What becomes of the broken-hearted? For the diehards of the Australian Republican Movement, 10 years after the referendum on an Australian republic was defeated, the answer is simple they cling to the dream.
With republican-leaning Labor in power and an Opposition leader who led the movement in a former life, one might assume the stars had aligned.
But the gathering of 15 diehard republicans on the lawns of Parliament House yesterday, representing three separate arms of the movement, told a different story.
The disparate group brought to mind the Roman republican and philosopher Cicero's maxim, ''Like readily consorts with like''.
But judging by the size of the turnout and the mixed messages, the question perhaps remains, ''Quo Vadis?''
The chairman of the Australian Republican Movement, Michael Keating, joined by Sarah Brasch from Women for an Australian Republic and the Real Republican Movement's David Muir, was defiant.
For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times