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The Winds of Change Sweeping away our democracies There is a malaise abroad in this world of today. A malaise attacking all those things that bind good government and democracy in those English speaking nations remnant of the old British Empire. Like a dark cloud looming on the horizon, the winds of change seek to uproot the principles of Westminster Democracy won over centuries of conflict in the sceptered Isle between King and Parliament through violent and bitter struggles fought to ensure that it was neither the Monarch nor the Barons - or their modern counterpart - the politicians who are supreme, but The People. These "Winds of Change" are not new for was it not two hundred years ago and more that we saw the onset of anarchy in the American Colonies in 1775 fomented by France which itself experienced a decade of chaos and bloodbath just fourteen years later? Was it not a hundred years ago that insurrection and sedition reared its ugly head, overthrowing most European Monarchies and culminating in the two Great Wars of this century. Since the Second Great War have there not been untold skirmishes and battles resulting in some 45 Million dead waged on every continent excepting Australia and avoiding those nations which founded the way in which they are governed on the basis of the Constitutional Crown. Not only have these survived economic and political crises but many have also provided a safe haven for the oppressed and those made destitute by corrupt governments. What is, you may ask, this Constitutional Crown? What is its recipe for success in a world seemed to have gone mad? It is simply the evolvement of the British system of Democracy relegating the role of the former Absolute Monarch to a guardianship-like position with a ceremonial status and allowing government by politicians but vesting the real Power of the Nation in The Crown thus protecting The People against the excesses of those in Authority. A Crown which began as The Crown of the United Kingdom, but which, although still worn by the same person in Her Majesty Our Queen, has since divided itself into separate and sovereign Crowns of sixteen former Dominions of the British Empire who have freely adopted Government by the Constitutional Crown. A system which is now under attack by politicians and other self interest groups who resent the curbs on their power and always having to answer to an authority higher than themselves. Is this not why, in November of this year, our Australian politicians are forcing the People to a Referendum to vote to remove The Crown, impartial custodian of our Constitution, under the guise of having "an Australian Head of State" but in reality to facilitate the transfer of total constitutional power to a puppet President. A so called "Australian Head of State" who, under the proposed Model, not only can be directed by Cabinet Ministers and totally subject to the orders of the Executive Council, but who can be dismissed at will and without notice by the Prime Minister. Under our present system of Constitutional Monarchy it takes a vote by The People NOT THE POLITICIANS to remove The Queen. Under the proposed Republican Model, all it will take is for the Prime Minister to simply say "GO" and the President is gone! For many, many years the forces of change have been at work. Changes introduced step by step beginning with the easing out of the playing of God Save The Queen in cinemas and public places, then the ceasing of the rendition of pledges to God, Queen, Flag and Country in schools until now, some three decades later, we are existing in an environment entirely devoid of any facsimile of public mention of The Queen. The absence of any sort of civics education teaching our young on our system of Government, combined with the fact that Her Majesty has not been allowed to visit Australia for some seven years, has meant that there are multitudes of Australian Citizens who have not seen The Queen on Australian soil. Furthermore the constant misinformation that Her Majesty - akin to a spider sitting in the middle of a web over ten thousand miles away - is pulling strings which influence their daily lives is fast gaining ground. They know not that Her Majesty can only visit Her subjects in Australia by invitation. An invitation which has been withheld by successive Governments. They know not that all Australians are totally free from any of the former authority exercised by the British or indeed by any other Government, for in all those nations governed by the Constitutional Crown every inhabitant enjoys as an unalienable right a freedom and a democracy denied to citizens of most other countries in the World. It is the enormous bias of the media which is serving to encourage these lies and to hide factual information and in the absence of any public platform those who speak the truth find themselves obstructed from getting their message across to the People. It is as though the darkest clouds of change ever faced before are enveloping the whole Nation. Never before have issues been so divisive as to threaten to render asunder the unity of Australia, one of the youngest nations on Earth yet one of the oldest democracies today. A democracy founded on a Constitution, the Preamble (or introduction) of which not only brings together our six separate and Sovereign States into one Union, but also unites all Australians under The Crown. "Whereas the people of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania, humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God, have agreed to unite in one indissoluble Federal Commonwealth under The Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and under the Constitution hereby established" The Founding Father's who drafted this Preamble and the Constitution based their writings on the Westminster system but also incorporated the ideal of a Senate from the USA, the principles of Federation from Canada and the concept of referendums from Switzerland. However the very essence of the Constitution was contained in The Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which from 1953 also became the individual and separate Crown of Australia. Prior to 1901, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia were themselves separate sovereign