Letter to Members - May/June 2017
As members are aware, I have spent a couple of weeks in the United Kingdom both to attend the very successful launch of our London branch and to lobby for a special entry gate for citizens of the Queen’s Realms, such as Australia, when entering the United Kingdom.
THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH
I was 35,000 feet up in the air when news of the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh broke in some British and European newspapers and was publicised online in Australia. There was a flurry of media calls to us which was taken up by our senior spokespersons who handled the emergency extremely well insisting that before appearing on television or making comment everyone waits for formal news to be announced.
As we are aware, thank goodness, the news was not about his Royal Highness’s passing but about his decision, at nearly 96 years of age, to step back from active engagements particularly in relation to his 780 patronages and officer-ships. We must congratulate our young spokespersons for the competent manner in which they handled this crisis. It bodes well for the future when they are at the helm of our organisation.
On behalf of the Australian Monarchist League, I have sent our very best wishes to his Royal Highness and his understandable decision to step back from active duties. I said: “For nearly just under seventy years you have been by the Queen’s side offering staunch support and guidance. You have also taken on an almost insurmountable task with 780 patronages and officer-ships, not the least of which is the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. In doing all this, you have given up so much of your personal life and we, the Queen’s subjects in Australia, are extremely grateful to you for your dedication to duty. We pay tribute to you for your long and trusty service, not just to the Queen, but to the peoples of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.”
I would mention that I was not happy at the way in which the matter was allowed by the Lord Chamberlain’s office to get to the stage of incorrect and unwarranted media speculation and I wrote to the Lord Chamberlain to say that” “It was a matter of great regret that the media had been allowed to speculate that the Duke of Edinburgh had died as this had caused great consternation throughout Australia and indeed the Commonwealth. We were inundated with calls from the general public as well as from the media about this and obviously assumed at the time that newspaper reports were correct. Although TV booked our spokespersons we did, however, hold off from making comment until there was confirmation and were therefore relieved when we found that the reports were untrue.
However, it is quite understandable that when a gathering of the Royal households is called without, we presume, the various Royal media units in operation, the media will assume the meeting is most likely in relation to a death within the Royal family. Australian media informed us that the only point of contact for them was a telephone operator at Buckingham Palace. Of course, whereas this occurred after lunch in Australian time, it was very early morning in the UK.
May we suggest that in future when calling a gathering of Royal households it not be done in such a manner as to allow unwarranted and unsubstantiated media speculation. Most importantly, the Queen’s subjects in the Realms as well as in the United Kingdom should not be distressed as they have been on this occasion. The Royal media units should be aware of the time differences in each of the realms.”
I do feel that it is important that people in general, including our members and supporters, appreciate that we, the Australian Monarchist League, are not a ‘tea and cucumbers’ or ‘diamonds and pearls’ type of organisation as so many monarchist organisations are, but are actively and tirelessly engaged in defending our constitution of which the Queen is a part, not the other way around.
THE NEW LONDON BRANCH
The London branch of the Australian Monarchist League was launched with great fanfare in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Room of the House of Commons on ANZAC Day, the 25th April. The CPA Room is just off the Great Hall built by William II in the eleventh century AD.
Australian monarchists travelled from as far away as Edinburgh to attend the event, which was also attended by a number of peers and MPs, a minister and a several former ministers.
The parliamentary host was Andrew Rosindell MP. who had been in Australia in August of last year and who attended AML events in Brisbane and Sydney.
A steering committee was formed mainly of young Australian professionals residing in the UK, all raring to go to make the AML London branch the best of all.
THE NEW HOBART BRANCH
A few days prior to my departure to the UK, I was in Hobart to attend the launch of a new branch in Tasmania. Unlike the meetings of republicans, Ninety percent of the people attending the meeting were young. Following a social gathering attended by National Council member Hon. Senator Eric Abetz, a steering committee was formed from this enthusiastic group with all but one in their twenties.
