Australians for Constitutional Monarchy

Paul Keating was warned in 1992 not to push republicanism, writes Paul Kelly in a book published in Spring , March of Patriots. He says that in September 1992,  six months before the election, Keating's top aide, Don Russell, urged him to reassess the republic push.

In a memo to Mr. Keating, Don Russell wrote: "It is best if you make it clear that while you are not backing off one inch in your personal view that the symbols should change, such changes are not key issues at the moment."

Paul Kelly says Don Russell advised Paul Keating to say: "I suspect it will take the better part of a decade to resolve how a republic would actually work (and) there are much more important things I need to do at present with my energies and time." 

Apart from establishing the Republic Advisory Committee under Malcolm Turnbull, and ensuring no one who wasn’t a paid up member of the politicians’ republic push was appointed to that from any of the states, Paul Keating effectively accepted his advice.

With near unanimous support from the Press Gallery he was able to persuade some Liberals that the end of the constitutional monarchy was nigh , and to jump on the republican bandwagon.

It was a marvellous wedge to drive through the parliamentary Liberal Party, but with little effect on the Liberal rank and file. As Lenin is said to have argued, the communists could always rely on “useful idiots” in the West – especially in the media and politics - who could be swayed to support Bolshevism.

So Mr.Keating was able to seduce some Liberals to the politicans’ republic – and even some Nationals when they had left politics. In the word’s attributed to Lenin, his enemies would even sell him the rope to hang them.

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[We have been asked to repeat and give more details of Prince William's visit.]

Prince William’s visit to Australia has come about at his own request, to enable him to begin to get to know the country and the Australian people, according to his secretary, former SAS officer, Major Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton.

The visit is unofficial, although The Prince will carry out a number of public engagements while he is there. These will be in line with his personal interests: young people in society, the Armed Services and environmental issues.




The Australian Government has been exceptionally kind in putting together the programme with us. Private time has also been built into the programme so Prince William can get to see a bit of Australia for himself. 

Prince William will arrive in Auckland on a scheduled flight on Sunday 17th January at around lunchtime. He will be greeted on arrival by the Governor-General, Sir Anand Satyanand, and The Prime Minister, John Key.

[ Further details on the New Zealand visit have been posted to  this site ] 


 

[ Our Royal Family ]

Following the lunch, Prince William will visit a Community Centre, which is a wonderful project for Aboriginal and Indigenous peoples in an inner suburb of Sydney. It runs day classes, after-school classes and activities and many other drop-in services for all ages.

On arrival, The Prince will receive a traditional Aboriginal welcome. He will then tour the centre, meeting elderly people through to young children and teenagers.

Prince William is particularly keen to visit the centre since its work improving the life chances of young people shares much in common with charities such as Skill Force, Centrepoint and others of which he is Patron in the UK. Prince William will then call on the Governor of New South Wales, Dr Marie Bashir, at her residence, Government House.

After their short meeting, Prince William will spend the evening privately. 

On Wednesday, 20 January, Prince William will start the day with a visit to Holsworthy Barracks, in the Sydney area. There he will join a company of soldiers from the 3rd Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment and participate in live fire training at the Marksmanship Training Range at the barracks.

He will subsequently meet privately with Special Operations Command soldiers. For Prince William, as a serving officer in the Royal Air Force and previously with the Household Cavalry, meeting fellow Australian Servicemen and women is of enormous personal importance and interest to him. 

Following his visit to Holsworthy, Prince William will return to Sydney city centre where he will visit Southern Surveyor, a leading environmental research ship, which will be moored alongside.

There, he will have a chance to meet scientists and view some of the extraordinary technology that allows Australia’s marine science community to research changes in the region’s seas and oceans.

As some of you may know, whilst at university Prince William as part of his degree course conducted research on the environmental impact by climate change on marine life.

He also, with his brother, Prince Harry, made a private visit to the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge in 2008 to further his knowledge of this important area. He takes a close personal interest in climate change, particularly in the context of oceanography. 

