Defending he British Crown Commonwealth and the English-Speaking Realms
The act of defending any of the cardinal virtues has today all the exhilaration of a vice - G.K. Chesterton
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Prince Charles Accession to Throne will not deliver republic says key Australian republican
The Hon. Bob Carr is a prominent republican and was a leading voice in the run-up to the 1999 Australian referendum to end the monarchy. He is a former premier of New South Wales and is now Australia's Minister of Foreign Affairs.
This is a real find (if a little old). For our UK friends, "Q&A" is a barely-rebadged version of BBC1's "Question Time".
Bob Carr occupies an unusual place in this debate here in Australia. He saw/sees himself very much in the tradition of Paul Keating and Neville Wran in the Right faction of the ALP - the engine room of official republicanism in Australia. It is hard for our friends from the UK, Canada or NZ to properly understand the stranglehold republican orthodoxy has on our governing party. There are those in the Labor parliamentary caucus who would argue that support for the monarchy is simply incompatible with being a Labor MP - it is that bad. Regardless of how unpopular republicanism is in voter-land, Labor MPs are obliged to champion it publicly.
Nonetheless, the leader of the NSW Labor Left subfaction, Anthony Albanese seems to be a bit of a closet monarchist - read what the NSW Liberal premier (and declared monarchist) Barry O'Farrell noted about Mr Albanese's interest in the wedding of TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge: http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LA20120531121?open&refNavID=HA8_1
Anwyay - back to Carr.
He undertook one of the biggest visible steps towards eliminating the Crown from public life in Australia, by kicking the NSW Governor out of their rightful residence, Government House. Only now, seventeen years later in 2013, is this being addressed properly.
And yet - like famous Labor speechwriter, Bob Ellis - Carr himself seems unimpressed by republicanism based on this clip. This interview took place after he left the NSW premiership and before he returned to frontline politics as a federal Cabinet minister and senator for NSW. Freed from the obligation to advance the ALP platform which calls for a republic ASAP, he acknowledges the value of the constitutional monarchy.
Truly, the monarchy's medium to long term future in Australia can be resolved comfortably if the tortured relationship between Labor, the romantic party of Australia, and the monarchy, the world leaders in the pagentry department, can be resolved.
Crux Australis, many kind thanks for that additional colour and background. It would seem that "Albo" is quite to the Left (he heads of the Socialist Faction) even in the Labor Party ("I like to fight Tories"), and yet there he was absolutely glued to the television during the royal wedding. Beauty.
This is a real find (if a little old). For our UK friends, "Q&A" is a barely-rebadged version of BBC1's "Question Time".
ReplyDeleteBob Carr occupies an unusual place in this debate here in Australia. He saw/sees himself very much in the tradition of Paul Keating and Neville Wran in the Right faction of the ALP - the engine room of official republicanism in Australia. It is hard for our friends from the UK, Canada or NZ to properly understand the stranglehold republican orthodoxy has on our governing party. There are those in the Labor parliamentary caucus who would argue that support for the monarchy is simply incompatible with being a Labor MP - it is that bad. Regardless of how unpopular republicanism is in voter-land, Labor MPs are obliged to champion it publicly.
Nonetheless, the leader of the NSW Labor Left subfaction, Anthony Albanese seems to be a bit of a closet monarchist - read what the NSW Liberal premier (and declared monarchist) Barry O'Farrell noted about Mr Albanese's interest in the wedding of TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge: http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LA20120531121?open&refNavID=HA8_1
Anwyay - back to Carr.
He undertook one of the biggest visible steps towards eliminating the Crown from public life in Australia, by kicking the NSW Governor out of their rightful residence, Government House. Only now, seventeen years later in 2013, is this being addressed properly.
And yet - like famous Labor speechwriter, Bob Ellis - Carr himself seems unimpressed by republicanism based on this clip. This interview took place after he left the NSW premiership and before he returned to frontline politics as a federal Cabinet minister and senator for NSW. Freed from the obligation to advance the ALP platform which calls for a republic ASAP, he acknowledges the value of the constitutional monarchy.
Truly, the monarchy's medium to long term future in Australia can be resolved comfortably if the tortured relationship between Labor, the romantic party of Australia, and the monarchy, the world leaders in the pagentry department, can be resolved.
Crux Australis, many kind thanks for that additional colour and background. It would seem that "Albo" is quite to the Left (he heads of the Socialist Faction) even in the Labor Party ("I like to fight Tories"), and yet there he was absolutely glued to the television during the royal wedding. Beauty.
ReplyDelete