As a Republican (that is, an Australian who wishes to have an Australian head of state instead of the Queen... as opposed to being a member of the American Republican Party) it may seem strange but I actually think that singing God Save The Queen during the opening of the Commonwealth Games is enitrely appropriate. Advance Australia Fair may be our national anthem, but the games will be opened by the Queen, our head of state.
After all, when we had that referendum back in 2000, the majority of Australians voted for the Queen. In their wisdom, the Australian people felt that having the Queen as our head of state was far more preferable to having a Republic - even the proposed one that was imperfect and could have been changed at a later date with another referendum.
No, the majority of Australians voted for the Queen of England to be our Queen and head of state. As someone who voted for a Republic, I must nevertheless acquiese to the rest of the country's wishes and therefore state that God Save The Queen must be sung at the Commonwealth Games.
3 comments:
OSO,
Sometimes I wonder whether you even have half a brain in your head when you write posts like that. I'll have you know that the Crown of the United Kingdom and Australia was rightfully opposed to the murderous fascist regimes in Europe (not to mention the regime in Japan which probably can't be called fascist but was just as attrocious). Out of a sense of duty to his people, King George VI himself was willing to risk his life in leading the troops into battle on the beaches of Normandy but was prevented by Churchill from so doing. Moreover, many ordinary people from across the Commonwealth gave up their freedom and even lives to fight the fascist scourge. When you equate the monarchy with a 'fascist regime' you display a great ignorance of history and an immense disrespect to people of many nations, including fellow Australians, who laid down their lives so that you could even vote in a referendum (which compared to the evils of Fascism and Marxism-Leninism was fairly trivial). What regime would allow itself peacefully to be voted out of existence? A Fascist one? A Marxist-Leninist one? Not even a 'liberal' republican one! How many republics in the world allow you to hold views advocating their downfall and the reinstatement of monarchy? In most republics it is a crime simply to want a monarchical form of government. Three cheers for the 'liberal' republican thought police!
Oh and where were those gallant Irish Republicans in fighting the scourge of Nazism and Fascism?
What will you be suggesting next? That we all join hands in singing the Internationale at the opening of the Commonwealth Games?
"And if those cannibals keep trying,
To sacrifice us to their pride,
They soon shall hear the bullets flying,
We'll shoot the generals on our own side"
"No saviour from on high delivers,
No faith have we in prince or peer.
Our own right hand the chains must shiver,
Chains of hatred, greed and fear."
PS You might like to learn that even in the parts where I currently lurking the woman you are referring to is NOT the Queen of 'England' but the Queen of the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'. There is an important difference.
And of course in Australia she's the 'Queen of Australia'. And in part we have your idol Gough to thank for that. The 'Queen of England' or even the 'Queen of the United Kingdom' is not Australia's queen and cannot legally set foot in Australia.
I have to admit that I had to read that twice! You are, I hope, no doubt aware of the lyrics of this song
I was already vaguely aware of the song.
The song was controversial when it first came out ... and I guess it still is today.
Granted, your title was an allusion to the Sex Pistols' song lyric -- but one might be excused for thinking you were joining the Pistols in calling this regime 'fascist'. And that's what got me going. Wanting to replace the monarchy for a republic is one thing (in that case I would just think you were misinformed etc) -- but calling it a fascist regime is malicious and an offence to the memory of all those who suffered under fascism as far as I'm concerned. And that ought not to be tolerated for a second. The House of Windsor might be many things -- but fascist it ain't.
So if you didn't mean to make the connection between the monarchy and fascism I'm sorry for unnecessarily venting my spleen at you. In that case my rage is really directed against the Sex Pistols and not OSO. But I would urge you to think again before writing something that might make people think you agreed with the words you write.
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