The “Head of State Referenda Bill” has been introduced into Parliament by Keith Locke of the Green Party. Politics and the Monarchy may never be the same again….
I shall not make a pun out of Mr Locke and our Prime Minister, Mr Key.
Although I am sorely tempted to unlock a treasure chest of amusing anecdotes about doors, if I did you would probably think me more un-hinged than you first imagined. Any writer who resorts to making pathetic puns about names like Locke and Key is a absolute knob. Even if I was short of writing material and in a complete jamb, I would never handle myself in such a manner.
Having put every ones mind’s at rest regarding the blatant and most annoying use of puns I happily shut the gate on the subject … Oh sorry! quite inadvertently I have used the word ‘gate’ which probably has a lock and key and is therefore a pun…silly me.
You can call me a right royal dip-stick, which brings me back to the aforementioned Mr Locke who is probably not a dip-stick but appears determined to see the demise of our English Royals. He has tried to introduce a private members bill to Parliament, it is called ‘The Head of State Referenda Bill’ which is a bit of a mouth full. A shorter version was suggested but Mr Locke objected to calling it ‘The English Bill’ for obvious reasons. (Bill English is deputy leader for the opposition)
Mr Locke wants the dissolution of the Monarchy, Mr Key prefers to retain the status quo.
According to recent surveys, New Zealand is about 50/50 on the proposal.
Reminds me of an old Goon’s script, where Spike Milligan as ‘Bluebottle’ has decided to go into business with ‘Colonel Bloodnock’ (Peter Sellers). The conversation goes something like this…
‘We will share the profits, 50/50’.
‘No’ protests Bluebottle, ‘Half or nothing, you cheating swine’.
I digress; the question is, should we dismiss our British birthright in the form of the Royal Family when everyone is well aware that Prince Charles was very fond of the Goons. (Oh I’m in a silly mood today!)
Seriously folks, consider for a moment our English heritage. We speak the same language, we have the same type of parliament, English law is the basis and structure for our legal system, even our local council administrations are run on a well proven British model. Think of the ramifications. Not many people are aware that the word Republic spelt backwards, brings out the word ‘Cilbuper’; is that what we really want?
Get rid of the Monarchy and say goodbye to any more chances of our sports people coming fourth in Commonwealth Games events. Knighthoods would be stopped, The Governor General would lose his highly paid job.
The Queen is accepted and respected, she loves corgis and has visited New Zealand a couple of times. How many of us have sat mesmerised as she delivers her riveting Christmas Day speech? Or gasped as her husband, Prince Phillip, once again successfully inserts his size eleven Hush Puppies into his own mouth.
I am amazed that Mr Locke, a dyed in the wool Greeny, has been so eager to dismiss the first in line to the British throne. Was it not, Prince Charles who baffled his subjects by becoming a raving tree-hugger in the seventies. And the people laughed at him, pointed at his sticky out ears and ridiculed his tendency to greenness. Come on Mr Locke be happy that your Private Members Bill has disappeared. (I’d be happy if my power bill did the same) Take a look around, get with it, we live in an enlightened age, New Zealander’s have grown to accept Queens.
Hello John, you raise a number of interesting points:
ReplyDelete"Get rid of the Monarchy and say goodbye to any more chances of our sports people coming fourth in Commonwealth Games events."
It's actually a myth that as a republic New Zealand would have to leave the Commonwealth.
"Knighthoods would be stopped,"
Not correct either. There are republics that offer their citizens titles (Italy and Portugal). I'd hardly want to emulate either society though...
"The Governor General would lose his highly paid job."
That's right - their office costs NZ taxpayers $11m p.a., while the President of Ireland costs $6m.
"The Queen is accepted and respected, she loves corgis and has visited New Zealand a couple of times. How many of us have sat mesmerised as she delivers her riveting Christmas Day speech?"
Fewer and fewer - support for the monarchy has dropped from around 75% in the early 90s to just on 50% (and below) today. Being respected is irrelevant - plenty of people respect the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Peter Jackson or Margaret Thatcher. Does that mean that any of them should be our head of state? Of course not.
"I am amazed that Mr Locke, a dyed in the wool Greeny, has been so eager to dismiss the first in line to the British throne. Was it not, Prince Charles who baffled his subjects by becoming a raving tree-hugger in the seventies. And the people laughed at him, pointed at his sticky out ears and ridiculed his tendency to greenness."
Charles' views aren't the problem; and he certainly wasn't the first to raise environmental issues either. He does, however, prove that the claim that the Royals are above politics is incorrect. Moreover a lot of what he says (such as support for EU subsidies) goes against New Zealand's interest.
"Take a look around, get with it, we live in an enlightened age, New Zealander’s have grown to accept Queens."
If that's true, why has support for the monarchy dropped so much?
Lewis is right. We've given you democracy, the English language, and the basis of jurisprudence. We've shown you how to build roads, how to install railways, and how one can cross rivers by the use of bridges. We've taught you cricket, rugby, and how to raise sheep.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it about time you started standing on your own two feet? Take OUR flag off the corner of YOURS, leave our royals alone (they've got plenty to do in the UK), and save us a bloody fortune.
This applies to Oz too.
p.s. You may continue to export frozen legs of lamb (especially to here in France)!