Was the coronation better than Seinfeld?

Welcome back to Yours.Sincerely, our Friday dive into the letters and comments on what you decided was the topic of the week.

Hundreds of readers took to their keyboards to tell us their thoughts about King Charles’s coronation and whether it was time for Australia to cut ties with the monarchy.

Did the coronation show us it’s time for a change?

• The Herald’s Europe correspondent Rob Harris asked how is it possible to explain the pomp and ceremony of the coronation in the era of Uber Eats, Netflix, vaping and Alexa.

Mac_the_Dog Everything about the coronation is absurd. You can make an argument about not messing with our current form of government, but this silliness shows it’s time for change.

Westman I watched Seinfeld. Another show about nothing.

Kate I couldn’t watch it. The whole thing is ludicrous, inappropriate and cringeworthy. I don’t mean this personally against Charles, who is clearly trying to read the room. It is not his fault to be sitting there in 2023 getting a crown full of stolen jewels from all of the world put on his head.

anon melbourne Waiting for 74 years to get a paid job? Sad really.

James I felt privileged to be able to witness such an important historical event. The religious/historical symbolism of the ceremony was fascinating. And the recognition of multicultural Britain by including all religions and cultures in the service, was outstanding.

Greyish Ghost Good to watch for 10 minutes just to confirm the complete anachronism of the entire royalty rubbish. Hereditary rulers? What a joke. Pledging allegiance? Rubbish. A nice tourist attraction for the Brit’s, sure, but dump the rest of it and get rid of our connection to it.

Luc God save the King God bless our country and her people. Inspire our leaders with wisdom, kindness and humility to lead our great Republic of Australia.

Time to cut the monarchy’s apron strings?

• There can be no more urgent work in Australia than true recognition of the enduring impact of the violence of colonisation, wrote journalist and author Julia Baird. Readers’ were divided in their opinions.

Tony McIntyre We complain about the apron strings of the monarchy and then complain when they do not interfere in how this country is run. Please make up your mind. It has to be Australia that makes up for the injustices of the past. You can no longer appeal to the Privy Council any more so the apron strings have been cut.

Real Life Queen Victoria could be forgiven for racism of the time that was a believed view of civilisation back then. But to know what we know now, and still repeat the pantomimes and deepen the repeated rituals embedded in this patriarchy seems much less forgivable.

artusj England and its monarchy has nothing to do with this country. It is time, in every aspect, to ignore and turn our backs on its colonial history and set about to repair the wrongs that were done.

Pam Timms, Suffolk Park Let’s not depend on the current monarch to right the wrongs done to our First People by colonisation. By becoming a republic, we take an important step in the reconciliation process. We tell the world that our allegiance lies with our democratically elected government and that we stand together with the First Nations people of our magnificent and ancient land.

gobsmack For 70 years we’ve had a fawning press which didn’t seem to be able to move past how “gracious” QEII was. Suddenly, with a new person in the same chair, we have become aware of what a terrible institution the monarchy is.

Daisy Blue No no no, this medieval Commonwealth nonsense has to stop.
Australia can do better.

A bonehead decision? Premier keeps the lights off

• Premier Chris Minns defended his government’s decision to not light up the sails of the Sydney Opera House for King Charles’ coronation, saying the hefty cost of the lights could be better used elsewhere, wrote reporter Anthony Segaert.

Barry59 So petty and I’m in favour of a republic and vote ALP. Makes Minns look Lilliputian.

dazcha What, exactly, would spending the equivalent of a teacher’s annual pre-tax salary on lighting the Opera House achieve? I’d rather see the money go towards something that matters.

wennicks The sails are the major global advertisements of this city. Most of the world immediately associates it with Sydney and we should use it whenever we can.

A. Balance Disrespectful by Labor. Typical left wing against the monarchy in its actions. Disgraceful.

Billinudge It’s time to stop the forelock tugging and doffing of lids. Bring on the Republic of Australia. I don’t recognise a German descendant as our head of state.

GeePa I would call the coronation of our head of state an important domestic and international event and therefore would meet the new criteria.

Yay diversity Given the millions of dollars worth of publicity we missed out on it does seem like a boneheaded decision to save $80k.

• You can join the conversation at smh.com.au in the comments sections of each article, and in letters to the editor in print and online. See you next Friday. Yours. Sincerely, Pat Stringa, letters editor