Category: Books

Book Review: Battle Royal

4/27/2018

Book Cover

It can sometimes be hard to review a book
where you are not the intended audience.
Either it will end up seeming too technical, too simple, or simply full of information
you already know. Battle Royal written by
David Johnson avoids the first two pitfalls
but toes the line on the third one for me.
It is nonetheless an interesting look at the
monarchist vs. republican debate in
Canada and the future of the Canadian
Crown. First, a look at the book's layout.

Author: David Johnson
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Published: January, 2018
Page Count: 288
Price: $26.99

The book begins with a brief look at
the history of the Crown from the
Royal Proclamation of 1763 to
Canadian Confederation in 1867. This
takes up the first two chapters and
gave me several interesting anecdotes.

The third chapter begins looking at what is meant by the
'Crown' and the various offices connected to the monarchy.
Chapters four and five return to recounting history to explain
why the monarch is largely limited to 'soft power' and the
remaining bits of 'hard power' that are still a prerogative of
Crown. This includes an examination of the Prorogation Crisis
of 2008. Throughout the chapters mentioned both republican
and monarchist arguments are given in what I would call an
even-handed manner (although, throughout I think the
author gave the republican arguments too much credit though
republicans would likely say the same for the monarchist
arguments).

Chapter six looks at the alternative to monarchy (republic). It
is a fair overview of the history of republicanism. It includes
a good run-down of the dangers the monarchy faced in the
1970s as well as more indirect challenges in the 80s and 90s.
It also includes a good overview of public opinion polls up to
the present day.

Chapters seven and eight deal with the debate between the
republicans and monarchists with chapter seven dealing with
the monarchy as an institution and chapter eight having
more to do with the Royal Family. This is not a comfortable
read for a monarchist but arguably a necessary one. It is
important to know what your enemy's arguments are after
all. By this point David Johnson has asked open ended
questions in every chapter (not a style choice I really liked but
whatever) and it is here they start to be answered.

Chapter nine is where republics would likely shed salty, salty
tears as it deals with the constitutional hurdles of reforming
the monarchy. Not only does it explain the hurdles it looks at
every argument and plan republicans have made to overcome
or by-pass them and reveals them to be pure folly built on
ignorance and desperation. It is a beautiful chapter.

Chapter ten looks at the beginning of the future King Charles
III's reign. One prediction has already come true: Charles will
be the next Head of the Commonwealth. But while the various
speculations are fun there is a serious question asked (and
one of the few really interesting ones in the book):

"Are we destined to have to live with some of the worst fears of both republicans
and monarchists? That is, are we stuck with an ineradicable monarchy that most
Canadians view as virtually useless, a meaningless yet embarrassing ornamental
bauble that we would and should discard if we could but we can't? Or can we
aspire to something better? If we know the monarchy will continue in this country,
can we have a better monarchy?"

This is the chapter where the author earns his self-proclaimed
title as a 'pragmatic monarchist' and dispelled my lingering
suspicion he might be a crypto-republican. The proposals are
ambitious, but doable if there is the political and royal will.

Overall, I found the last few chapters much more useful than
the entire rest of the book. But that is mostly because I was
aware of most of the information up to chapter eight. But it is
still nice to have the full set of facts and arguments in one
place. The book has an extensive bibliography and is scholarly
without being dry. Overall opinion: Its a decent little book.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Book Review: A Royal Couple In Canada

8/13/2017

Book Cover

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince
Philip have been around a long
time. And in that time they have
made over 20 official visits. Nova
Scotia Writer Allison Lawlor
has written an interesting little
book that serves to illustrate the
Queen's many years as Canada's
sovereign.

Author: Allison Lawlor
Publisher: Boulder Publications
Published: June 20, 2017
Page Count: 83
Price: $24.95

A Royal Couple in Canada
organizes the royal tours by
decade with a seven page
introduction to the monarchy
and the purpose of royal tours.

As the back cover describes the book as a 'scrapbook' of the
royal tours it may be best to start with the visual aspects of
this book. If you guessed there are a lot of pictures, you would
be right. There are over 100 pictures covering the tours
themselves, schedules, and related memorabilia. The pictures
are crisp and well-captioned.

Some, such as the Queen
signing the Constitution Act
are iconic and you have likely
seen them before. But there
are many images that have
likely not been seen in many
years and certainly not
collected together like this.

Allison Lawlor has also included an impressive array of quotes
made by Her Majesty over the years. These give a glimpse into
the Queen's feeling for Canada and are greatly appreciated.
While the book is certainly pro-monarchy it does not shy away
from talking about various controversies that occurred, how
they related to the tours, and reactions to them. This adds
some needed context in areas since royal tours often had
aims related to the current political 'mood' of the time.

Overall, its a good introduction to Canada's history of royal
tours and would make an attractive addition to any coffee
table. The specialist may be left wanting more though. Myself,
I would have found the addition of a map marking the places
the Queen has visited a worthwhile addition that would drive
home the Queen's deep connection to her country. Given that
this book is titled A Royal Couple in Canada I would have
found the addition of some quotes by Prince Philip most
appropriate.

