![Matthew Adams](http://rabble.ca/sites/rabble/files/imagecache/thumbnail/category_pictures/Photo 6_0.jpg "Matt moved to Toronto from the U.S just in time for Mike Harris to take power in Ontario and has been stunned ever since. Matthew Adams is a co-founder of the Catalyst Centre (a social justice popular education worker co-op), www.catalystcentre.ca, and works with a number of organizations including the Fourth Pig Worker Co-op, the publicist for the Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts in Toronto (where he is a proud member of CUPE local 1281) and rabble.ca where he is the Special Projects Coordinator. You can hear Matt rant about politics on the podcast "I read the news today (oh boy)" on the rabble podcast network and read him on the blog of the same name at rabble.ca.")
So he's come. Prince Charles, the man who, against my will, I had to pledge allegiance to, the future King of Canada. Like all naturalized Canadian citizens I had to take the citizenship oath or be denied. The oath says I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen. Trust me no American wants to plege allegiance to the English monarchy but at least we were warned.
We we're warned that when it comes to it an unelected Royal representative, the Governor General of Canada [2], would yield true power. And yield it she did. As we all know in 2008 Governor General Michaëlle Jean [3] prorogued the Parliment preventing a coalition government from forming. A coalition government that represented 1 million more votes and a majority of seats over the conservative government.
The Royal representative essentially backed a Prime Minister who to the dismay of constitional scholars, political scientists, and anyone who took a Canadian civics class, framed the coalition government as an "affront to democracy [4]" and who failed to denounce Natural Resources Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn who said the opposition deal was a "coup d'etat". [4]
The proposed coalition was none of these things of course; it was democracy in action. Unlike having citizens pledge allegiance to someone whose main credential for the job is being born or as I call it " rule by genetics." And in terms of the Governor General we are clearly not talking about just opening parks, meeting dignitaries, and reading budgets. We are talking about affecting major real world policy and the make up the government itself. Yes the Governor General is essentially appointed by the Prime Minister (but not necessarily the one in power) but it all goes back across the pond and across a colonial history and doesn't seem to have a lot to do with democracy.
Given that, I can't get too excited about our future King's visit. In fact in makes me royally sad.
Links:
[1] http://rabble.ca/taxonomy/term/2705
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_governor_general
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micha%C3%ABlle_Jean
[4] http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4B14D720081202?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0
[5] http://rabble.ca/print/blogs/bloggers/irtn/2009/11/prince-alarming-why-charles-visit-should-make-us-royally-sad#comment-1081107
[6] http://rabble.ca/print/blogs/bloggers/irtn/2009/11/prince-alarming-why-charles-visit-should-make-us-royally-sad#comment-1081249
[7] http://rabble.ca/print/blogs/bloggers/irtn/2009/11/prince-alarming-why-charles-visit-should-make-us-royally-sad#comment-1081851
[8] http://rabble.ca/print/blogs/bloggers/irtn/2009/11/prince-alarming-why-charles-visit-should-make-us-royally-sad#comment-1081876
[9] http://rabble.ca/print/blogs/bloggers/irtn/2009/11/prince-alarming-why-charles-visit-should-make-us-royally-sad#comment-1081879
[10] http://rabble.ca/print/blogs/bloggers/irtn/2009/11/prince-alarming-why-charles-visit-should-make-us-royally-sad#comment-1086565
[11] http://rabble.ca/user
[12] http://rabble.ca/user/register
Trust me no American wants to plege allegiance to the English monarchy
No, they prefer to pledge allegiance to a piece of cloth.
Your native USA has nothing to teach Canada about democracy, even though we have much to learn.
If your problem is with Michaëlle Jean, what does that have to do with pledging allegiance to the Queen? The Queen has nothing to do with the functioning of the Canadian government.
And to take it out on Prince Charlie makes no sense at all.
Nobody asked you to pledge allegiance to the Governor-General; and anyway, she essentially just does what Harper tells her to do.
I have had to swear the oath of allegiance. Indeed, you don't give the oath of allegiance much thought until you are informed that you, as a human being who was supposed to have been born free, must now agree to be loyal and obedient to someone for life - on the grounds of their birth. I was sort of horrified by the concept of it at first. I couldn't quite believe, as a youngster who wanted to be a soldier, that our parents and grandparents actually believed in this and wanted us to believe in it too. They actually wanted to see us, their own children and grandchildren, become "subjects". This whole idea that the moment of our birth, something which you have no control over, somehow makes you inferior to somebody else - is sort of bizarre. Not only that but, as a subject - it's like you are owned or something. Like any other inherited Royal possession. Like a Royal horse or some Royal cattle.
At first, the thought of having to swear my complete and undying allegiance to a Queen and Her Heirs And Successors just grated against my natural will and conscience. It was like you were consenting, now that you were old enough to do so, to their idea that you were born their slave. You see, for me, it was not so much "rule by genetics" but more like "you are born to be my slaves". For a King begets a Royal Prince. A mere subject begets - well, just another subject. Arghhh! In a way I can't believe they are born to rule over us, that they sort of own us, and we all actually go along with it. Not only that but they are also English to boot.
It goes without saying that I swore the oath of allegiance. So, I guess, I am legally Royal property for life now. Like all the other sons and daughters who fight in our Armed Forces. In a way I just don't get it and, since I was a child, have never really understood it. What do people see in Royalty? The sight of a Prince and, no doubt amusingly for Him, we all sort of revert back into a collective childhood from which none of us, even republicans it seems, are immune. That helps to explain some of the newspaper articles I've read recently. These republican rants are, in the main, what some children and teenagers say to themselves when they first realise that there is a Monarchy. I once did it myself. As for me it's all a bit different now though. When I see the Prince I feel, just as I did at the age of eight or nine, that I ought to bow down to Him, go fight for Him and, well yes, give up my life for Him. Sad. But true.
But weren't all the dragons killed in the 13th-century? I could understand having knights around then, but I don't quite see their use now. But I guess if they've got that royal blood there's nothing to be done about it.
Actually, what are doing with "nations"? Isn't that an 18th-century concept? -- the successor to empires and fiefdoms? Anyway, if we're stuck with countries, it sure is unfair the Americans got all "unalienable rights of man" rebels, and "pursuit of happiness" dreamers, and Canada got all the "what's with this rabble?" bores. Don't you agree?
If these folks are royal, than I suppose my dog's arse is holy.
" such s dirty old man " J,P,G,& R
"a"