States with their own Constitutions under The Crown. Although they united into one Federation, they maintained their own Constitutional arrangements. Australians have never had to do battle for their independence. Unlike the former American Colonies, freedom has been handed to us virtually on a platter. It was as early as 1849 that a Privy Council Committee recommended that more extensive powers of self Government be given to the then Australian Colonies and some fifty year later and only one hundred years on from the raising of the British Flag on Australian soil, delegates were meeting together to formulate a Constitution for Federation which became law in Australia on the 1st of January 1901. The passage of time since 1901 has seen delegations from British Dominions meeting in Imperial Conferences in 1926 onwards cumulating in the Statute of Westminster in 1931 which ensured total independence for Australia and other former Colonies to decide themselves on their future. The Australian Constitution is uniquely Australian. However in one aspect it is the same as most in the trust reliant upon the integrity of those politicians it places into power. puts It is thus that we question the motives of those who time and time again swear Oaths of Allegiance to The Queen and then proceed to denigrate Her. We also question the motives of those who have received high honour from The Crown, ranging from Privy Councillors and Companions of Honour to recipients of the Orders of Chivalry, when they seek to tear down the very structure that has given them so much in their pursuit for a Republic. Even political parties, originally founded on Loyalty to The Crown, are now allowing their parliamentarians to actively participate in support of the proposals to change to a Republic in the Referendum to be held in November of this year. A Referendum that Monarchists will face greatly outnumbered for combined against our Monarchy are politicians, media and big business. All self interested groups. All interested in removing the checks and the balances which are the only things which ultimately protect the People against domination. Amendments to the Australian Constitution are possible provided a majority of voters in Australia plus a majority in a majority of States concur. Surely in no way can the alteration of the Constitution to a Republic, requiring change to at least 72 of the Constitution's 128 sections and the addition of at least 10 new sections, be considered to be an "amendment"? Constitutional Monarchies and Republics are two entirely different systems and are totally incompatible. The proposals to simply "tippex" out The Crown, The Queen and the Governor General and replace those words with "President" simply because it is thought to be easier to "sell" to the People, is in reality fitting a square piece of wood in a round hole creating the potential to seriously endanger the freedom of the People. For many a year politicians have sought to centralise our Government and remove the sovereignty of the States. The only reason they have not prevailed so far is solely due to the protection the Constitution provides not only federally but also in each State. However if, as is proposed, The Crown is removed and replaced by a mortal being, it will not be long before politicians proceed to concentrate power into one Government. A proposal which could well eventually lead to the dismantling of our Federal system. The famous Australian Labor politician, Arthur A Calwell wrote in 1949: "Generally, the greedy and reckless activities of unscrupulous, opportunist sections of the community can only endanger a country for a period. Public protest can right the wrong sooner or later, and the nation moves ahead once more, sadder and wiser for its experience. Occasionally, however, power-mad and money-hungry groups can cause a disaster of such magnitude that its reverberations echo throughout history for generation after generation and alter the whole course of the country's development. Once the very character of this nation has been destroyed, no legislation could restore it. The ideals of equality of opportunity and fair treatment for the humblest worker on which our conception of democracy is built would be gone for ever. Our forefathers who pioneered this country and dreamed of its future greatness would have toiled in vain, and our children's children, would remember us as the generation who gave away their birthright." This malaise he talks about fifty years ago is abroad in this world of today and is working its pestilence in Australia for so many who can help are turning a blind eye to our needs. Many have been influenced by the supposed glamour of having an "Australian Head of State" not realising - or wanting to realise - that this is all about politicians wanting to remove the People's Constitutional security so that they can seeking total unrestricted power. Others have just given up and accepted the easy option of an imaginary inevitability. It is only to those individuals who value the principles of Constitutional Monarchy that we can turn to help us defeat this threat to our democracy and our freedom. The Referendum is just seven months away and with some 7,772 polling booths throughout Australia it is necessary to begin mobilizing at least 100,000 volunteers and over many years the Monarchist League has been working to bring organisations and individual groups together into one VOTE NO Alliance to fight these moves towards perilous constitutional change. All this has not been achieved without immense cost for even though the League is an impecunious and totally voluntary organisation with not a cent spent on paid staff we have already put in tens of thousands of dollars and are committed to finding in excess of a further hundred thousand dollars. We therefore appeal to all those who value the principles of Constitutional Monarchy to help us. Any contributions would be gratefully appreciated and we would be more than pleased to fit in with whatever sponsorship and auditing stipulations that may be required. Philip Benwell MBE National Chairman The Australian Monarchist League P O Box 1068, Double Bay NSW 2028, Australia. Office: Level 3 Phillip Court, 141 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000 1st April 1999 back to top of page |