After Southern Surveyor, Prince William will attend a barbeque lunch hosted by the Premier of New South Wales, Kristina Keneally, at a city centre location.

The lunch will be attended by a large group of young Sydneysiders, and Prince William will be invited to say a few words to the assembled guests. 

Following the lunch, Prince William will spend a private afternoon in the Sydney area. Prince William’s father and brother both have very fond memories of Australia, its people, its lifestyle and its natural beauty, and Prince William wants to experience a little of that for himself, too. 

....Melbourne....




On Thursday, 21 January, Prince William will travel to Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, where his day will be dominated by visiting the areas affected by the devastating bushfires that took place in February this year – the anniversary of which will be fast approaching when Prince William visits.

In February this year, 173 people died, the highest ever loss of life from a bushfire. Over 2,000 houses were destroyed, and many more livelihoods. Over 7,500 people were made homeless. This tragedy was truly unprecedented, and, like many people, Prince William followed the news at the time very closely indeed.

Readers  will recall that he and Prince Harry sent a video message of support – their first ever video message – to memorial concerts that took place in Melbourne and Sydney. They visited Australia House to sign a book of remembrance started by their grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen and the Prince of Wales separately paid their respects. 





The Princess Royal Princess Anne attended a memorial service in Melbourne and toured the affected region. The Queen received the Premier of Victoria this summer at Balmoral so that Her Majesty could hear about the great efforts being made to restore the area and its people.

In this context, Prince William will be visiting the region both as a representative of the Royal Family and to see the ongoing work of recovery for himself. His day will begin in the affected area with a briefing by emergency services and others on what happened in February. He will then go out on the ground. Prince William will then attend a community event being held in the bushfire affected area.

Prince William will meet many people who lost their homes in the tragedy. The Prince will also be invited to plant a tree as a symbol of new growth in this devastated landscape. The event will be very enjoyable and upbeat, with a barbeque and a local sports match. 

After the community event, The Prince will visit an Educational Centre, which was utterly destroyed. Under the inspirational direction of its owners, the centre is being re-built even better than before, incorporating strong ecological principles.

 



During the course of the day, therefore, Prince William will have spent time hearing first-hand about the fires. He will have a chance to see what arrangements are in place now to help those whose lives were dramatically affected – and then he will have a chance to glimpse the future that is being planned by inspirational Victorians to rebuild their lives. 




...Australia Day reception....




On his return to Melbourne, Prince William will call on the Governor of Victoria at Government House, Prof. David de Kretser. He will then attend Victoria’s Australia Day reception, hosted by the Governor and accompanied by the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby. Prince William will make a speech.

He will then have a chance to meet a number of Victorians, before planting a tree near those planted by many other Members of the Royal Family, including his parents.

Prince William is really looking forward to this. It is going to be a high point for him over the next year. He came away from New Zealand in 2005 incredibly fond of the country and longing to get back there.

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It should be surprising just how gullible the world’s media can be (this column “Dream on comrades” 16 December). The editors of the London Daily Mail and its Sunday stable mate must know that the idea of the Crown not passing to the heir is preposterous. If they don’t they are in the wrong job. This change would involve submitting a proposal to change the law relating to the succession to the governments of sixteen realms. Even if it were approved, legislation would have to be considered by sixteen parliaments, to say nothing of any complexities which may arise in federations.

This did not stop them manufacturing a story that Prince William was to become the “shadow King” in preparation for the Crown to pass to him. This story then went around the world, getting into evening TV bulletins where it was treated as if it were a serious possibility.




...Telegraph briefed on the facts....




Prince William has now made it very clear that he will not become "shadow king" and is instead determined to spend the next few years developing his military career, writes the London based Daily Telegraph’s Chief Reporter, Andrew Alderson in “Prince William: I will not become 'shadow king'” (2/1)

Mr. Alderson’s interpretation is that the 27-year-old Prince has ruled out doing anything that would undermine the role of his father, the Prince of Wales, as heir to the throne.

