Saturday, October 10, 2009

"Head of State"?

Posted by Kipling at 2:46 AM . Saturday, October 10, 2009
Labels:

090709t_queen

The head of Her Majesty's Canadian government reminds the Governor General of who really is the boss:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has sent a clear message to Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean that she should not call herself Canada's head of state.

"Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of Canada and Head of State," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement issued to Canwest News Service on Thursday. "The Governor General represents the Crown in Canada."

The extraordinary reminder from the country's head of government to its top viceregal representative follows an uproar over Jean's use of the phrase "head of state" when referring to herself during a speech in Paris on Monday.

Twice during the Governor General's address at an executive meeting of UNESCO — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — she called herself Canada's head of state.

I was rather surprised by the comment myself, the current Canadian GG has generally done a good job. A more correct description is that the Governor General carries out most of the tasks of the Head of State, without actually being Head of State.

A Rideau Hall spokesperson had stated Wednesday that Jean's reference to being head of state was justified: "As the representative of the Crown in Canada, the Governor General carries out the duties of head of state, and therefore is de facto head of state."

Rideau Hall had also said the "head of state" reference was acceptable because of a 1947 agreement in which the "letters patent of King George VI" — Queen Elizabeth's father — "transferred all the duties of head of state of Canada to the Governor General."

But the assertion that the Governor General can be correctly described as Canada's head of state directly contradicts some of the federal government's own published references to the position.

In A Crown of Maples, an online guide to Canada's constitutional monarchy published by the Department of Canadian Heritage, a section titled "The Queen as head of state: Personifying the Country" states: "As Queen of Canada, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is our head of state and a powerful symbol of Canada and Canadian sovereignty."

The link to A Crown of Maples can be found here.

13 comments:

Beaverbrook said...

Technically speaking, I have never accepted the modern notion that the Queen is "head of" the state. Legally she is the state, the sovereign embodiment of the people - for example, there are no treaties signed between Canada/Britain (i.e., the state) and First Nations, they are all with the Crown. Similarly, Canada or Britain did not declare war on Germany in 1939, His Majesty did in his own name.

Perhaps the Constitution of 1982 does codify the Queen as "head of state" now (I'd have to check), but historically this has not been the case. I'm a little off topic, I know, but an interesting discussion nonetheless.

October 9, 2009 at 6:39 AM
Piddingworth said...

The literal entrenchment of the monarchy in the Constitution Act, 1982 was, along with the 'notwithstanding clause' one of the deal-breakers that the Premiers insisted from Trudeau whose 'social contract' was seen to weaken the authority of the Crown in Parliament and give an overriding place to the Supreme Court.

Trudeau had little use for the monarchy and knew that in the passing of time it would have little effect on his greater project 'The Charter of Rights & Freedoms' that would engineer his vision.

Since then, and with the active transformation of the Canadian government that conforms to a new identity, i.e., one that is preferentially French with its own mythological fantasy and historical biases, the anti-monarchists have become the norm in large parts of the civil service; ironically including Rideau Hall.

When the Conservative party became the government a few years ago the question was asked:'Where are the portraits of the Queen?' The civil servants replied: 'They were removed and are in storage'. They were immediately found and return to their places on Parliament Hill. It was further discovered that the Queen had been removed from the official government website. Indeed, in Paul Martin's brief regime, it was he who was presented to the cyberworld as the embodiment of the 'State'. This too was corrected and lasted for a while but the staff at Rideau Hall continue to hope that no one will notice or care of Her Majesty's recent gradual disappearance. Indeed, the whole notion that the Governor-General is the representative of the Queen is put in small print while the emphasis is very much on the office as that of 'Head of State'.

Madame Jean has little or nothing to do with this presentation and likely has simply absorbed the mythology from those 'experts' around her.

Of course, it is all silly nonsense but then so much of 'official' Canada has become the same where the country's history has been altered to serve the new mythology.

It would appear that the Ottawa gang, knowing that the Queen cannot go away without an enormous constitutional tussle, hope that she will just disappear in time with their active co-operation and the deepening indifference of the Canadian population. Hence, fewer Royal Visits.

Those close to Rideau Hall have referred to the development of a stronger identity for the Governor-General as 'de facto Head of State' as 'evolution'. What it really is and has been for four decades is a 'quiet revolution' with a view to rid Canada of any association, de facto, de jure, or otherwise in our history, with the United Kingdom.

It's all being airbrushed quietly from the 'official' Canadian landscape.

