The Lies of Monarchy

The monarchy everywhere, but especially in a country such as Australia, a realm not naturally inclined towards Kings and Crowns, has to base itself on lies. Its power is based on tricks, of sleight of hand, of the magic of making a normal person into something more powerful, Charles Rex. Charles III. King of the United Kingdom and Realms beyond the sea.

It’s theatre on a grand scale.

“God save the King,” declares the Herald.

“God save the King,” yell the crowd, unable or unwilling to say anything in opposition.

And with that, a world dazzled by pomp and ceremony has transformed a gardener in his 70s into the heir of William the Conqueror and Alfred the Great.

The Queen is Dead, Long Live the King

It happens without question. The demise of the monarch lasts for all of a couple of minutes before the next monarch is declared. No waiting, no ceremony. No mourning even. The ancient declaration is not seen as offensive, it’s just a matter of course. The crown passes without controversy or challenge. The old owner dismissed.

For what is Britain without a King?

Kings belong to that Sceptered Isle, the domain of pomp and pageantry, where the Crown has survived Civil War and Revolution, in a way it doesn't belong in Australia, a place where the true powers of the Crown have never been tested.

In Britain, a man can be both King and Gardener. They have depowered and civilised Monarchy so now all that is left is pointless ceremony, that borders on farce. The King crowned by cosplay. A mockery of the medieval. A parody.

But this farce only endures as long as the monarch does not use any of the power granted to him.

As soon as the King acts as a King, he loses his kingdom.

This is part two of the farce. The Sovereign is not sovereign. But we must pretend otherwise.

Britain loves pantomimes. And this is what the monarchy is; a performance by well trained actors, giving the crowds what they expect.

That is what all the ceremony is for. It allows us to believe what we know isn't true. It's the suspension of disbelief applied to Government.

And so one family is placed above all others, chosen directly by God. We believe this because the ceremony and proclamation make it true. But we know it's actually a matter of historical accident that has placed the Windsors in the position they now hold; of powerful men in a Parliament choosing a king over 300 years ago. Not God, men.

The pageantry allows us all to forget this.

But what if we choose not to forget? What if we don't engage in the farce?

Long Live the Republic

Inside the Commonwealth, but outside of Britain, a republic is the only form of Government that is true.

The Australian Republic is already a fact. Kings lose their power and majesty when bereft of the institutions of deference, and the ancient places where the majesty of monarchy seems to dwell.

That majesty has to be manufactured here. A proclamation is read out of Constitutional duty rather than ancient ceremony and necessity. The thrones sit empty, or else sat on by Governors who are more honourary and temporary first citizen instead of the representative of The Crown. Parliamentarians swear allegiance to the King of Australia, a title invented in 1953.

So much for the ancient monarchy.

So why is it offensive to declare the Republic? The Republic that is both the true form of Government and an already established fact.

All that could be said to be disrespected is the institution of The Crown. And the disrespecting of that institution, in the grand scheme of things, is purely symbolic. It is not the point of republicanism, but merely a by-product.

The Cultural Cringe

Why are Australian Citizens so hesitant to recognise that which is already true? It's simple, fear is a much more powerful emotion than hope. And Monarchists, and the Monarchy itself, have successfully stoked this fear of the unknown. Their lies are comforting. And a comforting lie is easy to believe.

The Republic is too expensive, they say.

It's too much of a risk, they say.

You have too much to lose, they say.

Where would you be without a monarch, they say.

The pageantry of Monarchy has played its part well too; wooing Australians with its magic. We can never match that. We are not imperial enough down here. And rather than that being something to be admired, Monarchists have turned it into a dreadful cultural failing of Australia.

The magic, the theatre, the lie, has done its work.

What it all boils down to is that we don't feel worthy of having our own country. We are not good enough, or smart enough, or old enough, or grand enough to do so.

We have been convinced that we are a lesser people. A poor cousin to the proper ones lording over us on the other side of the world.

This lie must be overcome if we are to declare what is already self-evident; The Australian Republic exists.

What Comes Next?

In the early days of the reign of Charles III republicans must put Australia at the centre of Australian matters. Forget about the model of The Republic, focus on destroying the lie that we are not worthy or capable of ruling ourselves. Emphasise the distinct Australianness of the political system here, and the flaws of the unrefined Westminsterism of the United Kingdom.

Get rid of the fear blinding people's minds.

Expose the lie for what it is. Pull back the curtain and show Australians what the monarchy actually is.

Once the Indigenous Voice Referendum is passed next year, further emphasising the Australian Nature of the Constitution, a lot of the fear of change will be gone.

And then it will be time to move boldly, not timidly as republicanism has often done. An argument that 'nothing will change' excites and motivates no-one. Come up with something distinctly Australian to call the President, and make the position itself distinctly Australian. It's not simply a replacement for the Governor General, it is a position that represents the heart of the Nation. A position that, importantly, anyone can aspire to be in.

But don't start the lies. Whatever the President is called, they are not in charge. The Position must be based in truth that they are simply there to show the world what this nation is, above the fighting of day to day politics. They are not a politician.

Excitement can overcome fear. Get people excited about what The Republic offers and you can make them see what this country could be.

The Final Act

The King and Crown have one more act to perform in Australia before they leave our stage. When a Treaty is finally negotiated with the Original Peoples of this landmass the King must sign it personally. After this ceremony, which would symbolically be seen as the day Britain apologised for all the wrongs they committed here, we then have no more use for the British.

The first act of the declared Australian Republic must be to sign the Treaty again, on behalf of all the people of The Republic who are currently and actually Sovereign. The first act of the Commonwealth was the White Australia Policy, a law that destroyed the heart of this country, and which was based in fear, lies and hatred.

Let the Republic be born in truth and hope.

Let us discard the lies that we are a lesser people. Let us rid ourselves of the lies of monarchy.

Kings have no place here.

Long Live the Australian Republic.