Wednesday, July 29, 2009

David Flint at Rorke's Drift

. Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Whenever I think of Australia's David Flint and his valiant band of monarchists, I am reminded of Lieutenant Chard at Rorke's Drift, of intrepid action and intelligent leadership with a tactical instinct for self-preservation, the kind that is able to stare futility in the face and laugh.

The_defense_of_Rorke%27s_Drift
The Battle of Rorke's Drift, January 22/23, 1879.

The Battle of Rorke's Drift is one of those irresistible stories that will amaze for generations to come. In what became known as one of history's finest defences, 139 British redcoats miraculously defended a small garrison in January 1879 against an intense and sustained assault by more than 4,000 Zulu warriors. Eleven of those 139 soldiers went on to win the Victoria Cross, the most ever for a single action, including Lt. Chard for his role in commanding the defence of the mission outpost, and for his courageous leadership, intelligence and tenacity against overwhelming odds.

Rorke's Drift is analagous here because but for the unheralded work of A.C.M. and others, Australia's intelligentsia is almost uniformly republican, from its political class to its media, academic and social elite, and its other self-appointed guardians of the national interest. It's as if the brave monarchists Down Under, who are the true custodians of Australia's history, culture and institutions, are alone in their redoubt, ably protecting the nation's precious constitutional order against the chattering onslaught of republican inevitability.

The innovative political genius of Professor Flint - that Australia has a choice between a "crowned republic" (i.e., the status quo) or a "politician's republic" (a dangerous leap of faith) - calls to mind the survival instincts of Lt. Chard, who implicitly recognized the need to shorten his defensive perimeter against the approaching hordes, and facilitated a tactical retreat behind a bisected position.

In similar fashion, Dr. Flint is shortening the parameters of public debate by arguing that we are effectively already a republic, thereby avoiding the abstract (monarchy versus republic) and pseudo-nationalist (Queen versus Mate for Head of State) distractions that prevent us from focussing on the substantive issue (Crown versus politician) that confronts us, such as the vital role the Crown plays in providing a level of leadership above politics, and in safeguarding us from our own hubris on the virtues of popular democracy.

Retreating behind the walls of a "crowned republic" may be grating to the royalist, but there are circumstances when strategic retreats and partial evacuations are necessary, and when obstinancy no longer serves the public interest. The staunch royalist may shout from the rooftops that Australia is not a crowned republic, that it is an independent kingdom, a commonwealth realm and a constitutional monarchy, as evidenced by it having a Queen, but what good are semantic plumes when the country was long ago sapped of its royalist spirit?

Loyalty to our country, our Queen and our cherished system of government requires that we fight to defend these things in the political arena where the battle will be won or lost. It is vital that we preseve the constitutional arrangement whereby power rests with the people and authority rests with the Crown, so that ultimately the rights and liberties of the individual can be protected if those two things - power and authority - remain properly segregated.

Unfortunately the encroaching politician has done much to consolidate them, and the fate of the individual is becoming as vulnerable as the hapless patients in the garrison hospital at Rorke's Drift.

13 comments:

'99 Referendum Veteran said...

Hear hear. But don't forget those other brave souls that helped launch ACM when things were truly dire in the Keating years in the early 90s - people like Dame Leonie Kramer (the best GG we never had), Justice Michael Kirby (the last progressive monarchist in public life), Justice Lloyd Waddy, and - the one remaining in the public eye - Tony Abbott, John HOward's lieutenant, and potential future leader post-Turnbull.

And victory is sweet! The Labor government in Victoria refuses to remove the Queen from its oaths and uses the royal arms for Parliament. Labor's decade old government in Queensland continues to fly the old Union Jack vice regal flag at Government House in Brisbane. And of course no state has dared touch its state flag.

It will be a while yet before the boomers with memories of 1975 pass from public life, but with them will go their inane emotional urging for a republic.

After that... who knows what is possible for our side.

Liam Wells said...

Well said, I say.

Though I certainly am a royalist in the purist sense, I also recognise the current arrangement to be aptly described as a crowned republic, for even if Her Majesty were to create a separate Australian Royal Family (as in, separate from the British Royal Family), we would still need to appoint a Governor General according to the Constitution.