October 9, 2009 at 10:13 AM
Lord Best said...

I find the head of state debate specious. The monarchy predates common usage of the term head of state, which only came into vogue following WWII.
Either we have no head of state (we being Canada and Australia) or we have two, the GG and HM The Queen (according to the law faculty at Melbourne university, we have two, if its of interest. It was on their website about the constitution)

October 9, 2009 at 11:14 AM
ACMW said...

Apologies if I am being thick but the Letters Patent of 1947 did not "transfer" powers as such but simply enabled the Governor General of the day to exercise them. "Transfer" implies that the Sovereign is no longer able to exercise them, which is clearly false as otherwise, presumably, the Constitution Act would have had to be signed by the Gov. Gen. and Her Majesty would not have been empowered so to do.

Indeed, if I remember correctly a "transfer" of powers was what was contemplated as a solution to the problem of Nehru wanting India to be a republic within the Commonwealth, the idea being that the "President" would be the G-G re-named and the King would by means of letters patent empower the President to act on his behalf (although whether the President then became the sole person exercising those powers, I am not sure). At any rate, this Rideau Hall doublespeak is quite erroneous.

October 9, 2009 at 2:19 PM
Beaverbrook said...

Padre Benton, good to hear from you again!

A friend of mine had this to say about the notion that we have a head of state.

"This is in fact and of course an error. In a monarchy, there is no notion of “head of” state. The Sovereign is just that … personally the state. As Louis XIV famously said, “l’Etat, c’est moi”. It is personal embodiment of a country.

Prompting this mail, I happened to dig up just now this. The British (Imperial) formal declaration of war in 1939 read as follows:

It is notified that a State of War exists between His Majesty and Germany as from 11 o’clock A.M. to-day the 3rd September, 1939. — King George VI

In Canada as in HM’s other realms, this fact/interpretation is written into the fabric of all law and state power execution; and most particularly in Canada, all native treaties and all provincial and territorial (as well as federal) empowerments are reflected formally in law as personal agreements between the entity in question and the monarch of the time of signature, carried to lawful heirs and successors. This fact, coupled to the written-constitution enshrining of the monarch as Canadian sovereign, makes any “dropping” of the monarchy in Canada an effectively impossible disentanglement short of revolution. And we aren’t a very revolutionary crowd."

No we're not, hence the sly incrementalism summarized by Piddingworth. And the reason why this sly incrementalism has been allowed to persist for the better part of four decades is because - to use the immortal words of Peter Brimelov - "the attitude of successive governments towards the monarchy is that of the urchin, secretly urinating on some shrub in the hope that it will die."

That was the case, in any event, until yesterday when Prime Minister Harper put a stop to it. Too bad the slap down had to happen to our current GG (she has been an excellent representative), rather hoped it would have come down harder on "Queen Adrienne".

October 9, 2009 at 3:02 PM
Piddingworth said...

Cheers Beaverbrook!
I agree that Madame Jean has proved to be a very worthy servant of the Crown who has not assumed for herself the kind of nauseating self-aggrandisment promoted by her predecessor.
The problem is, of course, deeper than the one who lives at Government House and it is sad that, for obvious political (read Quebec) reasons the bureaucracy is staffed with ideologues from fantasyland.
Perhaps a majority Conservative government would more actively support the presence of the monarchy and the Royal Family in Canadian life but I wouldn't hold my breath.
The notion of 'head of state' is used here to reinforce an identity apart from the Sovereign. Whatever juice the law faculty in Melbourne was drawing to conclude two heads of state must come from a tree in the outback. Commonwealth realms (realms!)are not siamese twins. There can be only one Sovereign and that is, by law and in fact, Elizabeth II. She is the fount of all authority including the sharing of that authority with her citizens, including the Governors-General and Lieutenant-Governors and indeed, judges, lawyers, police and commissioned officers.
There are many who think that it is ridiculous for a 'mature' country to have a 'head' who is the 'head' of another country. This is a convenient denial of imperial and constitutional history. Surely, the Queen as Sovereign of many independent nations is one of the most delightful and ingenious 'accidents' of history.
Her Majesty isn't just the 'head' of state...she IS the whole body of state; the fantasies and illusions of privileged bureaucrats notwithstanding.

As a footnote to the business of Brimelow's 'secretly urinating on the shrub', not that many years ago whilst watching the Remembrance observance at the Cenotaph in Ottawa, I noticed that then PM Chrétien had laid a wreath whose ribbon stated 'The People of Canada' (see Louis XIV above, i.e., 'I am da Peoples and da Peoples har moi'!) The PM's wreath traditionaly was 'The Government of Canada' and the Governor-General's wreath stated, as usual, 'The Governor-General'.

