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Honour My God "I honour my God I serve my Queen I salute my Flag".
It is many a year since children stood in their school assemblies throughout Australia to recite these meaningful words. Some decades ago someone, somewhere made a decision that it was no longer appropriate for these 'loyalist' sympathies to be narrated. A little later a similar decision was made not to play the Royal Anthem in cinemas and theatres. What began as a little trickle of discontent against the monarchical character of our constitutional arrangements has now turned into a rancorous rage seeking to tear down the very fabric of our Constitution and our Monarchy. One may say it is just the way in which times are changing. Indeed everything around is changing so fast that as we promenade into the new century it seems that is not only the next millennium we are entering but a new Era. An Era where already regard for The Queen and the Flag and even respect for the Nation itself is a thing of the past. A time where even God has been relegated to those few schools which still include Religious Instruction on their curriculum for we cannot offend those Australians, new and old, who worship another God. "Ladies and Gentlemen" are no more. Transmogrified into Brawny females and sissified males. Manners and politeness, let alone the Code of Chivalry, are now mere images from the past and the preserve only of some elderly. Even the momentousness of Oaths of Allegiance have faded into insignificance. 'Words of Honour" now relegated to an irrelevance. Oaths of Allegiance are still a constitutional requirement for politicians - Federal and State, those serving in the Defence Forces and indeed most persons in positions of power and influence to swear allegiance, for the taking of an Oath is in reality a public declaration formally binding the swearer to a fealty which goes far beyond the normal loyalty owed by a citizen to his or her country for the politician is accepting a sacred trust to honourably govern in the best interests of the People, the soldier to vigorously defend the Nation, the Judge to faithfully administer the Law, and so on. Already in this new Era most have already come to terms with a compliant acceptance of lack of manners, uni-sexuality, multi coloured hair and even body piercing (albeit with a sense of incredulity). However it will be a bad thing indeed if people are allowed to break faith with their Oaths of Allegiance. Indeed it is the Oath of Allegiance which unites the Peoples of a Nation together both in times of war and during peace - especially the fragile peace we have experienced throughout the 20th Century. Once the Oath has lost its significance, then lost also is our national discipline and patriotism. When a person giving evidence swears an oath to tell the truth, the breaking of that oath is considered to be so serious that there are criminal consequences if he or she lies for perjury is committed. Likewise the breaking of an Oath of Allegiance was once considered to be so perfidious that it was tantamount to treason. However today we see many of those who govern our nation in Parliament openly stating that they swear allegiance only because they have to! Many members of the Defence Forces no longer recognise the seriousness of the Oaths saying that they are "mere words". Even Christian priests openly ignore their Oath of Allegiance excusing their recidivism because their newer colleagues no longer have to take an Oath and because many of their Bishops put aside their sworn allegiance to The Queen in their thirst for a Republic. All these people question why they should swear Allegiance to The Queen and not simply to "Australia". They fail to appreciate that it is not simply to The Queen as an individual that their (questionable) fidelity is promised but to The Crown which embodies far more than just the physical characteristics of our Continent Island. It is the fulcrum on which our Constitution is based, the font of our Laws and the single entity which unites all Australians into one Nation. It is thus the endowment of the hopes and aspirations and indeed the whole well being of the People it safeguards. At Her Coronation, The Queen was also required to swear an Oath which was far more binding and demanding that any sworn by Her subjects. An Oath by which Her Majesty promised to govern all those nations of which She is Sovereign according to their respective laws and customs and to cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all Her Judgements. Above all Her Majesty swore to maintain the Law of God. Forty six years have now passed since the Coronation and yet on each and every day since Her Majesty pledged this covenant, She has never broken Her Oath to Her Peoples. The difference between being governed by a Constitutional Monarchy where the powers of the Nation reside in The Crown and a Republic where the powers of The Constitution will be vested in a mortal President can be clearly seen when one looks at the acknowledged perjury and falsehoods of American Presidents or closer home to the admission of constant lies and deceit by even some of our own political leaders.
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