Don't believe me? Look it up. Now wonder we worked out that the GG was Head of State in 1907!

On another note, though certainly monarchists appear to be gaining ground over a very sedate republican movement (the last time I visited the ARM's website, the most recent thing up there was several months old, at least), there is still a ways to go. The Governor must be restored to her proper residence in New South Wales, and we must make a point of holding our politicians to their oaths.

I must admit, standing for election to go out and keep the bastards honest seems a very enticing, challenging and fun job (if only to blow my nose at those silly republic pig-dogs!).

Beaverbrook said...

Appreciate the comments.

Let's not forget Philip Benwell either, but in terms of daily content and the ongoing countering of republican attacks there is no better place to go than David Flint.

By the way, our dear friend Lewis Holden weighs in with his own thoughts.

http://www.republic.org.nz/node/934

Liam Wells said...

I find Mr. Holden's analogy to be quite perplexing actually. He thinks that we monarchists are refusing to submit to a surrender. But what surrender? What did we monarchists lose?

I mean, if the republicans had won in 1999, and ACM was campaigning for a restoration, then the analogy would be quite apt. But the monarchy has hardly lost. Gladstone made the point on a previous post on this blog - why is the republic inevitable?

Until Mr. Holden can satisfactorily answer such a question, Rorke's Drift stands.

Anonymous said...

Um, what happens if Australians' adopt a rotating Presidency with citizen initated referenda (like Switzerland)- the most stable system of government in the world and the one, in my view, has been successfully exported (to places like New Zealand, San Marino, the American States', some Latin American nations, Canada to a lesser degree)?

I think your analysis overlooks the models out there (namely, rotating Presidency's are a few thousand years more stable than any constitutional monarchy, or indeed, any absolute monarchy for that matter). Your analysis is slightly opaque, given A) most political prerogatives are not reviewable by the courts (that is, pollies can hide under the shield of the Crown) and the courts can only partially review their scope of certain prerogatives(R v Toohey), B) generally, albeit not always, the GG gets told what to do and is generally a loyal party hack, C) most major political crises are the result of one politican getting their way (e.g. in 1975- at the end of the day not one single item in that stagflationary Whitlam budget was amended- the Crown serves some pollies over others), D)it seems that you have overlooked the fact that a constitutional monarchy was a result of Parliament (i.e. politicans') winning (And I'm not just talking about President, oh, sorry, I meant, Prime Minister Blair). The politicans' won. Parliamentary supremacy prevailed. We live in a politicans' monarchy, not a peoples' Republic (like Switzerland). The end.

Time we made the people sovereigns, not subjects, through citizen initatives' and stronger federalism. People should not wait for either a Queen or any politican to do what they should and could do for themselves. Thus, I think Mr Holden's point- you lost sight of the facts and history that is out there- stop supporting mediocrity, and a philistine on welfare, and make yourselves sovereigns.

Furthermore, the monarchist writes:

"...Retreating behind the walls of a "crowned republic" may be grating to the royalist, but there are circumstances when strategic retreats and partial evacuations are necessary, and when obstinancy no longer serves the public interest. The staunch royalist may shout from the rooftops that Australia is not a crowned republic, that it is an independent kingdom, a commonwealth realm and a constitutional monarchy, as evidenced by it having a Queen, but what good are semantic plumes when the country was long ago sapped of its royalist spirit?..."

My thoughts exactly- what an utterly irrelevant symbol the Queen is in Australia. Time constitutional reality caught up with convention, as it has in the past.

Anonymous said...

"The Labor government in Victoria refuses to remove the Queen from its oaths and uses the royal arms for Parliament. Labor's decade old government in Queensland continues to fly the old Union Jack vice regal flag at Government House in Brisbane...."

Ah, and there we go again- the politicans' monarchy is grand- the Crown gives soft, subtle human touches to the cruel machinery of government, distracting the masses from how the state is utterly screwing them over. "Pomp and circumstance! I wish I could marry Prince William (despite his grossly reciding hairline)!" As Bagehot said long ago, "the Queen reminds people of an old widow crossed with an unemployed youth". That appeals to slaves and subjects, not sovereigns.

Alot of people would like to wish they are being governed by an old, frail lady.

