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Politics : Canadian Political Free-for-All -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Stephen O who wrote (1236)	10/7/2002 12:29:24 PM
From: SofaSpud	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 37548

Re: the Monarchy; Manley. I've often thought that one of the reasons that Watergate was such a profound crisis in the U.S. is because their system does not separate government and state. The president is both head of government and head of state. When Nixon got into trouble, it seemed to strike at the very foundations of the United States. In these times, when ceremony is accorded less place than function, the distinction between 'State' and government is blurred for most citizens. That's particularly dangerous in Canada, where so much of the population is so deeply disaffected from government, from politicians, from politics. To the extent that the polity comes to be identified with the Liberals or the court party, to the extent that disagreement over public policy can be construed as treasonous (thank you, Brian, for that helpful "enemies of Canada" comment), you risk utterly unnecessary collateral damage when the inevitable backlash comes. Think back over the last few governors-general. Adrienne Clarkson, creature of the CBC. Romeo LeBlanc, Liberal hack. Ray Hnatyshyn, Tory hack. Jeanne Sauve, Liberal hack. If anyone thinks that we will do better with a 'made in Canada' head of state, you're dreaming in technicolour. Yes, Celine Dion at least isn't tainted by politics. Wayne Gretzky in many ways defined how the game of hockey should be played. But when you get right down to it, their claim to fame is that they went to the States and made a grunt load of real money. That may in fact genuinely be appropriate for the present Canadian State, but I for one would hope we could strive for something more noble. So, are we likely to get a more unifying, motivating, inspiring figurehead if we abolish the monarchy? It seems unlikely. Personally I think there are positive arguments for retaining the monarchy. Consider, for example, that among the Queen's first P.M.s were Winston Churchill and Louis St. Laurent; that she was trained by her father, who in turn learned from his father, his grandfather, and even great-grandma Queen Victoria. That continuity, that store of experience, is available on a confidential basis to any Canadian P.M. who wishes to avail himself of it. And Charles will be the repository for that vast accumulation after his mother. Further, for one as disaffected from Canada's government as I am, I cherish a Head of State who cannot, must not, permit the taint of politics. The Queen is no party hack. Prince Charles is not some politically correct socially engineered flunky. Thank God there's someone who isn't one of those monotone pc scolds. There will always be an element of Canadian society who cannot abide the monarchy. Some thoughtful and reasonable people accept the "apron strings" argument, which is fair game. I don't happen to agree. I think we can take pride in a unique arrangement that lets our relatively young country share in 1,000 years of history. Regardless, reasonable people can disagree. It is the unthinking opposition that I won't cater to. Brimelow put it very well when he talked about the Canadian government's view of the institution: "like an urchin, furtively peeing on a shrub in the hope that it will quietly die." Anyone who has made it to the P.M.'s chair in the last generation has had far too much ego to want to share the limelight with the Queen or anyone else. They've treated the monarchy with aggressive neglect tinged with embarrassment. No more R.C.A.F., no more R.C.N., no more Royal Mail. Get rid of the visible manifestations wherever possible, and undermine the others, like the office of Governor General, by treating it as a glorified Senate seat. The wonder is that public support for the monarchy in Canada is as high as it is! I don't expect any better from Manley. He lives in Ottawa, and so probably thinks that Ottawa actually represents something of the real world. I don't expect anything of any of those people any more. Which is why I wouldn't want them tampering with an arrangement that works remarkably well despite a generation of subtle antagonism.