I enquired of this breach of protocol with Rideau Hall and was most fortunate to have had a very professional and thoughtful response from a gentleman there. Given that in this constitutional monarchy, the Sovereign is the State and therefore the one who personalizes and embodies 'The People of Canada', I thought that this was a vulgar attempt by the Grits to supplant the monarchy. The gentleman at Rideau Hall did not disagree that the term used by a member of Parliament who is the Head of Government was entirely inappropriate.

A long story shortened, after several communications with Dominion Command of the Legion whose responsibility it is to oversee all things at the Cenotaph, and at first denied, it was later admitted that the instruction to change the wreath came directly from the PMO and the legion complied. They did acknowledge that the term was inappropriate for the Government to assume within Canadian protocol and in the next year it was changed back to 'Government of Canada' but they chose to change the Governor-General's wreath to 'The People of Canada'.

Unfortunately in that next year, people got confused and so the Governor-General laid the wreath for 'The Government of Canada', Chrétien laid the wreath for the 'Parliament of Canada', and the Speaker laid the wreath for the 'People of Canada'

Thus, whilst the Grit attempt to politicise the Remembrance ceremony did backfire, any reverence for the Crown itself remains hidden.

October 9, 2009 at 5:05 PM
Kipling said...

What I love about this blog are the comments. Like an education.

Yes, the Queen is the state is better than Head of State. I suppose you need some sort of classification system that applies across countries, thus the term head of state would be appropriate in that context.

October 10, 2009 at 3:19 AM
Diefenbaker said...

Cheers Beaverbook. Thank you for mentioning Former G.G. Adrienne Clarkson.

I find it would be most beneficial if The Monarchist wrote more on the 1947 Letters Patent - many misconceptions seem to arise over them, including from Rideau Hall itself.

Adrienne Clarkson wrote, rather erroneously in her autobiography that the Letters Patent did transfer all the powers of the Monarch to the GG, such as opening and dissolving Parliament. Too bad she conveniently forgot that HM gave the speech from the throne twice, once when Diefenbaker was PM, and the other when Trudeau was PM.

The Letters Patent could use a lot of clarification. It says plainly in them that the Sovereign reserves the right to rescind all rights granted in it, yet 60 years later our reigning GG claims its justification for her being Canada's head of state. A terrible misconception indeed.

October 11, 2009 at 3:10 AM
Piddingworth said...

Quite right, John George.
The transfer of the responsibilities of the monarch to the Governor-General is not a transfer of the King or Queen's Sovereignty. The current website from Rideau Hall speaks of the 'Crown' as if it were a mere 'concept' when it is obviously a 'person'. The Governor-General cannot put St. Edward's crown on her head. She is not sovereign. She is neither consecrated nor universally acknowledged to be the fount of all law and authority in this realm or any other. She did not inherit her office and duties, she was appointed to the job by the only one with the power to do so; even if the choice is made by the Prime Minister.

We rightly ought to be outraged at this recent behaviour coming from the Governor-General and her staff. Contrary to their oath of loyalty, it is a deliberate attempt to dismiss both the monarchy and especially the Monarch. Again, they have repeatedly behaved this way and usually with impunity during periods of governments that have encouraged and fostered the same nonsense.

That they have removed all images and links to the Queen and the Royal Family, including that portion of the Queen's own site about Canada is beyond contempt. This impertinent rudeness alone justifies the direct oversight and intervention by the Prime Minister and the Privy Council.

There needs to be a cleaning out of the people in Government House and a restoration of reliable, loyal civil servants whose ambition is to serve and not overthrow either the Queen or the Canadian Constitution.

October 11, 2009 at 1:13 PM
Anonymous said...

That some of you are surprised by Mme. Jean simply tells me you are not paying attention. Jean must go.

How I wish the Duke of York would be the GG.

October 11, 2009 at 8:36 PM
The Young Fogey: Rafal H-M said...

A jolly decent thread with some sound views expressed. I am delighted that after many years of wilfully misrepresenting the role of Governor General as Canada's "Head of State", Government House has finally been forced to acknowledge the supremacy of Our Sovereign Lady -- and in a gloriously embarrassing manner. The web site was amended yesterday.

The term "Head of State" is thoroughly republican and, as has been stated, incompatible with the traditional view that as the Monarch IS the state she cannot therefore be head of herself.

