The plan is lengthy, big on detail and protocol, scouted out by a journalist from The UK Guardian. It will see King Charles III proclaimed as monarch within 24 hours after his mother’s death although still months from a coronation (Britain is only European country to still hold public coronations). How do we view things like this from our republican vantage point given both our Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition are confirmed republicans as mentioned in the article? These are the trappings of hereditary monarchy that we need to leave in the past along with the complicated protocols, the costs and arresting of the pulse of daily life in our country for an unspecified time. The mourning rituals we should definitely leave to the Brits. They should not cast shadows over our desire to be sleek, agile and modern nor delay our move to a Republic. Click on link below to peruse the meticulous planning for QEII’s demise. Of some interest is the fact that the Head of the Commonwealth, now predominantly made up of republics, does not automatically pass to the British monarch and will be contested this time around. Additionally, the article reveals that Julia Gillard was approached by the Queen’s private secretary in February 2013, six months before she was removed as PM, lobbying to have Charles made Head of the Commonwealth. Gillard, as we know, was a soft touch when it came to matters regal but we trust things have hardened up in Canberra since then. [“Operation London Bridge: the secret plan for the days after the Queen’s death” by Sam Knight, The UK Guardian online 17 March 2017]
Woman for an Australian Republic, Adelaide Ironside, republican poet and artist 1831-1867
Self portrait 1855, Newcastle Art Gallery NSW
