Taoiseach
of
Elsewhere at Will
CLAREMONT 7011
Tasmania
28 May 2006
Mr Bertie Ahern
TD
Taoiseach of
Government
Buildings
Upper Merrion
Street
DUBLIN 2
My Dear Prime Minister
To write to a serving Taoiseach of
My maternal grandfather, Jeremiah O'LEARY, who came
to Australia with his family, ruffled the hair on this five-year-old’s head
shortly before he died in 1936 leaving behind his Australian-born Irish wife,
Elizabeth Catherine SPENCE and my 26-year-old mother, Ellen Imelda O’Leary, the
youngest of their nine children.
They came from Bantry Bay, in County Cork… And if my
dad was the provider for our family my mum was its brain, its mentor, its
triage… Thus
part of me remains forever Irish.
But to business…You recently officially entertained our current
Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, and a joint press conference you gave was
reported on the website of Australians
for Constitutional Monarchy by Prof. David Flint AM.
It is upon that report, reproduced below, that I wish
to comment.
No Republic! Australians for
Constitutional Monarchy - ACM Home
What the Prime Minister
actually said.
From the National Convenor
Wednesday, 24 May 2006.
Just in case the republican commentariat gets too
excited, and in the unlikely, totally unlikely, event that you are not given
all the words the Prime Minister actually used when you read the columns of comment
on them, and the radio and TV journalists tell you what he said or might have
said or ought to have said about the Constitution, here they are, unedited:
“JOINT PRESS
CONFERENCE WITH MR BERTIE AHEARN, TAOISEACH OF
(23 MAY 2006)
JOURNALIST: Mr Howard can I ask you, how soon do
you think it’ll (sic) before Australia breaks the link with the British
Monarchy? And could you explain to, dare I say, bemused Irish people the logic
of maintaining that link.
PRIME MINISTER: Oh very easily, very easily, let me
warm to the task. I wouldn’t put a date on that. We had a referendum which
failed. I’m a monarchist as you know, I support the present constitutional
arrangements. I don’t think there’s any prospect of them being broken while the
Queen lives, and as to whether, on the assumption that she remains on the
throne, which is the working assumption, as after that, well I’m not saying
that it would automatically happen after that either.
I take the view that, and I say this in the presence
of a bemused Irish public, I take the view that the circumstances… almost an
historical accident has given us a very well functioning system of government.
I mean you need a parliamentary system, you need a
head of state. I am totally opposed to an elected presidency. I know you have
one in Ireland but it wouldn’t work in Australia, it would represent an
alternate power centre.
And if you really want to alter the dynamics of
Australian politics and set up a rival power centre, have an elected
presidency. So you know where do you go from there? Do you really think the
system that you would replace the present system with would work out to be
better? So I wouldn’t like to set a date on it, I’m not saying it won’t happen,
I mean I just don’t know.
I think it’s next to impossible to happen given the
regard in which the current monarch is held, I don’t think it’s going to happen
in her lifetime. Obviously when she goes the dynamic will begin to change, I
acknowledge that, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the institution will automatically
go. I think it functions quite well and I don’t think anybody thinks, apart
from some bemused journalists, that it sort of in anyway compromises
Australia’s independence.”
Allow me to assure you Taoiseach our Prime
Minister, John Howard, is a fair dinkum bloke who, in my opinion, rates
integrity highly, has done great work for Oz in his overall parliamentary term
and, with his party, steered the country on a prospering course.
Further let me say that what he said at your press
conference is entirely true… To wit “I am
totally opposed to an elected presidency” which certainly would “set up a rival power centre”, and I
agree: An elected presidency in Australia simply would not work.
But he refers to the Australian Republican Movement’s
(ARM) models when he says that… And it appears he believes theirs is the only
answer to this problem.
ARM’s website and “model(s)”
may be viewed on…
Australia, however, has only to banish the monarchy
to become republic… Retain the Westminster and parliamentary system in its
entirety and thank the monarchy for coming.
Simply Oz states would replace monarchy as
Australia’s source of heads-of-state and each state in-turn be required to
appoint an accomplished and acceptable head-of-state.
Being selected in-turn from one of Australia’s six
federation states, a “Highest Office” incumbent would hardly be a “rival power centre” to the country’s
elected leader… And Oz would have an advocate and protector of the
Constitution… All duties codified.
It is unlikely the Queen would be put out, for on
occasions she has acknowledged that Oz has matured to the extent of self-rule…
While a “Highest Office” holder would be Head-of-State… Which would cut the
loop of PM-selecting-the-HoS and the Queen-granting-the-PM’s-requests… Our
Head-of-State would hold an important position in his/her own right.
Indeed it is sad to suggest moving away, in-terms-of-state,
from England… And the Queen… I’m sorry also that John Howard is a monarchist…
But that is a choice to which he is entitled… Yep, sorry, for he really is not
a bad bloke-cum-Prime Minister.
Perhaps you could apply a bit of blarney… Beguile him…
Or just be further bemused.
With My Very Best
Regards...
Yogi
States Head-of-State Selection
(STATES) Republic model
www.users.bigpond.com/republic.australia/
Yogi_Marriott_Cadbury_Road_CLAREMONT_7011_Tasmania
Revisited
Website Uploaded 2003
STATES
Devised 1998
Conceived Mid-1990s