The Sovereign reigns over her kingdom/dominion. the GG, as a servant of Our Sovereign Lady, represents the Crown and exercises certain delegated duties. End of story.

Alas, certain elements within Rideau Hall are so committed to their agenda that I suspect it will not be long before references to HM are again removed from the web site.

October 12, 2009 at 4:24 AM
'99 Referendum Veteran said...

Speaking of Governors-General, this is the most republican home page for a Queen's representative I have EVER seen. Not a single crown or Royal Cipher to be seen. There isn't even a full NZ flag - presumably because he didn't want to see a Union flag. What a joke.

http://www.gg.govt.nz/

If the GG wanted one on his page I am sure he could have one. I bet if he wasn't GG when the knighthoods came back, he would have declined. Disgraceful.

October 12, 2009 at 11:13 AM
Beaverbrook said...

I really appreciate the comments on this thread. It is especially nice to see our arguments validated by the return of the Young Fogey, no slouch when it comes to heraldry and monarchy!

October 12, 2009 at 8:51 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
 

Monarchist Labels

Monarchist Articles

2010 ARTICLES

Tony Abbott: Australia's 'mad monk' close to election victory
Dear Guardian: Get out of Oz or shuffle off the coil
Kid Genius: "All monarchists are either stupid or evil"
Republican Vultures: Australia should go republic after Queen dies?
Princess Royal: Hardest working Royal, Princess Anne, Turns 60
Much-Abused Imperial Poet: Rudyard Kipling unburdened
Admiral Cod: Wilfred Thesiger, Archeo-Traditionalist
Diamond Jubilee: Bring Back the Royal Yacht Britannia
On Flickr: The British Monarchy's Photostream
Buck House: No Garden Party tea for BNP leader, Nick Griffin
In Quebec: The Queen is still Wolfe in sheep’s clothing
Queen's PM: Australia will not vote on ties to British monarchy
Camelot: Historians locate King Arthur's Round Table?
Royal Neglect: Is Britain becoming a republic by default?
Monarchy or Anarchy? No third option explains David Warren
Charles vs Modernists: God Bless the Prince of Wales!
After Her Majesty: Who will wear the crown in Canada?
Bargain for Britain: And for the Commonwealth Realms
Queen's Prime Minister: Harper advised by "ardent monarchists"
Muddled Monarchist: A troubled and confused loyalist
Loyal Subject: God Bless Her Majesty!
Queen's Prime Minister: Harper really loves the Queen
Crown & Pants: She wears the crown and he wears the pants
The Maple Kingdom: The ‘iron cage’ of the colonial past dissipates…
The Crown Knows Best: It all Begins and Ends with Monarchy
White Rose Day: Burke's Corner on "Sorrowing Loyalty"
Happy B'day Grand Old Duke: It's a pity they don't make his kind anymore
Saved by the Crown: What monarchs offer modern democracy
Queen's Speech: Black Marks, Brownie Points at the State Opening
The Navy's 100th! Restore the honour 'Royal' Canadian Navy
Happy Birthday! Her Majesty The Queen turns 84.
Abolish the Commons: Suicidal tendencies of the modern political class
Labour Vandalism: Plans to abolish the House of Lords
Lord Black: "The ultimate degradation of the 'white man's burden'"
Old Etonian: Guppy the Ex-Bullingdonian speaks of his loyalty
Duchess of Devonshire: bemoans the demise of the Stiff Upper Lip
Queen Victoria: A film remarkable for its lack of anti-British prejudice
Climate Imperialism: Rich nations guilty of 'climate colonialism'
Bye Bye Britain: The UK officially not a sovereign state
Monarchy Haters: A Strange Form of Bitterness
Royal Intrigue: The secret plot to deny the Queen the throne
Never mind the Queen? Summing up Daniel Hannan in four words
Queen & Country: David Warren on a Big Lie finally corrected
Defending the Royals: Repatriate the Monarchy argues Andrew Coyne