But if only that were true. No, instead, we live in a politicans' monarchy where the Crown gives soft touches to an otherwise statist system. So, to repeat on my previous post-

Rotating Presidency's with CIR > constitutional monarchy's (probably equal to Irish or Finnish like Republic) > absolute monarchy's > Mugabee-like regime's.

'99 Referendum Veteran said...

Do you seriously think CIR or a rotating presidency will fly at a referendum?

By the way, the Australian experience of GGs is that those appointed with the expectation of acting as loyal party hacks in the end actually were the precise opposite when the rubber hit the road.

Sir John Kerr is the spectactular example, Sir William McKell (and perhaps potentially Bill Hayden) less so.

In fact, Hayden went from being a post-Whitlam Labor leader critical of the monarchy to a de-facto supporter of ACM!! Tee hee.

As an aside, you always know someone's struggling to stay in touch with political reality when they use the word "masses" like a crank annoyed with the fact that more people don't agree with them. Hmmm....

PS: "stronger federalism" - guess you're not a fan of Tony Abbott's new book "Battlelines"... oh well. :-)

Steve said...

Yes, I'm a federalist and yes, I do think CIR and a (directly elected) collective, rotating Presidency would fly at a referendum (in time)-

* its more stable than the status quo i.e. San Marino, Switzerland (plus if the GG fails to act on a particular issue, one of the other state Governors can perform his or her duties rather than needing the Queen to dimiss the GG like during the 1991 Papuan Constitutional Crisis),

** a rotating presidency would be more symbolic than the status quo (why not have 7 people as your head of state- a few aryans here and there, the odd asian, a few women, perhaps an Indigenous Australian representing the NT etc),


*** its cheaper than the status quo (if the Governors rotate amongst one another, we no longer need a GG, so there goes 12 million- and with developing technologies- if there is a direct election- that would cost far less).


It will take some time, yes, yes, yes- but its the only sensible model, really. I don't think there is any debate here that rotating Presidency's promote the above virtues. It's a simple empirical proposition.

As for the word masses, of course: "you always know someone's struggling to stay in touch with political reality when they use the word 'masses' like a crank annoyed with the fact that more people don't agree with them".

I completely agree- that was my precise point. I don't expect much in any Western society, whether the US, the UK or here, where we have high income taxes, capital gain taxes, high welfare expenditure, political apathy, ignorance whereby less than 10 percent of people know anything about their constitution, a state where people are "subjects", ie, in short, a welfare state, with a head of state who her own historian described as a "philistine". As I said, the human journey is from slaves, to subjects, to sovereigns. But as I said, we'll get there (to become sovereigns IN the ACTUAL political sense), slowly, but surely. Thus, Bagehot's point that the Queen reminds people of "an old widow meets an unemployed youth", generating apathy in the masses (his words, not mine).

Nevertheless, our founding fathers, designed our constitution such that if we were ever to become a Republic it would be a Swiss-style Republic. Thus, wrote one founder (Alfred Deakin):

… There are many like myself, who would be perfectly prepared, if we were bound to change our present constitutions altogether, to adopt the Swiss system, with its co-ordinate houses, its elective ministry, and its referendum,
by which the electors themselves were
made masters of the situation; but while we would be prepared to consider a proposal of that kind, the Swiss relation of the two chambers has no analogy whatever to a constitution such as
ours, in which it is proposed to retain responsible government, and in which the government must be responsible to the people’s chamber.

In short, the founders conceded ours was a politicans' monarchy, the Swiss a Peoples' Republic.

As for the party hack idea- this is true- that is why PMs have, lately, become a tad smarter in making appointments- Howard with Michael Jeffrey; Rudd with Byrce.

Finally, yes, this is the problem- stupid socialists and people who "call" themselves Conservative want to centralise power in the federal government- that is a receipe of disaster- the most stable countries in the world, whether Republic or constitutional monarchy, are highly federalist/decentralist- US, Canada, Switzerland, San Marino etc. So, no, I'm not a fan of Abbott. I think healthcare should be local, people who work in healthcare and education should be exempt from taxation and, of course, I support a voucher system. As soon as you start centralising things, that gives (Her Majesty's) government another pretext to legitmatise itself, to grow bigger and bigger, due to problem that the government itself causes.

Steve said...

