Non British views on the Common Wealth?

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Regarding coins, the Royal Canadian Mint produces some great collectible work. The only coins I've seen with decoration such as theirs.

But most of them have not even matured enough to even make that choice yet. 200 years is diddly squat in terms of how long a country has existed.

And to me, self-identifying as a former British colony rather than coming up with your own identity could be somewhat harmful, and my main concern is that it would be a way to avoid truly considering what is at stake and the long term implications of it.

I mean - how long till you stop having to prove yourselves to Britain if you choose to self-identity as a colony? Another 200 years? Never?

I am not saying deny the influence they had on founding your country, but accept it and find a way to move forward regardless. Don't rely on it forever as a way to avoid making those hard but necessary decisions. Don't use it as an excuse to not think something through thoroughly and rather just do as you have always done.

At the very least Australia needs a new flag. I would rather see the boxing kangaroo as their flag rather than having the current one with the union jack. All it does is signify ownership.

Our Mint is arguably the best in the world, at least when it comes to coins. We print bills and make coins for a huge number of other countries. We were the first place to have a coin with two different types of mettle (the Twonie). We have had coins with red poppies (although the red colour came off pretty quickly on the first batch of those) for Remembrance Day and pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness. I think our latest round of one dollar coins (the "Loonie") has a little holographic bit on it, or something like that. And it seems to be Mint policy to always have the technology to produce the highest purities of gold.

Okay, that's enough patriotism to last me for the next month.

I'll correct you on the bimetallic coin. They have existed since antiquity. In terms of modern coinage, the Italian 500 lire predates the twonie by 14 years, the French 10F and the Thai 10Bt by about 8 years, and the Hongkong $10 by about 3 years.

The new issue loonies and twonies don't have holographic features (there is, however a 0.999 Maple Leaf with a kinegram). Rather, they have laser micro engraving. The variable image on the new toonie is achieved through contrasting engraving on the dies--not through holographic imagery.

But none of that detracts from the industry leadership of the RCM, perhaps the most innovative mint pressing coinage today.

Commonwealth isn't an identity - it's just a shared heritage. Similar in some ways to geographic divisions like "Asian" or "European" or what have you, except its not geographic or ethnic.

There's no hard or necessary decision to make here. Nothing is being "relied on".

My post pertained solely to Australia. Canada is in a very different situation than here right now. You guys don't really rely on anything, or at least not too much, nowhere near the same amount it happens here.

We rely on the USA. I'd much rather that we relied on the Commonwealth.

We rely on the USA. I'd much rather that we relied on the Commonwealth.

Well ... it seems like we traded one worn-out empire in its death throes for another one. Always chaining ourselves to the latest dying man. At least the first was more culturally palatable but still. Maybe with all the oil etc in the far north global warming will make us a superpower in our own right and we won't need any patrons anymore.