Major Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the former SAS officer who now acts as Prince William's private secretary, went on the record to outline the immediate plans for the Queen's grandson and to quash misguided speculation. It was wise of Major Lowther–Pinkerton to brief a serious newspaper, and to do it after the intitial furore over the Mail article. This has resulted in a “stand- -alone” story which has been given added credibility through the inclusion of  a named source for at least part of the story.

  

The spokesman for St James's Palace told The Sunday Telegraph: "Prince William will not be a 'shadow king' – the possibility is not even being considered. Over the next few years, Prince William will be concentrating primarily on a military career while also slightly increasing his [charity] patronages and the other interests that he pursues."

The Telegraph says that Prince William is constantly aware of the sensitivities of being seen to encroach on his father's role as heir to the throne. An unnamed “senior source” is quoted as saying:

"Prince William sees more closely than anyone the huge amount of hard work that the Prince of Wales puts in to trying to make a difference in this country. The Prince of Wales is a hugely passionate man and Prince William wants the spotlight to fall on his father as much as possible. Prince William does not want to be put in a position before his time – before he is ready."




...Prince's future plans....




The Telegraph reports that Royal aides have given the newspaper an exclusive insight into the Prince's future plans. They say that Prince William's focus for 2010 is largely military flying. He will be based at RAF Valley in Anglesey while he embarks on the hardest and most challenging part of his course: further training to become a fully-operational search and rescue pilot.

 "It's going to be tough, very intensive," the Telegraph reports “a senior royal aide” asserting. "For the first time, he is going to be testing his skills not on a generic helicopter but on the type of helicopter [a Sea King] that he is passionate about and wants to fly.

"The pressure will be on him and, although he has always risen to the pressure, Prince William knows that he has got to keep his head down in order to realise what is, frankly, his dream of becoming a fully-qualified search and rescue pilot. He is incredibly motivated to achieve this."

[ Prince William spends a night on the streets ]

The Telegraph says that Prince William has been awarded his "provisional wings" after completing a year-long advanced helicopter pilot's course, but he now needs at least eight months of  further training before he fully qualifies.

The newspaper reports one Royal official saying : "Part of Prince William's motivation is to be able to earn his rank and position. He wants to be able to look other members of the Armed Forces in eye and say: 'I am a genuine full-time serving officer in the RAF. I want to be used like any other officer and not be favoured or mollycoddled.'"

A “senior aide “ told the newspaper "If he stays in the Armed Forces, Prince William will want a meaningful role. If appropriate, he would want to deploy in a front-line role."




....New Zealand and Australia...




On The Queen’s invitation, Prince William will embark on January 17 on a long awaited five-day visit to New Zealand and Australia. "It is an instance of Her Majesty seeing an opportunity for her grandson to learn the ropes."  

According to the Telegraph Royal sources say that Prince William will, slowly, develop his role within the Royal family and consolidate his charitable commitments. His on-duty, off-duty work patterns for the RAF this year will free up time for a few additional royal duties.

The newspaper says that as president of the Football Association, Prince William wants to lobby hard for Britain to host the 2018 soccer World Cup. The Prince plans to attend the World Cup in South Africa in June to promote the FA's cause.

Prince William is patron of 13 charities and he is particularly committed this year to promoting the cause of Tusk, the wildlife conservation charity, which is celebrating its 20th birthday.   . Last month Prince William spent a night on London's streets in freezing temperatures to raise awareness of a charity's work with homeless young people.

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Among the insignia of an independent country is its own coinage. This was included in the range of powers granted to the Federal Parliament under the Constitution approved by the Australian people and legislated by the British Parliament. Under placitum xii of section 51, the Parliament shall, subject to the Constitution, have power to make laws for the peace order and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to currency, coinage, and legal tender.

The $1 coin design honours the four monarchs that have appeared on Australian coins over the past century. 

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Blame the vice-regal wife, said the eye-catching headline in The Sydney Morning Herald  (2 January, 2010).