Again, its a cultural change. Once people start thinking critically, things shall change, and hopefully we don't need to latch onto the excesses of the Keynesian welfare state.

Although there is one positive thing I will say about the monarchy (being a (Henry) Georgist)- a few of the early kings had the right idea of requiring landlords to pay rents to the state, while wages and profits were privatised.

Winston Churchill was a Georgist, too.

'99 Referendum Veteran said...

Steve, when you come back to Planet Political Reality, let's talk.

If a referendum on minor changes like requiring "free and fair" elections couldn't fly in the 1988 referendum (even though it started with 80% support at the start of the campaign) what chance would your ideas have at a referendum?

The Australian Constitution is near-impossible to change substantially, provided the existing electoral laws of gravity apply. This article might give you food for thought.

http://www.mumble.com.au/published/CTSept2302.htm

PS I liked Michael Jeffrey. MC winner, straight back, firm handshake, SOUND!!

Quentin Bryce = KRudd toadie and SPANNER

Steve said...

Oh, '99 Referendum Veteran you're appaulingly ignorant.

Keep in mind the constitution itself was adopted by 53 or 54%? And at the time that was radical- it could be a case of extreme irony the MORE radical the change (not minor)the more likely it would be adopted- after all, the constitution was sold on the virtues of free trade and national defence. Thus, I think that was the point- if a referendum has TANGIBLE, PHYSICAL BENEFITS and POWER to the people- at the end of the day "free and fair" elections really didn't matter in a Westminister system- its the pollies' monarchy. It's symbolic bullshit, not practice. As I said, a REAL Republic would be a tangible benefit (CIR, Federalism etc).

It proves how out of touch you are on the topic of how cynical the people are against the politicans' monarchy.... I mean, gosh, even conservatives support CIR...

Although I suppose given only 10% of people have actually read this nations constitution, you are right. Hence, my point- it requires time- thus "Planet Political Reality" involves evolution.

ps Noticed the article you linked me to, said:

"...Throw in the fact that enthusiasm for a republic is lower in the smaller states...The minimalist model will never again go to the people. And direct election is unelectable in this country".

Wonderful- hence, my rotating Presidency sounds perfect. Tasmania would appreciate it.

The article also said:

"...Only Australia and Switzerland alter their constitutions by popular vote. (Others generally do it by vote of a large majority of parliamentarians.) The Swiss practically invented the referendum. Citizens there can initiate them and voters give them the seriousness they deserve, consider the issues and vote accordingly. They behave like grown-ups..."

Exactly, my point- the sensible alternative is the Swiss model and the Swiss people are encouraged to think for themselves. They don't need pollies to tell them what to vote on- they make and propose the laws, not the pollies. That is part of the move from subjects to sovereigns.

I suppose we should start by amending s128 and inserting a CIR clause (as some of our founding fathers' initally intended)!

And if that is rejected- fine. You can continue to be subjects, with growing state depedency and the joys of the welfare state.

In the meantime, I'll remain a conservative libertarian, opposed to the politicans' monarchy.

Liam Wells said...

Actually Steve, I think it is you who is ignorant.

First of all, your point with regards to the referendum's initial adoption is patently false. Acursory glance on wikipedia would demonstrate this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation_of_Australia#Later_constitutional_conventions

As you can see in the table presented, the 1899 referendum which approved the Constitution was approved by majorities of 56% (NSW), 55% (QLD), 78% (SA), 94% (TAS), 94% (VIC) and Western Australia joined in in 1900 by a majority of 69%. Overall, the people of Australia voted for Federation by a margin of 72%. Thus, support for the Constitution was much higher than you make out.

Second, one of the key things about the path to Federation was that the smaller states did not want to be dominated by the larger ones. Hence, the double majority referendum was created. CIRs would have directly contravened this, since it would permit the more populous states to call referenda in their interests, while the smaller states would struggle much more.

And finally, the monarchy. You seem to think that being a subject is some kind of cruel bondage, but I argue to the contrary. It is that fuedal relationship of loyalty in exchange for protection that truly makes me prefer monarchy to any form of republic. I prefer a monarch who is able to reject a bill, especially on the grounds of the public interest (take, for example, the various laws giving ever more power to Brussels from London - they could arguably be construed as treason). In theory, the Westminster model does permit this, but by convention, the right of veto is hardly ever used.

