Strange Notations From a Laborious Life

I’ve been struggling to think of something to write, thus I have not made an entry on this blog for nearly a week. I guess that is called writer’s block.
It’s been quite an eventful week too but I haven’t been able to work myself up into the mood to rattle on in my usual manner.
So if this entry seems a little disjointed and vague, I apologize, I don’t seem to be at my creative best at the moment.
There has been a bit of a buzz around the town this week with Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II in residence at Government House for five days and she and Prince Phillip making several public appearances around Canberra. The most notable of these appearances was her journey via Lake Burley Griffin on the Admiral’s Barge to Floriade, a lovely half hour trip. Thousands of people lined the shores of the Lake to see her and the whole thing seemed to be a raging success.
I myself went out Weston Park and was lucky enough to get there early and get a park but a decent throng gathered later causing a few traffic problems and some “Royal rage”, people abusing each other over their silly parking habits.
There seems to be something unique going on in the collective Australian psyche when it comes to the Queen and the Monarchy.
There is of course a Republican movement in Australia and they usually raise their heads at times like this and come out with nonsensical articles and give interviews stating their point which of course is their right in a free country but I do sometimes think it is rude and lacks respect when the Queen is on a rare tour of her Australian realm. She is afterall Australia’s head of state, right or wrong, for better or for worse and should be treated with the respect that the office entails until such time our political system changes.
Now I don’t think the Republicans are completely wrong. I too believe that the Monarchy is a bit of a leftover relic of a bygone time but I’m not sure it can be replaced by anything better.
No President of an Australian Republic, appointed by a Prime Minister and Parliament could ever rival the Gravitas and Dignatas of Queen Elizabeth II.
A tinpot President of a tinpot Republic is no match for the hereditary Monarch of a thousand year dynasty.
So while I can agree with many points that the Republicans make, I disagree with the end result they would impose on us. I’m happy to stick with the Royals for a while yet.
It appears many Australians agree with me. The Queen is riding a wave of popularity in Australia this week with large crowds turning out wherever she goes. There were all sorts of people at Weston Park. Very young children with their mothers and fathers, oldies of course who grew up with the patriotic notions of King and Country, people who were clearly of the muslim faith and others who were obviously of Indian and Asian decent. A real cross section of modern day Australian society united in a desire to see their Queen for perhaps the last time. I doubt any Australian President could engender that much enthusiasm.
So with opinion polls showing that most Australians want to keep the monarchy, the Republicans are being kept at bay. They may have a chance to further their cause on the death of the current monarch as her heir hardly has the respect that she has garnered over the years. But they made need to hurry. The young princes, William and Harry are very popular and have enlivened the institution of the Crown. A future William V, King of Australia may be a hard figure to shift!