Would you believe ...
... that The Age published 19 lines on Her Majesty's birthday today? 19 lines without open nastiness, but in the usual substandard quality when it comes to referring to our Monarchy. It must have cost the editor some effort to give facts - or information (s)he considered to be facts - and not open bias. Well, and of course not quite without its usual sting against the Australian Monarchy, just by not mentioning it in the headline.

ELIZABETH II (1926-)
QUEEN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM [and Australia, as The Age deliberately failed to mention]
BORN on April 21, 1926, in Mayfair, London, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The young princess became first in line for the throne in 1936 when her father ascended to become king, following the abdication of King Edward VIII. Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten announced their engagement early in 1947, and were married in December that year. [It was actually 20th November 1947, but we don't want to be fussy]. Their first child, Charles, was born in 1948, and Elizabeth and Philip had three more children - Anne, Andrew and Edward.

After the death of George VI, Elizabeth was crowned on February 6, 1952. [The Age did not check the archives, Princess Elizabeth became Queen on her father's death on February 6, but she was crowned 16 months later, on 2nd June 1953.] Elizabeth was crowned Queen of 32 countries, but 16 have subsequently become republics. [The reality was, when she was crowned the Archbishop of Canterbury asked the Queen: "Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia , New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon, and of your Possessions and other Territories to any of them belonging or pertaining, according to their respective laws and customs?" That makes SEVEN countries of which three became republics. The Age is as ill informed as usual.]

She was named Time Person of the Year in 1952. Elizabeth described 1992 as an "annus horribilis", following the divorce of Prince Charles and Lady Diana [Princess Diana at the time of her divorce], and a fire at Windsor Castle. She is now the longest living English monarch.

Isn't it amazing, how many mistakes a 19 lines news item can contain when it is published in The Age?

Queen Elizabeth II on her Coronation day, 2nd June 1953 and not, as The Age stated, on 6th February 1952. To her left Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Philip.

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From the Governor's website: He is up, up and away

Today appeared a very sclerotic sentence on the Victorian Governor's website:

Monday April 20, 2009
The Governor, Professor David de Kretser, AC, and Mrs de Kretser, left Melbourne to pay an official visit to Turkey and the Middle East.

Wouldn't you like to know more?

Considering that ANZAC Day is approaching his visit to Turkey might be in some ways connected to Gallipoli.

But why doesn't the website give any details?

After all, he is entitled to represent Victoria overseas. On his website the section position of the Governor explains:

"The Queen is head of the State of Victoria but the Governor ordinarily exercises the powers and functions of head of state.

"When an apolitical head of the Victorian community should speak for the community, the Governor does so. The Governor gives the Anzac Day address from the forecourt of the Shrine of Remembrance and the Australia Day address from the steps of Parliament House.

"At the request of the Premier, Governors visit overseas countries to represent Victoria in an apolitical way and build friendship and good relations."

As long as he remembers that he is only The Queen's representative, nobody can object his trip. However, as a Victorian citizen I would be happy to know more about the Governor's trip. After all, ANZAC Day is 25th April - he left on 20th April. Where will be be, whom is he going to meet? What is hidden behind the term "Middle East"? Israel, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon?

That is a great mystery and not helped by the fact that the Melbourne media have so far failed to report on the Governor's trip.

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The ugly side of the ANZAC DAY public holiday

The Tasmanian government announced, it will introduce a Monday public holiday when ANZAC Day falls on a Sunday, or a Tuesday when the day coincides with Easter Monday.

This move to restore the ANZAC Day long weekend holiday brings Tasmania in line with every other state and territory except Victoria.

Last week Victorians celebrated Easter. A pity though that Easter is a holiday soured by the reality that the Kennett government stole part of the celebration from thousands of ordinary Victorian workers, when it thieved the Easter Tuesday holiday.

The Brumby government has consistently refused to return the public holidays: Show Day, Easter Tuesday and the ANZAC long weekend, to working families.

These holidays were grabbed by a greedy and arrogant government in the 1990s without any consultation and represent the theft of three day's pay from every working Victorian!

I am sure the government has long since thought Victorian workers have forgotten the act of unmitigated theft by the Kennett government. This posting hopefully will remind you that Victorian workers remember the public holidays that they are owed.

But now Victoria and the Brumby government stand alone in refusing to gazette a public holiday on Monday following a weekend ANZAC Day.

As usual I expect the spin about the significance of the ANZAC Day itself etc... but we all know it is just a way of looking after the government's business mates by avoiding giving working Victorians a public holiday.

I am still not sure who is worse a thief or someone who refuses to return stolen goods!

And to add insult to injury one of the few public holidays left, Queen's Birthday, is also under attack. Don't these republicans have any decency and leave us the very few holidays that are a fixed element of our calendar?

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Lots of media action, but no republic

The Age’s excitement sparkles from every word: “A year ago tomorrow, more than 1000 of the nation's best and brightest gathered, enthusiastic and idealistic, for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's 2020 talkfest.” (in: The Age, 18th April 2009)

Participants were less enthusiastic and recalled the obvious "guidance" by the government. Ted Evans, former Treasury secretary and now chairman of Westpac, who was in the economics group, called the agenda “managed”, "including in the group reporting, which was vetted by the Government" added The Age.

I was about to comment “the summit's overwhelming support for a republic” as The Age put it uncritically, but the whole thing is such a joke that it's not worth adding anything else to The Age's reporting, which speaks volumes about the summit's credibility. Who can be surprised they got a nearly 100 percent result for “a” republic, when no Monarchists were invited to take part in the discussion?

But fortunately it is the Australian people who decide on the Monarchy and NOT politicians or their handpicked summitteers.