Also, you state that a rotation of Governors as Head of State would be better than the current arrangement, but I'd like to know how you'd choose those State Governors (who are currently appointed by Her Majesty on the advice of the Premier). Honestly, you have to consider that if you're going to present your model as superior (not to mention it would be much harder to get off the ground since it would require changes to be made to the various state constitutions).

And, of course, you fall into that traditional republican trap of wanting to select people on the basis of their race. Please, can we leave race out of this and decide someone's worthiness for the job of Governor/Governor-General on merit alone (ditto for gender). That, sir, is equality. Racial and gender representation does not make said representatives equal. In fact, it discriminates against worthier representatives, who, by sole virtue of their ethnicity (whatever it may be), are deprived of the chance to contribute to their society.

Please, stop spreading that little lie. I always hate republicans who are like that.

David Byers said...

Please all go and read this article on the issue:
http://www.monarchist.org.au/articles09_detail.html?_SKU=1243502071721079&index_no=1

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It's Over: the day, the decision, the crisis, the coalition, and Dion’s leadership
Loyal Subject: Speak out Charles, our teenage politicians never will
Prince Charles at 60: 60 Facts About HRH, Prince Charles of Wales
Remembrance Day Hymns: O Valiant Hearts; Abide With Me
For Liberty and Livelihood! Duke of Norfolk leads hunt protest ban
Keating Remembers: "I have never been to Gallipoli, and I never will"
John Cleese a Republican? An anti-monarchist rant worthy of Monty Python
Balfour Declaration: The precursor to the Statute of Westminster
Beaverbrook's Grandson: SAS Major Sebastian Morley resigns in disgust
"His Mightiness": Yanks and the royals; the Eagle and the Crown
England Expects: The Hero of Trafalgar at 250
Harper and Howard: An embarrassing example of Anglosphere Unity
Crowning Insult: Labour's legacy will be its destruction of the monarchy
Her Excellency: An Interview with Governor-General Quentin Bryce
Age of Oversensitivity: Churchill wouldn't stand a chance in Canadian election
William of Wales: Prince chooses RAF career over that of a 'working Royal'
Australia's Loyal Opposition: Republican Turnbull now on Queen's side
Loyal Subject: The Age of Elizabeth II, by A.N. Wilson
Tory Icon? Daniel Hannan says British Tories should follow Stephen Harper
Chasing Churchill: Around the world with Winston
Her Majesty The Queen - A Life in Film
The Crown in Oz: Australia swears in first female governor-general
Lèse majesté? The Royal Australian Institute of Architects drops the 'royal'
Rest In Peace: David Lumsden of Cushnie (1933-2008), President of the 1745 Assn.
Monarchies Rule: Prominent Australian republican says monarchies are the best
Sir Don Bradman: Oz remembers The Don, the greatest cricketer batsman of all time
Padre Benton: The Living Tradition in Piddingworth
"Stodgy anachronism" More moist, vapid effusions from the Diana cult
Drool Britannia: London Summer Olympics 2012
Taki the Aristocrat: Unrepentedly wealthy and well mannered
Wanted: Uncorker Message in a bottle faster than Royal Mail
The Other St. George: Will Georgia restore its monarchy?
Gentlemen's Clubs: The Great Club Revolution of New York
The Laughing Cavalier: What an utterly absurd article
Health unto His Future Majesty: "Royalty dares to challenge the New Order"
"Grace, Your Grouse!" Better to kill a fellow gun than wing a beater
Boys will be adventurous: To Ulaanbaatar by London cab
A King's Breakfast: A trenchant defence of the full English breakfast
Republican beer: Forget Coopers, support Fosters
Trafalgar Square: Sanity prevails on the fourth plinth
The Empire Builder: How James Hill built a railroad without subsidies
"Harvard was not amused": Alexander Solzhenitsyn, 1918–2008
Greatest Briton: Wellington is "greater than Churchill"
Death of the Necktie? A well-tied tie is the first serious step in life
Not Amused: The next Chief Justice of Australia to be a republican
Royal New Zealand Air Force: God Save N.Z. from the Cannibals
Why English Pubs are Dying: The totalitarian smoking ban.
Swooning over Princess Obama: A Coronation or the Second Coming?
Dreams of an Academic: Gough Whitlam to have the last laugh?
Joshua Slocum meet President Kruger: Yet another reason to love the Boers
Changing of the Guard: Annual Inspection at Rideau Hall
H.M.S. Iron Duke: A Foe for William and Sea Room
Fountain of Honour: Australian pop star gets Order of the British Empire
DOMINION DAY: Read David Warren's Lament for a Nation
Kiwi Tribalism: Sealords, Treelords, what are New Zealanders coming to?
Of Queen and Country: John Elder disects the current state of monarchy in Oz
Not Amused: The Olympic Games trump Buckingham Palace
CMR Returns: The Royal Military College of St. John
Hereditary peers overwhelmingly rejected the Lisbon Treaty
Archbishop Cranmer: Royal Assent given to the Treaty of Lisbon
