Reaction to Final Straw Knighthood

Australia Day finds WfaAR in La Repubblica Italia (a real republic with real Presidential elections) waking up to the news that Prince Phillip had been made a Knight, the highest rank of Australian Knighthoods – approved by the Queen of Australia herself on the Prime Minister’s recommendation. Without needing to mention that this contravened the guidelines for the new awards limited to four per year and is a conflict of interest for the Queen, the collective howl of despair and derision from the assembled group of Australians in the breakfast room in Vico Equense could have been heard at Kirribilli. WfaAR fervently hopes it was. Rather interestingly, this widely-criticised move precipitated a disastrous fall in the PM’s poll ratings and, within a fortnight, he faced a move to remove him from within his own party.