These are small issues though and do not detract greatly from
this book that Allison Lawlor has written. I fully recommend
it. It is available for purchase online here.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Book Review: For God and Kaiser

11/1/2016

The Austrian Empire is a topic not
well understood among people
in Canada. Partly this is an issue of
being overshadowed. The Great War
narrative doesn't delve into Austria's
military role to any great extent. We
never fought directly against Austria
(although all four of the so-called
French-Indian Wars involved Austria
to some degree). And to a certain
extent the Austrian Empire does not
fit neatly into the modern
understanding of the nation-state.

But the people who do learn about the Austrian Empire tend
to come away with a few mistaken ideas; Austria lost a lot of
battles and wars, the Empire was unstable, and its ruling
class was completely out of touch with reality.

Richard Bassett attempts to provide an alternative narrative
in 'For God and Kaiser: The Imperial Austrian Army'. The main aim is to show that the Austrian Army was on par with
other countries and its primary aim was protecting the
Habsburg dynasty which led to a sort of institutionalized
caution.

For starters let me say that I rather enjoyed Mr. Bassett's
writing style. It is a great sin for history writers to make war boring. This is a sin Mr. Bassett is not guilty of. Partly this is
due to the brisk pace he had to keep to cover so much history.
Partly I feel it is due to treating the army itself as a character
with its own personality and aims. This is reinforced by a
primary theme throughout the book that the army and
dynasty had a mutually dependent relationship and that the
army should do nothing that would endanger the dynasty's
survival.

Flag of the Austrian Empire

The book includes a number of maps
showing how key battles progressed. It
does somewhat lack in territorial maps
and the ones it has could be more useful
if placed in the sections describing the
battles. But overall, these are minor
concerns.

However, there are a few issues that need to be addressed. At
least one reviewer has pointed out that the book has some
editing errors. And while these errors don't detract from the
main points that are trying to be conveyed they do require the
book be treated carefully. A second, minor, concern is that
Mr. Bassett is a fan of the Austrian Empire. While this leads to
a great deal of passion that makes for an enjoyable read it can
lead to (unintentionally) glossing over some faults. This book
would benefit greatly from a second edition to address these
issues. But overall, as an introduction to the study of Austria
this book works well.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Mirrors for Princes: An Overview

2/26/2016

Prince Rupert of the Palatinate & his Tutor

'Mirrors for Princes' sounds
like a term from a role-playing
game (and by now it probably
is one). The term in fact refers
to loosely categorized genre of
literature which dealt with
instructing rulers on how best
to govern. A sort of kingly self-
help book.

The education of future rulers
was from a very early period a
matter of concern. Plato in his
description of the ideal city in
The Republic emphasized the need to educate the rulers well
in order to avoid tyranny. In response to The Republic (or
perhaps the other way around) Xenophon wrote the
Cyropaedia. Detailing the life & education of King Cyrus of
Persia the book would come to serve as an example for late
Medieval and Renaissance writers on how to construct similar
'guidebooks via example'.

The Greeks were not alone in providing for the education of
their rulers. While the majority of the Book of Proverbs in
the Hebrew Bible deal with moral and community living, the
latter part is described as being the wisdom King Lemuel was
taught by his mother. As a whole the Book of Proverbs would
have been a product of the Royal Court and is likely to have
been used, in part, to tutor young princes. Likewise the
Egyptians had the Instruction of Amenemope. Some were
specific in nature. Seneca's De Clementia deals with mercy
and was written for Emperor Nero (the advice didn't stick).

The above examples were mostly concerned with instilling
a morally upright character and a sense of what is just. While
practical advice was sometimes included it seems (to me at
least) that the writers assumed they need only ensure the
readers developed good moral character in order to prepare
them for leadership.

However, the genre did not really develop until the Medieval
Period. Via regia written in AD 813 by Smaragdus of Saint-
Mihiel is arguably the first European Mirror for Kings. It was
written for Louis the Pious, King of Aquitania. I will not go
through the process of listing every Mirror for Princes that
was penned. Especially when Wikipedia has a pretty good list
of its own I can link to.

Perhaps the most famous mirror was The Prince by Niccolo
Machiavelli. This is a little unfortunate as aside from the
possibility it was satire and/or a malicious attempt to
undermine princely rule it was also devoid of moral
considerations. So whether it was just 'darker and edgier' or a subversion of the genre entirely it is still a fairly atypical
representation of the genre.

Even kings themselves got in on the act. King James VI of
Scotland wrote Basilikon Doron for his son & heir. It deals
with living morally, governing effectively, and having good
personal habits.

And while The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot was
not written as a mirror it has been studied by generations of
Canadian monarchs for its insight on the role of a monarch in
a constitutional monarchy.

In the modern world you don't hear of presidents and prime
ministers being presented with books of practical knowledge
and advice for governing. And given some of the political
leaders we have had perhaps this is rather unfortunate.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Book Review: Monarchisms in the Age of Enlightenment

10/12/2015

Front Cover

There is a predominant narrative
about the Enlightenment which
emphasizes the growth and
development of republicanism to
the near exclusion of all other
political theories emerging during
this period. This book attempts to
address this one-sided narrative by
examining how monarchists were
adapting their ideas to the trials of
the age. It does so by examining a
cross-section of monarchist
thought from the period.