Greg Craven, vice-chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, would like to see "a commitment to the start of a process" to prepare another referendum on “a” republic in Australia, but accepts "the process will take time".

That will give The Age many more opportunities to complain about Her Majesty’s mild reign over Her Commonwealth of Australia and the royal symbols in Australia.

The Duke of Edinburgh
And at the same time The Age can publish more articles on the Australian Royal Family, like the one published also in today’s edition on Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who opened the Melbourne Olympics in 1956, a fact which Aussie republicans may like to wipe out of the history books.

At least today’s article mentioned that the Prince, who will celebrate his 88th brthday in June, averages 370 functions a year beside The Queen — more than 18,500 since he became the Prince Consort. The Prince does not consider retirement nor a superannuation bonus which is granted to ex-politicians. He does not even get a salary, neither from the Australian taxpayer nor from the British.

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Queen's Birthday stamp 2009

The 2009 stamp is on sale in Post Offices from today, 15th April until 13th May. Please contact your local Post Office to ask them to ensure they order in the stamps.

The Queen’s Birthday stamp issue for 2009 features the Trooping of the Colour Parade, which marks the Monarch’s official birthday and takes place on the second Saturday in June. Australians are not allowed to watch the parade on television, unlike the German TV audience who have the privilege to watch the Trooping of the Colour since 1977.

The ceremony has marked the Sovereign’s official birthday since 1748 and the stamps in this year’s issue show how The Queen has participated in the parade during Her reign; from riding at the head of the parade in regimental uniform to riding in a carriage. HRH Prince Philip accompanies The Queen at this event and is shown with Her on the stamp.

The miniature sheet features the annual trooping of The Queen’s Colour in Australia held at the Royal Military College of Australia, Duntroon in Canberra. The parade is usually reviewed by H.E. the Governor-General. The Queen’s Colour was trooped in Australia for the first time at Duntroon on the Queen’s Birthday Parade in 1956, a practice which has continued since then.

The present colours were presented by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on 10th May 1988.

Australia Post has a Stamp Shop for online purchases.

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Not for Australian eyes and ears

Later this April Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall will visit Rome and Venice before flying on to Berlin. Both visits will focus on the Prince of Wales passion: The sharpening the awareness for the dangers of climate change. While he will discuss the matter with the Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung (Potsdam Institute for Research of Climatic Effects) his audience in Rome will be a complete different one: He will give a speech to the lower house of the Italian Parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, on the urgent need to address climate change, one of the issues he has warned must not be forgotten in the current pre-occupation with economic recession.

When will he address the Australian Parliament?
Or to put the question differently: When will those whose say they are concerned about the effects of climate change ask the Prince of Wales to assist them in their effort to convince the Australian public that more should be done?. Why not let Prince Charles talk to those sceptics who try to block measures being taken? Especially those sitting in Parliament?

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How to create a Scoop

When Evelyn Waugh published his novel “Scoop” in 1938 he described brilliantly how the media at that time made up a story out of nothing.

His sketching is still in practice and The Age follows his description to the letter.

First: On 2nd April Paul Austin, The Age’s state political editor, reports on a speech the Governor of Victoria, David de Kretser, gave to Rotary leaders in Melbourne in February [!]. In it the Governor more or less urged Victorians to get greener. He urged Victorians to build smaller homes, stop drinking bottled water and wear more clothes in winter to reduce energy consumption and help save the planet. Hardly a call to start a revolution.

In the same issue of The Age, the same Paul Austin asked on the opinion page: “Has Victoria's Governor overstepped office's bounds?” And he gives the answer in the first line of his article: “David de Kretser's forthright views risk politicising his role.”

And pretending he was really worried about the office of the Victorian Governor, Paul Austin concludes: “Many Victorians will applaud these views. Others will not. But where should a governor draw the line? Many people who embrace de Kretser's views on climate change would be horrified if the next governor were to argue, say, in favour of capital punishment or against abortion. Victoria has an activist Governor. The question is, is that what we want?“

Second: On 3rd April it was again Paul Austin who talked to a Liberal opponent of David de Kretser’s February statement, in Governor should 'butt out of politics': “Western suburbs MP Bernie Finn said Professor de Kretser was damaging the office of governor and the standing of the constitutional monarchy by putting his views on contentious issues such as citizenship and global warming.”

And surprise, surprise, in the same issue of The Age an unnamed editorialist (again the indefatigable Paul Austin?) came to the rescue of the Governor’s freedom of speech: “The Governor has the right to speak his mind”: “Other state governors and governors-general — for example, the late Davis McCaughey and Sir William Deane — spoke out on matters of conscience to the greater benefit of society. There was little reason their vice-regal roles should have prevented them from doing so.”

Today part three of the play: "Better for Queen's representatives to walk the talk". Another editorial, this time in The Sunday Age on the vice regal role of the Governor. It summarises the previous articles and editorials, but does not add anything new to the discussion, except for the final chapters.

Here The Sunday Age can draw the conclusion that it was obviously heading for, being a Fairfax publication: “There is little evidence the Governor or Governor-General are divisive figures. What they might be instead are transitional figureheads, providing an example of how the president of a republic might act, were such a person to be appointed.”

After all this week’s efforts The (Sunday) Age finally comes to the climax: “Last week both [Governor-General Quentin] Bryce and Prime Minister Rudd said they believed an Australian republic was inevitable but not imminent.”

But despite all the Fairfax media’s and many politicians’ efforts the editorialist must concede: “… it is not surprising that the republic is on the backburner. Yet for the first time in Australian history, leaders of the Government and the Opposition are republicans, an interesting development that has made little impression on the public mind.”

All the efforts vanish in vain: They made little impression on the public mind. The mini scoop fabricated by The Age collapsed – once again.

But that will not prevent The Age to try a re-start.

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