THE SPECIAL ENTRY GATE
I also spoke up and down the country on Australia and Brexit and pointed out that before Britain talks about trade, it’s time that it showed respect to its fellow ‘Subjects of the Queen’ instead of sending us to the foreigners queue when entering what used to be called the ‘Motherland’, thus righting the terrible wrong done to countries like Australia by abandoning us when it went into Europe over forty years ago.
Whilst many British MPs and Peers have been most supportive, I am afraid that I have met with inane excuses from ministers most of whom know nothing about the Realms and confuse them with republics within the Commonwealth, such as Pakistan. Worse, the bureaucracy appears to be totally hostile to the concept. For information, there are sixteen Commonwealth Realms of which the Queen is Sovereign. These are:
In 2000 Julian Brazier MP (now Sir Julian) proposed that a Special Entry Gate at Heathrow be established under a 10 minute Rule Bill in the House of Commons. Whilst there was massive support, the Blair government was totally uninterested.
A few years ago, Andrew Rosindell MP also raised the matter in a 10 minute Rule Bill but after some media interest, nothing happened. That was during the Cameron prime-ministership.
As a result of my meetings and discussions it became evident that:
• Community and minor political groups are largely supportive of the Gate proposal.
• MPs and peers likewise.
• Ministers and the bureaucracy (the ‘Establishment’) are not.
Indeed it is clear, and confirmed by commentary, that the ‘Establishment’ are implacably opposed to altering the present arrangements at entry into airports such as Heathrow. It is also clear that the British government will not take the first step in even providing a symbolic gesture of friendship towards countries like Australia in this regard.
Discussions also made it clear that the ‘Establishment’ is not concerned about Britain’s shabby treatment of us in the past nor are they bothered about the (not so) ancient bonds of Empire.
This does make one wonder whether all the talk about friendship and close ties following Britain’s exit from the European Union is really sincere and whether the May government is not using the potential of Commonwealth trade as a bargaining chip to obtain preferential trade with the EU which would probably exclude trading agreements with countries outside the EU such as Australia. Even the Australian High Commissioner, H.E. Hon. Alexander Downer, had said in an interview published on April 27th: “I don’t get a clear sense of where Britain is going.” A day earlier David Davis, who bearers the elaborate position of ‘Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union’ pledged that Britain would pursue an "ambitious free trade agreement with the EU of unprecedented scope.”
I did make it clear in all my discussions that I was not talking about open borders or visa stipulations, but solely about showing respect to subjects of the Queen when we enter the United Kingdom. I appreciate that Britons entering Australia now go through a common queue, but all these arrangements started with Britain. When Britain introduced its British Nationality Act of 1948, our only statesman, Sir Robert Menzies said that the Act would, by the: “very unnecessary Act of separation performed by British Parliaments and States bring new hope to those who would destroy us and new confusions in the minds of our friends”. How right he was!
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting CHOGM, which was to have been held at the end of 2017 has been moved from Vanuatu to the United Kingdom and will now be convened in April. It be held largely in Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle and is obviously designed to be a ‘wow’ session targeting Commonwealth countries to support trade with Britain. Whilst all host countries use the opportunity promote themselves, this appear to be more a blatant misuse of CHOGM – and the monarchy - by Britain for its own purposes.
However, the conference will provide an opportunity for us to lobby politicians from throughout the Realms to raise the matter of ‘respect before trade’ and to stop sending our people to the ‘Aliens’ or ‘All Other Passports’ (all meaning ‘foreigners’) queue when entering the United Kingdom.
REPUBLICANS ON THE MOVE
Bloated with an overabundance of money - something the Australian Monarchist League never suffers from - the Australian Republican Movement is organising a targeted letter-box drop on Saturday 13 May. This means that there will be media publicity which we must be prepared for. Mind you, if we did something similar, the media would totally ignore it, so biased are they against the monarchy.
In the words of their national organiser: “We're hitting the streets to spread the message that Australia should have an Australian as head of state…The plan is simple: we are doing a targeted letterbox drop as part of a national day of action. The more homes we reach, the more interest we generate in our cause.”
Of course, this is all building up to their push for a plebiscite in 2020. This is not an unrealistic objective because, if Labor wins government in 2019, Bill Shorten has undertaken to create a Minister or Parliamentary Secretary for a Republic. That is, a Minister of the Crown to remove the Crown!
