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Prince Charles "could be denied the role of Head of the Commonwealth"
The Telegraph reports that Prince Charles could be "denied" the position of Head of the Commonwealth. In fact, the actual suggestion from the report of the Commonwealth Conversation is that the issue of the headship of the Commonwealth is resolved before the Queen's reign ends.
It has been mooted that the future Head of the Commonwealth could rotate amongst Commonwealth members - we could have Nelson Mandela (for example) as Head of the Commonwealth for two years, then someone from another Commonwealth member for the next two.
It has been mooted that the future Head of the Commonwealth could rotate amongst Commonwealth members - we could have Nelson Mandela (for example) as Head of the Commonwealth for two years, then someone from another Commonwealth member for the next two.
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I think it's highly likely as
I'd like an election with all 1.9 million Commonwealth citizens getting a vote. So long as the Indians (who are in the majority) gave the remainder a crack at it sometimes.
Of course, George VI was the
Of course, George VI was the first Head of the Commonwealth even though the position in NZ and the other realms was not mentioned in statute until 1953 in the Royal Style and Titles Act. So it is not a position created for Queen Elizabeth II and is not a position personal to her. It is just that she has been Head of the Commonwealth for the majority of the position's existence. Of course, the Head of the Commonwealth's role in the Commonwealth has even less "de jure" power than the role of the Sovereign in our own constitution.
The Commonwealth's reason for existence came about because all members had a link to the United Kingdom either directly or indirectly through another country that had been part of the British Empire. The British Monarch as Head of The Commonwealth had thus symbolised that common link. I think if you move away from that common point of reference the commonwealth will continue to fall more quickly into irrelevance as the G20, regional groupings and the United Nations become more relevant. The Commonwealth would become a sort of irrelevant United Nations lite.
As far as election is concerned - surely the Director-General who has the executive authority should be the focus of reform. Should it be one country one vote - e.g. so that Anguilla has equal power as India. Perhaps it should be like a company....so that each nation would have voting power commensurate to its share of the Commonwealth budget. Maybe voting should be democratic....i.e. India dominating the election.
The Commonwealth would become
That's the Commonwealth's problem though - it's not a UN lite, and never will be because of Britain's global decline. The geo-political reality is that even if Britain wanted to withdraw from the EU it wouldn't be economically viable. Just look at Aust / NZ's economies - we're geared towards producing for North America and Asia, not the UK. From the last glance at our trade stats, less than 3% of our exports go to the UK, down from two-thirds in 1973.
Republican Movement chair
In the commonwealth,
In the commonwealth, Britain's decline is being counter-balanced to an extent by the rise of India.
Britain's future foreign policy energies may best be put to try and counter the Franco-German dominance of the EU. I think the UK is still fearful that a resurgent Russia may try to extend its influence and as a protection wants the Americans to stay engaged in Europe. In the Pacific, Australia has similar fears over China, therefore ANZUS is still important.
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