Category: Education

Meme Monday #6

10/28/2019

The Bishop needs to consider his next move carefully.

Not much to say about this meme. It kind of speaks for itself.
But since I'm here I think its interesting to note the chess
piece we know as the queen has not always been designated
as such and in some cultures is still referred to by a different
title.

The Persian game shatranj, from which chess slowly
developed had only male figures; shah (king), fers or wazir
(counselor), rukh (rook), pil (elephant), asb (knight), sarbaz
(soldier or pawn). The fers piece most closely resembled the
queen but was much weaker being able only to move one
space diagonally.

As chess spread across Europe from Spain something curious
happened. The term fers was increasingly used in its feminine
form before being replaced by other terms such as femina,
coniunx, or Amazon. But even before the name change some
chess sets depicted the fers as female.

The reason for this shift is not well understood. Everything
from the cult of Mary to the preeminence of certain female
rulers in Western Europe has been suggested. Supporting this
idea is the fact that Eastern Europe and the Arabian world
still use the old term fers (or equivalent).

The expansion of the queen's power on the chess board is
thought to have occurred in Spain during the reign of Queen
Isabella I and may have been inspired by her political power.

As a final humorous aside, for the longest time a pawn could
not be made a queen if the original one was still on the board
(to avoid the scandal of polygamy). Eventually, it was allowed
with the second piece referred to as a 'ferzia' to account for
this.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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Fundy Royal Green Candidate Shares Views on the Monarchy

9/24/2019

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Green candidate Tim Thompson

Usually during an election I would
survey the parties on what their
stances on the monarchy are. But
previous surveys have produced
little that is noteworthy or likely to
change if I asked again. And since I
have already gotten the views of
every federal party leader over the
last four years I hardly saw the point
of doing that again. Looking at my
local riding it was much the same
thing as the Liberal and Tory
candidates prepare for a rematch.
But I did get an interesting response from the Green Party
candidate Tim Thompson which I wanted to share.

To the question,"What are your views on the monarchy?", he
replied that "I do believe the monarchy (as it is now) is a
good institution because it functions as a kind of politically
neutral standard for the commonwealth and creates a bond
with other commonwealth nations." This response was good
but I wanted to see if there was more to it so I asked if he had
heard about Prince Charles' attempt to get Trump to take
climate change seriously. To this he replied, "I didn't see that
part on Prince Charles and Donald. Normally I am so up on
Royal news and have been a top fan of Charlie proctor and
royal central several time but I think with the campaigning I
used Facebook less for personal use and more for 'work'. I
am glad you are a monarchist like myself!" So lets unpack
that. Charlie Proctor is the editor-in-chief of Royal Central
which is a blog/news website of monarchy-related stories.

The 'top fan' part refers to Facebook's system of highlighting
page followers who comment frequently on a page. This
would actually be the first time someone I have contacted was
actively involved in an online monarchist group. The final
section speaks for itself but it is still uncommon to have a
politician self-identify as a monarchist in their replies to me. I
think the last one who did was Alexandra Mendès of the
Liberal Party.

Overall, a very encouraging response. I have often found
Green Party members to be a bit hit or miss on this issue. It is
good to see they found a monarchist to run in my riding.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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The Trudeau Liberals and the Monarchy: A Retrospective on Four Years

9/22/2019

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Canada is well into a federal election
and I wanted to take this chance to
look back at what the government has
done Vis-à-vis the monarchy. I will
state right off the bat that this blog
takes no stance on who anyone should
vote for. This article is provided for
educational purposes to assist with
making an informed vote on election
day. With that disclaimer out of the
way lets have a look back at what the
Trudeau government has done for/to
the Canadian Monarchy.

Things got off on an uneven start in 2015. In November
the Queen's portrait was taken down from the lobby of the
Foreign Affairs building. This was not the only change as the
office of Canadian Secretary to the Queen was folded into the
Department of Canadian Heritage and has been left vacant.

Later that month Justin Trudeau had his first meeting with
the Queen. The Queen actually knew him as a child since he
is the son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

In 2016 a Royal Tour was announced which focused on the
Canadian west coast. While the tour was a great success,
there was one noticeable misstep by the government. The
Pacific Northwest LNG project received government approval
less than 48 hours after Prince William and Kate had visited
the area and while they were still in the country. The
appearance that the government seemed to be hiding behind
the royal couple has always struck me as wrong. While
arriving at a First Nations community it was noted that
several paddlers were wearing 'NO LNG' T-shirts. By making
the announcement when it did the government put the royal
couple in the middle of a political dispute.

2017 saw the Invictus Games hosted by Canada. The games
are an initiative of Prince Harry to "demonstrate the power of
sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation, and
demonstrate life beyond disability". Trudeau was able to use
some of his 'star power' to increase the visibility of the event.

That year also saw the appointment of Julie Payette as the
next Governor General of Canada. This appoint was different
than that of the last governor general appointment (and a few
lieutenant governors) as the government opted not to
make use of an advisory committee set up by the previous
Harper government for selecting potential appointees. This
decision likely meant that several red flags were missed and
contributed to a rough first year for the governor general (the
person and the office). The committee has not been made use
of for provincial appointments either. This despite a similar
committee having been set up for Senate appointments.

