THE OBSERVER

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The Australian Republic Referendum, 1999

The 1999 Australian republic referendum was intended to finalise the nation-building process begun in the mid-nineteenth century and to exploit growing national consciousness in the wake of post-World War II cosmopolitan immigration and the 1988 bicentenary. Despite strong republican support recorded by opinion polls and a broadly favourable media climate the proposal to institute a republic was defeated. The article summarises the campaign and explores some of the reasons that have been advanced, including the part played by the prime minister, for its outcome; it concludes that 'the model' might have been a contributory factor, but probably not the sole explanation. A re-run is unlikely before the election of a sympathetic, probably Labor, government. The episode illustrates the immensity of the difficulty facing republicans in Britain where similarly favourable conditions are inconceivable in the foreseeable future.     

The Nigerian Constitution

The new constitutional arrangements in Nigeria have been consideredat some length in previous numbers of this Journal; but readersmay like to have the benefit of Sir Bernard Bourdillon's maturedviews on the subject, as delivered at a combined meeting withthe Royal Empire Society on the 30th January, Lord Harley inthe Chair.     

THE SLIPPERY SLOPE: Jury Size and Jury Verdict Requirements—Legal and Social Science Approaches

We review six recent U.S. Supreme Court cases dealing with the constitutionality of decision-making by juries with fewer than twelve members or operating under verdict requirements less stringent than unanimity. For the issues raised in each of these cases, we contrast the views of Supreme Court justices with data drawn from social science research and from statistical models of group decision processes.