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The Listener's embarrassing colonial cringe
The Listener's Pamela Stirling continues her bizarre attempts at defending the monarchy in this week's edition. The editorial is nothing short of embarrassing colonial cringe, taking aim at the "doctrinaire" republican movement, New Zealand's democracy, leaders and local government.
Of course, it demands a letter to the editor:
Of course, it demands a letter to the editor:
Dear Madam,
Your editorial (Listener, 30 Jan - 5 February) asserts that republicans deny the ‘human bond’ of the monarchy. We most certainly do not –even “doctrinaire” republicans accept some New Zealanders feel bound to the monarchy, like a child with a tatty and useless safety blanket.
That is exactly why we oppose the institution – the very colonial cringe put forth in your editorial towards New Zealand’s democracy and leaders goes to show nothing less than the lack of confidence in ourselves republicans seek to overcome. There are numerous good examples of republics within the Commonwealth that succeed in electing heads of state of the same, if not better, calibre than our Governors-General. To suggest that New Zealanders are too infantile to choose one of our own in this role is offensive.
William might be a nice bloke, but it’s ridiculous to claim that there is some kind of human bond to a Royal family that only ever “visits” us, and that failed to attend the state funeral of one of our greatest citizens. The truth is that William is a celebrity, and like all celebrities his youth and charm are exploited to justify the existence of the institution he represents.
Regards
Lewis Holden Chair,
Republican Movement
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I wouldn't call them
Red letter day....I agree
Red letter day....I agree with you!
But many republicans just cannot stop themselves from attacking what they see as Prince Charles's eccentricities and think that William is being used by The Palace as some sort of antidote to these perceived eccentricities.
Lewis also seems to do nothing to reduce the emotionally charged aspect of the debate, by equating the regard some monarchists have towards the monarchy as "like a child with a tatty and useless safety blanket." Not exactly the way forward for rational discussion, I would have thought.
The emotional attachment to
Chair of the Republican Movement
Agreed, to say all monarchies
"outright adulation" maybe by some...just as all republicans should not be lumped as one....then don't lump as one the supporters of our current constitutional arrangements. Believe it or not some support the constitutional monarchy because they see it as a good framework under which this country has been operating and should continue to operate. They are not convinced there needs to be a change.
"like a child with a tatty and useless safety blanket".
A safety blanket actually serves a purpose...it is a familiar object that comforts the child. The child may have been used to it all her life. If you separate the child from the blanket she can become distraught and lost. Is that useless? If you try to replace it with a spanking new blanket with all the bells and whistles, it is just not the same as it is foreign to the child.
A more apt denigration of monarchists would have been to say "like an adult who keeps a tatty and useless safety blanket from his childhood". You could then cast the supporters of the constitutional monarchy as some misguided Peter Pan type characters, who refuse to grow up. We would then have fun with the similes.
You do not deny that some monarchists feel a "human bond" to our monarchy. You ridicule this bond. Another thing about humans - we don't all react as other humans think we should. One person's "natural reaction" is another's "ridiculous behaviour". Presumably with a spanking new republic, "human bonds" and "emotional attachment" to the republic itself or any of its office-holders will be dismissed as irrelevant and discouraged. The President will be discouraged from revealing any personality whatsoever and be portrayed as a Chief Auditor type in case positive human feelings may arise in the populace. And of course their family will be hidden from view.
Believe it or not some
Of course, a broad sweeping generalisation is hardly ever correct. But the truth is the number of constitutional monarchists able to give rational reasons for supporting the monarchy that have been well thought out is very few and far between; often all we hear are untested assertions or badly composed scare mongering.
For example, the continual argument over the cost of the monarchy, and the assertion that the institution costs NZ taxpayers nothing. That's nonsense, of course, yet despite strenuously making the case the the GG is part of the monarchy the costs of the office is ignored, so are valid comparisons - cf. Jim Hopkins just the other day...
A safety blanket actually serves a purpose...it is a familiar object that comforts the child.
Exactly - it is an apt comparison to the monarchy.
If you separate the child from the blanket she can become distraught and lost. Is that useless?
The monarchy in New Zealand was a useful object when we were a nation in our infancy. That's the whole point of my metaphor - we have outgrown the safety blanket; it's now tatty and worn and really beyond any symbolic, diplomatic or constitutional use to the country.
A more apt denigration of monarchists would have been to say "like an adult who keeps a tatty and useless safety blanket from his childhood".
That would've been more accurate - but my point was about the arguments put forward in defence of the safety blanket - i.e. we've held on to the monarchy long after it ceased to serve us any real use, it's largely because of the emotional attachment to it and the fear of the alternatives that the monarchy survives.
You could then cast the supporters of the constitutional monarchy as some misguided Peter Pan type characters, who refuse to grow up. We would then have fun with the similes.
Now, now... that would be personal vilification, and I don't do that.
Chair of the Republican Movement
Yes, let's keep personalities
This isn't about personages, it's about constitutional realities, regardless of the strengths and weaknesses of current incumbents.
Red letter day....I agree
Red letter day....I agree with you!
But many republicans just cannot stop themselves from attacking what they see as Prince Charles's eccentricities and think that William is being used by The Palace as some sort of antidote to these perceived eccentricities.
Lewis also seems to do nothing to reduce the emotionally charged aspect of the debate, by equating the regard some monarchists have towards the monarchy as "like a child with a tatty and useless safety blanket." Not exactly the way forward for rational discussion, I would have thought.