Friday, June 18, 2010

Bye bye monarchy

The “geriatric tour” is set to kick off in about ten days. I don’t mean the Rolling Stones, but it is two people from England - Elizabeth Windsor and Phillip Mountbatten, better known as “The Queen & Prince Phillip”. The two octogenarians land in Halifax and then embark on a trip across Canada and into the USA – no indication so far they’ll have to take off their shoes and pass through a metal detector although it would be cute if they somehow ended up on a no-fly list! As the so-called “royal” descendants of the German princely House of Wettin prepare for their visit to the colonies, a new survey shows the majority of Canadians believe the country should sever its ties to the monarchy once her job ends. (The only “royal” connotation to this visit may be if Crown Royal is offered as a beverage to Lil’beth, Phil and their entourage.) The Ipsos-Reid poll shows that six in ten Canadians (58%, +5) believe Canada should end ties to the monarchy when Elizabeth retires or dies. The majority (62%, +9) believes Canada’s head of state should be an elected governor general or some such, but not a queen. According to the poll, the strongest voices favouring abolishment of the monarchy in Canada come from Quebec, where eight in 10 people believe ties to the monarchy should be cut when Elizabeth is done, but 53 per cent think she has done a good job in her role as monarch. Most don’t think that her loutish bore of a son - the adulterer and his wife - the mistress, should have any role to play in Canada. I’m among the most. Here’s your hat … what’s your hurry.

10 comments:

Wisewebwoman said...

A monarchy has no place in a true democracy.
And I include the Family Bush in that opinion.
XO
WWW

Charlie said...

Yeah, I'm not sure what purpose a King or Queen serves anymore. In a big sense an all empowered title is a constant reminder of past human atrocities - slaves, stupid big monuments for burying dead rulers, and living grandiosely while masses scrape by. The present Queen as an individual comports herself with grace it appears, however, the royal family itself acts as common and as human as you can get. Otherwise, the fairytale image certainly is good for parts of the economy, from magazines about them, to tv shows and getting roads paved. I would not vote to continue Canada's allegiance to the monarchy.

ViewPoint2010 said...

WWW, what amazes me is how quickly the Americans, who rejected the monarchy a zillion years ago are so quick to adopt the title “American royalty”. First the Kennedy’s, then the Rothschild’s and now Dubya and his clan. Like you, I have fundamental issues with the concept of monarchy in a democracy but even more so when you realize how these people got to where they are now. Interestingly, I read somewhere the other day where Stephen Harper has sent our current governor general Jean off to visit the Chinese while Elizabeth and friends are here. Clearly, he does not want to share the spotlight with Ms. Jean. I wonder how much Elizabeth and friends will cost us for this brief visit????

ViewPoint2010 said...

Charlie, you’re right. The whole concept of ladies-in-waiting, footmen and servants has no place in today’s society even if it has a long history. I remember reading one story years ago where Charles (your namesake) changes his shirt several times a day and has the clean one set out for him by his manservant. Apparently the arrogant one just drops the one he takes off anywhere and expects his servant to pick it up. Someone should teach him the concept of laundry basket! Their arrogance and sense of entitlement disgusts me to the very core.

Chris said...

I’m all for dumping the monarchy, but I wonder, if we did rid ourselves of the “royals”, would we lose the Victoria Day long weekend?

If not, bye, bye Liz. If we would lose it, well God Save the Queen.

radical royalist said...

And what kind of republic do you want? A embarrasing president like Nicolas Sarkozy in France? A quitter like the German president who announced his retirement in a two minutes statement because the media dared to criticise him? A head of state and head of government combined like the USA endure? And how much money are you ready to spend? Who is going to pay not only for the running of the show, but also for the electoral campaign? They don't come cheap, you know.

ViewPoint2010 said...

Chris, perhaps we could transform Victoria Day into Christopher Day!

ViewPoint2010 said...

rr, your profile says you’re from Australia. You’re welcome to keep the monarchy if you want.

Table Mountains said...

Chris,darn good question. lol

I'm 54 and I remember as a kid singing the anthem to the queen in elementary,the paintings on the wall,the map of the british empire,on which the sun never sets," the little union jacks given to us on victoria day. I had quite a bit of respect for it all until I became older and saw what I really seemed to be worshiping.

ViewPoint2010 said...

TM, it strikes me that most people feel the same way … they focus on the trappings and don’t see what’s behind it. One of my questions usually focuses on how much it costs to get these people over here. So far this year, we’ve had visits from Charlie (the adulterer) and Annie (the multiple divorcee). Surely we’re not holding these people up as some kind of moral model. All they represent to most Canadians is a way of life to which we cannot relate and a way of life that when they’re here is sustained at the expense of taxpayers. Turf ‘em says we.