Posted by Ian McKechnie on September 9, 2011, 10:16 pm, in reply to "Re: The "Harper Government" and its love of the monarchy"
Message modified by board administrator September 9, 2011, 11:09 pm
While I think it's wonderful to see the symbolism of our monarchy being reasserted in a number of imaginative and public ways, I likewise fear that a Conservative "copyright" on monarchism will alienate folks in the long run.
Unnecessary dichotomies are inevitably going to be brought into play whenever one or two republican MPs choose to pompously speak out either explicity (John Manley) or implicity (Jack Harris) of an alternative system. The media will then assume that one or two republican points of view represent an entire party's stance on the monarchy. Similarly, the Conservative embrace of the Crown can make it appear as though monarchism is an exclusively Conservative cause. Of course, the other parties could (no, need to) be taking a more active role in preservation of our monarchy. Unfortunately, they have chosen to sit on the sidelines and watch while Canadians degenerate into a sad set of apathetic citizens who could care less about the institution. The current government has chosen to fill the resulting vacuum, but for what I think are very simplistic reasons ("history, traditions, and institutions," to use their three-fold approach to monarchism). I have found that I support our existing system because the Governor General and the Lieutenant Governors provide us with much-needed apolitical leadership. The fact that they represent a hereditary monarch only serves to reinforce the reality and continuity of this role. Our "history and traditions" are of secondary importance, in my opinion.
I'm also bothered by the media's portrayal of this government's monarchism. They make it sound as though it is simply a form of eccentric behaviour, which we should be brushing aside with a laugh and a rolling of the eyes.
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