Whether, or not, this objective is met - and don’t forget we are unaware of Prime Minister Turnbull’s plans in this regard - the Australian Monarchist League must be prepared. It is not unfeasible to think that Malcolm Turnbull will do a deal and push for a republic, in time for him to become Australia’s first president.
It is important to remember that there will be no support for retaining the constitutional monarchy from most politicians – State and Federal, the media and big business. Those employed under the Queen, whether in vice-regal or royal households either exercise total neutrality if they are monarchist - as they should do - or, tacitly support moves towards a republic, if they are republican – which they shouldn’t do. Whichever the case, it means that as the republican debate intensifies, we, who support the constitutional monarchy, become the untouchables. This is because our system is based on an absolutely neutral sovereign head of state who cannot even appear to take sides.
It’s the same old story of the elite pushing an agenda which the majority of the people are opposed to. It is the elite who have money, position and power but it’s the people who have the vote! As Winston Churchill had said in a speech given in the House of Commons in 1942: “It is the people who control the Government, not the Government the people.”
REPUBLICANS GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER
Funded by James Packer, possibly from his ‘Crown Casino’ profits, the Australian Republican Movement have appointed a new National Director, Michael Cooney, formerly Executive Director of the Chifley Research Centre. The Chifley Research Centre is the Australian Labor Party’s official think tank. Its purpose is to promote Labor’s culture of ideas. Cooney, a former speechwriter to Julia Gillard with an extensive network of political contacts, was selected from forty candidates for what is apparently a highly paid position.
Several conservatives who were even Council members of ARM had told us that they want nothing to do with the Republican Movement because it has been taken to the far left and is now a part of a left-wing socialist agenda. Not only does the appointment of the Labor think tank executive director to its ranks confirm this but the chief guest at the $3000 a Gold table ARM dinner in July is none other than Bill Shorten, yes, the man who has promised to bring on a republic once he is in government!
The invitation for the dinner is clear evidence that the republicans are far outstripping monarchists in its advertising and professional rhetoric. For instance, the invitation for the dinner is worded as follows:
“Throughout history's page, there have been defining moments on the path toward
the full realisation of Australian independence. This year we bring you another.
The 2017 Australian Republican Movement Gala Dinner takes us back to the cradle of
a unified Australian democracy: the birthplace of modern independent nation.
From this pivotal place in history, a new era of Australian independence will be born.
A new endeavour in Australia's journey. The pathway to an Australian republic.
Please join us on 29 July as we take this great step forward together
at the Royal Exhibition Building Melbourne.
With special guest speaker, Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten.”
The Australian Republican Movement have retained a specialist agency with marketing and events experience to provide management services for their events and sponsorship programs.
THE AUSTRALIAN MONARCHIST LEAGUE
On the other hand, we are reliant upon a few volunteers and operate on a hand-to-mouth existence. To be frank, our income over the past month is around one quarter of our already drastically reduced expenditure and there has been virtually no interest in our fund-raising attempts.
On top of all this our computer equipment is rapidly failing making it virtually impossible to do the job we do properly and I have had to personally advance several thousand dollars for new equipment which is vitally necessary.
There has been criticism from members that our communications are plain and outdated but we do what we can with what we have and even if we did have funds we would not spend on glossy periodicals but on the actual campaign. We are about upholding our Crown which protects our freedoms and our democracy.
As Sir Josiah Symon, delegate from South Australia, said in the 1898 Constitution Convention Debates: “We who are assembled in this Convention are about to commit to the people of Australia a new charter of union and liberty; we are about to commit this new Magna Charta for their acceptance and confirmation, and I can conceive of nothing of greater magnitude in the whole history of the peoples of the world than this question upon which we are about to invite the peoples of Australia to vote. The Great Charter was wrung by the barons of England from a reluctant king. This new charter is to be given by the people of Australia to themselves.”
Our job, indeed our duty, is to keep this people’s charter, our Australian Constitution, which protects our union and our liberty, intact and to prevent it from being corrupted by removing the Crown which is at its very heart.
END