2009 ARTICLES



Classic Warner: The other November the 11th
Brave Loyalist! Lone woman takes on anti-Royal mob in Montréal
Loyal Subject: Evaluating the monarchy against their own little worlds
Death so Noble: An 'almost divine act of self-sacrifice'
Crux Australis: Howard revisits his victory over the republic
Lord Ballantrae: The Would-Be King of New Zealand
Lord Iggy: Anti-Monarchist Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition
Old Etonian: A modern-day Lawrence of Arabia?
Sir Keith Park: The Commonwealth's Finest Hour
Buckingham Masjid: Buckingham Palace under the Shariah
The Maple Crown: Our ties to monarchy are bigger than the royals
His Tonyness: Holy Roman Emperor, Leader of Progressive Humanity
Young Fogey: Rafal Heydel-Mankoo on Chretien's Order of Merit
He's not a snob, Bob: Why does Canada cling to British colonial roots?
Fount of Justice: Crown sidelined from new Supreme Court
The Clown Prince: The world’s third longest-serving head of state
Hell, Britannia, you’re just nasty: Licence to make crass sexual jokes on the BBC about the Queen is depravity, not liberty
Loyal Subject: The Governor General can't take the Queen out of Canada
Save Our Dukes: Return peerage appointments to the Queen
Lord Black of Crossharbour: Why I became a Catholic
Not Amused: Her Majesty "appalled" at the direction of her Church
A Sad Day in Pretoria: When South Africa Lost its Star
The Queen Mother: Noblesse Oblige vs the Me Generation
Aristocrats: A review of Lawrence James's new book in the FT
Crown and Shamrock: Irish went underground to view coronation
Bye bye Camelot: Obituaries on Ted Kennedy here, here and here.
Scotch Whisky Do not boycott for ye Scots had precious little to do with it
Loyal Subject: God (and Young Liberals) saving the Queen
Aussie Monarchist: A good bloke calls it a day
Blog of the Order: This man can redesign our blog any time he wants
Lord Black: Much ado about the Republic of China
Stalwart Jacobite: But has no problem with Elizabeth II of Canada
Royal Commonwealth Society: Join the Conversation
H.M.A.S. Sydney: Inquiry blames captain for worst naval disaster
Imperial Constitution: Was the American Revolution avoidable?
Hero Harry Patch: Saying Goodbye to All That
King and Country: The 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Minden
King's College: Crosses Return to the Columbia Crown
Lord Salisbury: An interview with the 7th Marquess of Salisbury
Queen's Commonwealth: Quaint historical relic or meaningful bloc?
Queen's Prime Minister: Chrétien's perplexing gong
Why Ma'am Must Stay: The New Statesman is foaming at the mouth
Happy We-Should-Restore-The-Monarchy-And-Rejoin-Britain Day!
CinC: The Queen's Broadcast to Her Armed Forces around the World
Elizabeth Cross follows a tradition that started with Crimean War
Dominion Day: Canada was an act of divine loyalty
LOYAL SUBJECT: A GOOD DAY IN CAPE TOWN
The "Whaddever Monarchy": A Prince and his indulgent public
English Constitution: A written constitution is not the answer
Rest in Peace: Roméo LeBlanc, former governor general, dies at 81
Prince of Wales: Who, apart from the Prince, speaks up for beauty?
Queen's Prime Minister: New Zealand restores Queen's Counsel
Why I accepted my OBE:Radical feminist Marxist accepts "cruel imperial order"
On Lord Loser: Modernist architects carry on where the Luftwaffe left off
The Puissant Prince: Thanks to Prince Charles for meddling
"It's our republic"? It's our monarchy, not a dance with republican elites
Grand Old Duke: Happy 88th Birthday to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh
Warner: It is time for the Queen to dissolve Parliament.
Royal Fix: Prince Charles resolves diplomatic impasse.
Not Amused: France admits snubbing the Queen.
Useless Monarchy? Prince Charles is taking on the starchitects...and winning.
Vice-Regal Salute: Governor General of Canada least boring vice-regal ever
Loyal Subject: For genuine patriots pride in the monarchy is fundamental
Cranmer: The Mother of Parliaments has become a whorehouse of ill-repute
Poet Laureate: Will ignore royal events if they don't inspire her
Grand Old Duke: The longest-serving royal consort in British history.
Keep our Feudal Failsafes: Monarchy is not a game of 'fair'
Farewell to Helen Clark: "I deeply detest social distinction and snobbery"
Eco-Monarchy: A not completely irreverant look at the future King
Voyage Through the Commonwealth: World cruise around the faded bits of pink.
The Equality Bill: A real nasty piece of work by the Lord Privy Seal
Laughter from the Gallery: Canada's a Republic, claim Australian politicians.
Peter Hitchens on America: Canada and America, two ideas of how to be free.
Let's Not: If the disappearance of newspapers is inevitable, let's get on with it.
Strange Bedfellows: No friend of monarchy, but...we admired the good bits
King Harper: A Parliament of Potted Palms.
Keep our Feudal Failsafes: Monarchy is not a game of 'fair'
Gentleman Royalist: Theodore Harvey is baptised an Anglican
Farewell to Helen Clark: "I deeply detest social distinction and snobbery"
Republican humour: Keeping monarchy means we don't have confidence
Eco-Monarchy: A not completely irreverant look at the future King
Catholic Tory: Amend the Act of Settlement - but not yet
Why you should still read The Guardian: Let's hear it for mad monarchy
Reform the Monarchy? Let's wait another century, says Lord Rees-Mogg
Not Amused: Mr. Rudd, and his totalitarian certainty
Irish Blues: Ireland out in the cold over British Monarchy debate
Act of Settlement: Here's a Tory view, and here's a Whig view
Lord Black: The magnificent absurdity of George Galloway
Vice-Regal Saint: Remembering Paul Comtois (1895–1966), Lt.-Gov Québec
Britannic Inheritance: Britain's legacy. What legacy will America leave?
Oxford Concision: Daniel Hannan makes mince meat of Gordon Brown
Commonwealth Voyage: World cruise around the faded bits of pink.
"Sir Edward Kennedy": The Queen has awarded the senator an honorary Knighthood.
President Obama: Hates Britain, but is keen to meet the Queen?
The Princess Royal: Princess Anne "outstanding" in Australia.
H.M.S. Victory: In 1744, 1000 sailors went down with a cargo of gold.
Queen's Commonwealth: Britain is letting the Commonwealth die.
Justice Kirby: His support for monarchy almost lost him appointment to High Court
Royal Military Academy: Sandhurst abolishes the Apostles' Creed.
Air Marshal Alec Maisner, R.I.P. Half Polish, half German and 100% British.
Cherie Blair: Not a vain, self regarding, shallow thinking viper after all.
Harry Potter: Celebrated rich kid thinks the Royals should not be celebrated
The Royal Jelly: A new king has been coronated, and his subjects are in a merry mood
Victoria Cross: Australian TROOPER MARK DONALDSON awarded the VC
Godless Buses: Royal Navy veteran, Ron Heather, refuses to drive his bus
Labour's Class War: To expunge those with the slightest pretensions to gentility
100 Top English Novels of All Time: The Essential Fictional Library
Royal Racism? Our intellectually febrile self appointed arbiters of modern manners
The Story of Bill Stone, RN: "Contented mind. Clean living. Trust in God"
Bill Stone: Last British veteran of both world wars dies
Reverse Snobbery: "Prince William and Harry are not very bright"
Poet Laureate: The English-Speaking Peoples need a poet laureate
Prince Harry: Much Ado about Nothing
H.M.A.S. Sydney: Australia seeks answers to its worst naval disaster
BIG BEN: Celebrating 150 Years of the Clock Tower
Winnie-the-Pooh: Canada's famous bear, Winnie (Winnipeg), to be published in a sequel
Not Amused: Traditional fairytales are not politically correct enough for our children
The British Empire: "If you were going to be colonized, you wanted to be colonized by the British"
Gross Constitutional Impropriety: Without mandate for change, plebiscites work to undermine the system