It was a report by Bob Wurth that Lady Hasluck’s disdain for vice-regal life changed the course of Australian political history. He reports that had she consented to her husband Sir Paul Hasluck continuing as Governor-General beyond 1974, as he and Prime Minister Gough Whitlam wished - and he was keen to do so – “the Whitlam government would not have been sacked in 1975. The acrimony that stained Australian politics for at least the next decade would most likely have been avoided.”

[ Sir Paul Hasluck ]

·          If he had remained as governor-general ''only for two years'', Sir Paul said, ''probably the history of Australian politics would be quite different from what it is''.

·          He said he would have taken the advice only of the then prime minister, Gough Whitlam, ''the vice-regal adviser'', in how to resolve the Senate impasse. The 1975 blocking of supply was ''a political situation to be solved by political management'.

'.          In 1985, eight years before his death, Sir Paul, who was a Liberal minister from 1951 to 1969, said ''you don't oppose to the point where you bring down governments''.

.·          "I think the common sense of government is that a house of review, a second chamber, has the function of delaying, ensuring that there is review and reconsideration of measures, but it doesn't have the function of completely blocking anything."

·          He said it once was the convention that the Senate should not use its power in respect of money bills unreasonably or in an obstructive manner, but this had changed.

·          "And I still [think] that that situation when the Senate did refuse supply [in 1975] was still pre-eminently a political situation, to be solved by political management within Parliament, not by proposing amendments to the constitution."

·          In 1985 Hasluck maintained that it was irresponsible behaviour for any opposition with a ''chance'' majority in the Senate - with half the senators elected at a previous election under different circumstances - to obstruct the working of government.

Sir Paul was absolutely right in that the 1975 crisis was a political crisis. The best hope was that it would be resolved politically.  But neither political leader seemed to be in the mood for compromise.

Sir Paul’s observations about the wisdom and propriety of delaying supply is a criticism of Malcolm Fraser, who adopted that tactic. But at some stage a government denied supply cannot constitutionally  govern. Mr. Whitlam had attempted to govern by borrowing funds which were not forthcoming.

On 11 November he attended on the Governor-General to advise a half Senate election. But even if the State Governors had joined in calling that the new State senators could not have taken their seats until 1 July 1976.  A half Senate election would have resolved nothing.

Sir John formed the view that only a general election could resolve the problem of a government soon to run out of funds.

It may well be that another Governor-General would not have acted on 11 November. Had he not, the Opposition might have collapsed. But it might have stood its ground - who knows?

It is clear that the Governor-General not only had the power to act, it was constitutionally correct for him to act in the way that he did. In this regard he had the written advice of the Chief Justice , Sir Garfield Barwick. And as Sir David Smith points out in his book, Head of State, when in opposition Mr. Whitlam had made 170 attempts to withhold supply. And as he said on the last occasion, this was not a “mere formality.” His purpose was to “destroy” the government, to bring it down. In 1975, the boot was well and truly on the other foot. 

...meanwhile in Sweden....

[ Royal Palace, Stockholm ]

Incidentally the same issue of the Herald  contains  the following letter from Thomas Mautner, from Griffith in the Australian Capital Territory  who writes:

“You refer to Sweden and "the home of the president, Fredrik Reinfeldt" (''Nazi icon stolen to fund fascist attacks'', January 1). Did Sweden become a republic at midnight? Sweden has been a monarchy since it emerged in the Middle Ages. Surely you ought to have reported such a historic change - if it had occurred.”

The report in the Herald – I can only find it online and dated 2 January – came from The Guardian. This  said ” Separately, the Swedish security service Sapo, confirmed it was investigating an alleged neo-Nazi plot to blow up the Riksdagen, the parliament building in Stockholm, as well as the foreign ministry and the home of the president, Fredrik Reinfeldt. The aim of the plot, according to Sapo, was to create as much disruption as possible ahead of the 2010 parliamentary elections. It would not confirm or deny reports of a possible connection between the plot and the Auschwitz sign theft.”

{ HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden ]

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