Crown Commonwealth: Referendum confirms Her Majesty as Queen of Tuvalu
Duke of York: Prince Andrew Visits Troops in Afghanistan
Treaty of Lisbon: A Litmus Test for the British Monarchy
The Queen and I: The man who caused royal kerfuffle gives view of the monarchy
HMS Ontario sunk in 1780, found intact! at bottom of Lake Ontario
Hold the Lime, Bartender: Only lemon properly complements a gin and tonic
Elizabethans Down Under: Are most Australian monarchists merely "Elizabethans"?
Edwardian Gentleman: What To Do When You Find a Hohenzollern in Your Study
Hooray for Kid's Day!! Melbourne newspaper won't come of Age
Unhappy Kingdom: Why Liberal Democracy is Failing Us
Knightless Realm: The world yawns as John Howard is made an AC
Scots Tory: Bring Back the Stiff Upper Lip, says Gerald Warner
HMY Britannia: Let's lay the keel for a new royal yacht
For Queen, Country and Low Pay: PM pledges to do better
Maple Leaf republic? Roger Kimball's sleight of hand (since corrected!)
Queen's Birthday: New Zealand unveils new Vice-Regal Standard
Prince Charming: Quebec author calls Canadian G-G a "negro queen"
The Senior Service: Sub-Lieutenant Wales to take on Pirates of the Caribbean
Crown of Disenchantment: What does it require to withhold royal assent?
Colonial Mentality: Key republican thinks Victoria Cross is a colonial relic
The Red Baron: Billy Bishop, not Mannock, was the British Empire's top ace
Which Scots conservatism: Unionist or Nationalist?
Loyal Subject: After all she has done, we owe the Queen our oath
Victoria Day – Fête de la Reine: Official B'day of the Queen of Canada
Renaming the Victoria Day Weekend: Let's get rid of Heritage Day Bob
Pro Valore: Canada mints its own Victoria Cross in time for Victoria Day
State Visit to Turkey: Mustafa Akyol says God Save the Queen, Indeed
Norn Iron Unites: What issue is uniting all parties of Northern Ireland?
Extreme Loyalist: Michael Stone attempted to slit the throats of Adams and McGuinness because he just "can't handle" republicans being in government.
Canada's Vice-Regal dubbed an elegant mix between Lady Di and Nelson Mandela
Queen of Australia: Support for Australian republic hits new low
A Heroes Welcome: The Windsor Castle Royal Tattoo, 8-10 May 2008
Fat, Vile and Impudent: Alan Fotheringham is back on the bottle
The Devine Right of Bling: Our Royals have become hereditary celebrities
Battle of the Atlantic: Canadians remember the longest battle of WW2
Old Etonian Toff: Boris Johnson installed as Tory Mayor of London
Britain needs a Patron Saint: Cry God for Harry, Britain and St. Aiden?
Anglos in Mont-Royal: Rooting for the Montreal Canadiens
Daniel Hannan: Borders of the Anglosphere and the British Empire was a mistake
Australia 2020: One Big Fat Republican Con Job
Bye bye Tommy: O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy go away"
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Carpetbaggers Down Under: Kevin 'Mugabe' Rudd wins 98.5% support for republic
Kipling: The Jeremiah of Empire and the Poet Laureate of Civilisation
Duke of Edinburgh: Behind the gaffes is a man of real sincerity
Lord Rutherford: The Father of the Atom lives on in great great grandson
Queen of Australia: Royalty Protects us from Tyranny, David Barnett
Long Live the Broadsheet! Norumbega, more traditionalist than the Pope.
A Tale of Two Countries: Soldiers of Britain and Canada serve the same Queen but...
Loyal Subject: Polishing the Royal Crown, Matt Bondy & Brendon Bedford
Devoted to the End: Obituary of Sir Phillip Bridges
The Monarchist does not recognize the Republic of Kosova
Loyal Subject: MPs Ruse Defeated; God Save the Queen!
St. Paddy's Day: Edmund Burke, the greatest Irishman who ever lived
Not Amused: The Bunkum of Timothy Garton Ash
Hero Harry: Rave Reviews across the Commonwealth
Patriot Prince: Prince Harry fought for us all, Charles Moore
William F. Buckley, RIP: He had a Tory gratitude for the pleasures of life
Their Lordships' Duty: The House of Lords can influence the Lisbon Treaty debate
Knights of Oz: Revive Sirs or I'll have your guts for garters
Peter Hitchens: People love the Queen...and the BBC hates us for it
Our Greatest Monarch: Paul Johnson says Henry V was our greatest monarch
Princess Diana Inquest: A Dirty Raincoat Show for the World
Malcom Turnbull: 'Queen's death will spark republican vote'
Duke of York: The Royals are not "stuffed dummies". They should have their say
Peers of the Realm: The decline and fall of the House of Lords - Charles A. Coulombe
Peter Hitchens: Get rid of the monarchy and you will get rid of a guardian of liberty
THE FALL OF CHURCHILL
Honouring Sir Edmund Hillary
The Queen versus an E.U. President
Going Solo: Prince William earns his Wings
James C. Bennett: The Third Anglosphere Century
Knights of Oz: Revive Sirs or I'll have your guts for garters
Princess Diana Inquest: A Dirty Raincoat Show for the World
Malcom Turnbull: 'Queen's death will spark republican vote'
Future Peer: The life and times of Lady Victoria Beckham
Peers of the Realm: The decline and fall of the House of Lords - Charles A. Coulombe
Peter Hitchens: Get rid of the monarchy and you will get rid of a guardian of liberty