Each chapter is organized around one or two monarchist
thinkers (although in a few cases it is unclear whether the
writers were monarchists or simply did not reject monarchy
as a viable system). The scholars covered are; Benedictus de
Spinoza, Pierre Bayle, David Hume, François Fénelon,
Edmund Burke, Montesquieu, Giambattista Vico, Étienne
Bonnot de Condillac, David Hartley, Bishop Thomas Newton,
Manuel Lacunza, Andre Roger, Samuel Pufendorf, Jens
Schielderup Sneedorff, Tyge Rothe, Paul-Henri Mallet, Henry
Fielding, Friedrich Nicolai, Thomasius, Johann Christoph
Woellner, Ernst Ferdinand Klein, & Johann August Eberhard.

If many of those names are unfamiliar to you I would not be
surprised. This is not an entry level text, both in subject
matter and writing style. Each section is an essay written by
a different academic. As such it is both wonderfully sourced
and a tad dry at times.

Themes include the the proper role of the monarch, aspects
of the ideal constitution, what government leads to a well-
ordered state, and other issues.

As a source for gaining insight into the evolution and diversity
of monarchism in the past it is useful. But if you are looking
for something to use in modern arguments to support
monarchy you will be disappointed. But since this isn't the
book's stated aim perhaps I am expecting too much.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

The Big Shift

5/14/2015

I have been reading The Big Shift by Darrell Bricker and
John Ibbitson. The central argument about why the
Conservative Party won, and will continue to win, is
interesting but not the subject of this article. Political parties
come and go but the monarchy endures forever. No, what
interested me is some of points the authors used to back their
arguments.

At one point they argue that Canada have become more
confident in itself as a nation. While the book argues that this
is why the 'frail nation' view of a country eternally beset by
French-English hostility has been largely discredited I think
it applies equally well to republicans. The republican shtick
that Canada needs to 'grow up' and 'cut the apron strings' so it
can stop being so 'colonial' are essentially the point of view of
someone with an inferiority complex. The idea that Canada
has grown up (and did so with the monarchy) cannot be
accepted by republicans. To acknowledge this fact would
mean admitting they are fighting against a Canadian, rather
than foreign, institution. A Canada that is confident in itself,
its institutions, its past, and its traditions is not at all useful
to republicans.

A second point raised in the book is that concerns what issues
Canadians value and whether they have confidence that
governments can 'fix' problems that occur within them. It is
an interesting chart in its own right but I find its implications
for the monarchy equally intriguing. While the monarchy was
not included it does include issues related to culture, national
unity, and First Nations. All three rank low on the importance
scale but, with the exception of culture, they are also pretty
low on the can-we-fix-it scale. That First Nations ended up so
low on both scales is unfortunate since they have many long-
term issues that need addressed. The monarchy is the
quintessential low-importance issue. Even those who are
opposed to it acknowledge this fact. Likewise, if Canadians
don't feel issues that could be addressed by legislation can be
solved they are not going to think issues that require
constitutional reform will either. Also note that the issues
most likely to be seen as unworkable are the 'Big Idea' issues.
In this poll Canadians displayed a marked preference for
issues that require tinkering, not wholesale reform.

The republican cause has always had difficulty due to the
amending formula in the constitution. But as long as there
was a public appetite for change there was a chance they could
succeed. As long as Canadians were embarrassed by their past and feeling envious of other countries there was hope. The
republicans now have neither. The two points raised above
rendered republicanism deader than dead. I'm sure
republicans will deny it. That is but one of their rights in our
fair dominion. So while I fully expect there to still be court
challenges and poorly-attended protests we should remember
that more and more they represent a Canada left behind. A
Canada that refused to grow up.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Monarchist Book Recommendation

2/13/2015

By: Mr. Windsor

It has become so cold in Edmonton that I’m debating whether it is worthwhile to go skating or not. Staying inside with a good cup of tea and a great book suddenly seems like the better option. As a matter of fact, I recently read quite an educational book that changed my perception of our Queen. I’d like to briefly talk about Her Majesty: Sixty Regal Years (Published in 2012) by Brian Hoey. Maybe after this you may decide to read this wonderful book.

The biography starts off by introducing a typical day of Queen Elizabeth II and later on describes her early life as a Princess, making sure to acknowledge her war effort during the Second World War. It describes how people had doubts about Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark who later became the Queen's husband in 1947. Afterwards, Brain Hoey comments on how the tragic events involving Diana but later writes about the engagement to Camilla and how both events greatly affected our Queen.

It mentions Her Majesty’s role in politics and remarks upon the constant relationship between her Prime Ministers and Ministers of her parliaments. However, my favorite section of the book is the chapters dedicated to talking about her duty to the Commonwealth of Nations. The chapters mentions her great admiration for the many countries involved in the Commonwealth.

Another noteworthy section in the book debunks many common myths of the “Cases against Monarchy” and talks about the cost of the monarchy in Britain including the many bonuses and benefits of having their Head of State.

So just in case the Canadian winter weather has hit your humble abode, I recommend reading a good book on our Queen.