire process and thwarted a nation's desire to rid itself of irrelevant royal protocol and connection to a regime that is about as (sorry to use this word but..)"un-Australian" as anything could be.
Howard ignored what might have been the wishes of the nation and intentionally made the entire thing as dreary and as unattractive as his dear self......lol.