2008 ARTICLES


Count Iggy: Michael Ignatieff takes the reigns of the LPC
Lord Black of Crossharbour: Harper and Ignatieff promise a rivalry for the ages
Strange Bedfellows: The monarchy is safe from this republican
Fount of Dishonour: The growing distinction of remaining an unadorned Mister
Republican Poet: Colby Cosh on that mute inglorious Milton
Church of England: The Conservative case for the Established Church of England
Liberal Secular Scrooges: A Blight on the Festive Landscape
Fount of Honour: The Queen's New Year Honours List
Act of Settlement: the last brick in a crumbling wall, by Philip Lardner
What next, Mr. Hannan, the conservative case for disestablishing the monarchy?
Hair to the Throne: Prince William's beard is fit for a King.
Canada's House of Lords: Why reforming the Senate is profoundly unwelcome.
Someone who gets it: The proper relationship between liberty and democracy.
More Pseudo Democracy: Keep on voting until you get it right.
Royal Christmas: Queen's Christmas Message still trumps seasonal schedule.
Archbishop Williams: A 'certain integrity' to a disestablished Church of England.
Loyal Subject: Debunking the antimonarchist claims of The Economist.
Royal Prerogative: Grand Duke says no to legalised murder assisted suicide.
Lord Iggy: The Nobleman versus the Doberman
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