Born to protect our democracy
The Royal family is a rare and stable rock in a volatile and unstable world, says Blake Young
IN 1952, in the wake of two world wars and amid a new conflict, the Cold War, a fresh face stepped into the light of the global stage.
At 25 years old, Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne and became the head of the Commonwealth of Nations. In 2016 she became the world’s longest reigning monarch and has been an enduring symbol of stability and peace.
Today the question is whether Queen Elizabeth and the constitutional monarchy still have relevance to modern Australia. Paul Keating, reprising his role as the Ghost of Republicans Past, has verballed the crown prince saying Charles would want Australia to be a republic.
It’s a dubious claim from Paul, but not an unfamiliar argument. It is an echo from an old debate. It seems that whenever a royal steps foot on Australian soil the republican choir chimes in with their song of freedom and independence.
If only we had a president instead of a governor general, all our woes would be gone. But would they really? Since 2010 Australia has had a new prime minister every two years and a leadership spill in government every 16 months. Precedents on which our democracy rely are casually abandoned by leaders who sacrifice almost anything to retain power.
In this age of turmoil, of poll-driven policies and personality politics, there’s a level at which all Australians are surely saying “God save the Queen”. Because even if political parties are willing to throw out babies with bathwater for electoral success, the monarchy is not.
The monarchy, represented through the office of governor general, is disinterested in the machinations of Canberra and the backroom dealings of faceless men. It is the one institution on which we can rely to act absolutely fairly. It’s job it to referee the game of politics with a commitment to the best interest of Australians and only when necessary to step in and restore order to imbalanced systems.
Far from undemocratic, the constitutional monarchy is the system Australians have voted to support, and which they continue to affirm in poll after poll. The trend is that young Australians are more likely to support the monarchy than the baby boomer bandits of times gone by. This is hardly surprising considering Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince William and Harry continue to display the sort of statesmanship so often lacking in our own elected officials.
Of course, aside from being the guarantor of democracy, the monarchy is a rich source of symbolism. Symbolism is important. It speaks to national aspirations and our understanding of our place in the world. And our place is to be firmly independent, whilst retaining a close relationship with a family of other nations who share a common origin and hold a common purpose — the promotion of peace and security for all mankind.
In our humanitarian efforts, the royal family has proven time and again the first example of charity.
“I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service”. Queen Elizabeth dedicated her reign to ideals of servant leadership. A willingness to put herself last, and the needs of the commonwealth first. Her heirs will follow her and build on this legacy.
The bloody years of the 20th century were difficult to endure. It would be wrong to scorn older generations for their desire to emancipate themselves and to strike out against any authority they could find. Bad decisions were made, conflict was too easily entered into, and sometimes war was simply unavoidable.
But the experience of the 21st century is very different. Conflict is no less common now than before. But we are finding it harder to have genuine connections with other cultures and other nations. This is the curse of isolationism, which is the ideology on which the republican movement relies.
There is a difference between being independent and being alone.
Australia is unique. We have our own sky and our own coast. We are home to people from all over the world, and a refuge to those seeking shelter from war and oppression. We have defended freedom and built peace.
We have been these things without a desire for grandeur, but with a determination to be great. Paul Keating is right. We are a great nation. But this is not in spite of our monarchy but because of our monarchy.