24 September

To give an indication of how much of an international laughing stock we’ll be if (when) we vote No at the referendum, compare with other major countries with indigenous populations. In the US, there are treaties with hundreds of Native American tribes, and tribal sovereignty is recognised in the US constitution. In Canada, rights for indigenous people are enshrined in their constitution, as well as indigenous people having treaty rights. In New Zealand, a treaty was signed with indigenous people as early as 1840. (New Zealand has no formal constitution.) If we want to look like a bunch of red-necked racist yokels, voting No to a few words in the Constitution and a bloody advisory committee will do it.