2007 ARTICLES


New York Times: Ever Backwards into the Royal Future
Peter Hitchens: People love the Queen...and the BBC hates us for it
Christopher Hitchens: An Anglosphere Future
Andrew Cusack: Republicanism is a traitor's game
DIAMOND WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Courageous Patrician: Rt Hon Ian Douglas Smith (1919-2007)
The Last Rhodesian: What began with Rhodes and ended with Ian?
Gentleman Journalist: The Lord Baron W.F. Deedes, 1913-2007
Not Amused: Blair's sinister campaign to undermine the Queen
Loyal Subject: Queen Elizabeth: A stranger in her own country
Reverence Deference: Bowing and Scraping Back in Tradition
Rex Murphy: Kennedy, Churchill, Lincoln - The rousing bon mot is no more
Gerald Warner: Don't shed a tear for Diana cult in its death throes
The End of Grandeur: Rich, chincy Canada puts Strathmore on the blocks
Confessions of a Republican Leftie: "The Queen charmed the pants off me"
The King's Own Calgary Regiment: Cpl. Nathan Hornburg is laid to rest
The Royal Gurkha Rifles: Prince William grieves the death of Major Roberts
Queensland Mounted Rifles: Trooper David Pearce, 41, killed in Afghanistan
The Order of Canada: 100 investitures later, Canada's highest honour turns 40
Prince Edward on Prince Edward Island: Troop's link to monarchy important
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN: Unveils the UK Armed Forces Memorial
Great Britain: "A rotten borough with a banana monarchy" - by Europhile
FADE BRITANNIA: THE UNION OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND IS OVER - Simon Heffer
Peers of the Realm: The decline and fall of the House of Lords - Charles A. Coulombe
Remembering 'Smithy': An obituary tour de force by Andrew Cusack here, here and here.
NOT AMUSED: Her Majesty The Queen in Right of Quebec not invited to Quebec's tercentenary