TOP STUFF AUSSIES!

An Australian brewery has withdrawn a beer advertisement that riled monarchists by poking fun at the campaign to make Australia a republic. Philip Benwell, a leading monarchist, said the Adelaide-based brewer had used its advertising to sell a political message. "Why couldn't the advertisement have begun: Forget the republic?" Mr Benwell, chairman of the Australian Monarchist League, said. "We take a lot of things in good humour, but this one we felt was too much of a political statement and therefore we lodged a formal protest." The century-old debate about whether Australia should have a president to replace the British monarch as its head of state is a divisive issue that culminated in a referendum in 1999 that overwhelmingly supported the constitutional monarchy. The debate has been revived with the election in November of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a republican. His predecessor, John Howard, had been a staunch monarchist who republicans argued was instrumental in the failure of the 1999 referendum. But advertising writer and communications consultant Jane Caro said the monarchists had hurt their own cause by demonstrating that they lacked a sense of humour. "Everyone who doesn't have a sense of humour says anything that's really funny goes too far," Miss Caro told Australian radio. "I think the monarchists should apologise to us all for making the world a little duller," she added. TO WHICH I SAY: YOU GO GIRL!