In June of 2018, Trudeau was speaking at a youth forum in
Toronto when he was asked about the monarchy. While
he defended the institution many felt his arguments could
have been better.

2019 saw the end of the free royal portrait program. The
stated reason was escalating costs and environmental
concerns. The program had grown in popularity since its start
in the early 2000's. However, the end of the program is
thought to be a potential hurdle to anyone wanting to put up
portrait-sized prints.

I believe this to be a thorough overview of the actions and
statements by the government over the last four years which
pertain to the monarchy.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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Names & Titles Given to Members of the Royal Family by Canada's First Nations

8/18/2019

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The Canadian Monarchy has a long history with the original
inhabitants of Canada. And despite the failures of successive
elected governments to uphold promises made to these First
Nations, the relationship between them and the Royal Family
remains strong. One comparatively recent expression of this
relationship is the giving of names by tribes to Royal Family
members. Below are just the ones I was able to track down.

Mother of All People

Her Majesty was given this name in
1959 by the Salish Nation. It actually
echos two names from the past. King
George III was referred to as the Great Father during negotiations with First
Nations and Queen Victoria came to be known as the Great White Mother.

Attaniout Ikeneego
(Son of the Big Boss)

Prince Charles was given this name in
1976 by the Inuit as a direct reference to
his position as heir. While this was the
first time Prince Charles was honoured
in this way it was not to be the last. He
has been given at least three other
names and titles.

Red Crow

In 1977 Prince Charles was granted a Kainai Chieftainship by
the Blood Tribe for his work advocating for First Nations
along with the name Red Crow which seems to refer to an
important chief in their history.

Leading Star

Given to Prince Charles in 1986 by Cree and Ojibwa students
in Winnipeg.

Pisimwa Kamiwohkitahpamikohk
(The Sun Looks at Him in a Good Way)

Given to Prince Charles in 2001 by elders of the Northern
Plains people.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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The Mother of Confederation

7/29/2019

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Recently a preposterous letter was printed in the editorial
section of the local newspaper. The author stated that the
reason you don't hear about Canada's 'founding mothers' is
because there were none. He challenged his readers to name
one. Challenge accepted. I will provide a short biography of
one of them. But there are in fact a good number of women
who played a role in bringing about a united Canada. Their
stories can be found here.

Queen Victoria:
Mother of Confederation

While those who paid attention in
history class might know that
Queen Victoria chose the location
of Canada's capital, there are few
who know how extensive her role
really was.

As the details of Confederation were slowly hammered out it
soon became time for the delegates to head to London for the
final push to bring about the new union. Once there Queen
Victoria worked to shore up support for Confederation. She is
recorded to have told the Nova Scotian delegation that, “I take
the deepest interest in it, for I believe it will make the
provinces great and prosperous.” Extra attention needed to
be paid to the Nova Scotian delegates as anti-union sentiment
was already growing in the colony. In a private audience with
John A. Macdonald (the head of the conference) she thanked
him for his efforts and once again outlined how important it
was to bring about an agreement; “I am very glad to see you
on this mission. It is a very important measure and you have
all exhibited so much loyalty.”

Queen Victoria was asked to choose the capital of the new
dominion. This was a wise decision. The colonies each had
their own capitals and growing commercial centres, such as
Montreal and Toronto, coveted the prestige of such a
designation (along with the likely increase in funding). By
leaving the decision up to a respected neutral arbiter the
conference delegates side-stepped a potential landmine that
might have brought the conference to a halt. The Queen
likewise recognized in her decision a potentially imminent
threat (invasion by the Americans) and a hypothetical future
threat (national unity). The new capital was to be far from the
border with the United States, in a small logging town,
directly between the two most populous provinces. It was a
decision that favoured no one in particular and gave the new
dominion the best shot at success.

And indeed, Queen Victoria's status as a uniting figure should
not be underestimated. Before the Charlottetown Conference
few of the delegates from central Canada had even been to
the Maritime colonies and vise versa. There was a level of
distrust and difference in cultures that had to be overcome.
Perhaps this is why that one of the first things agreed upon
was that the new union would continue to be a monarchy.
This sentiment would be again reaffirmed during John A.
Macdonald's audience with the Queen where it is recorded he
declared,"We have desired in this measure to declare in the
most solemn and emphatic manner our resolve to be under
the sovereignty of Your Majesty and your family forever."

Queen Victoria would also hold court with the wives and
daughters of the delegates. While at first glance this would
seem to be a rather unimportant event in the journey to
Confederation, I would have to disagree. Both the wives and
daughters were courted at each stage of negotiations to try
and sway delegate opinion. Some of the wives are known to
have influenced their husbands' opinions. Their diaries are
some of the only sources we have on what happened at these
conferences (especially the early ones) which clearly indicates
they were aware of how proceeding were going. By holding
court with them Queen Victoria could both subtly influence
opinion and ascertain how negotiations were going.

In the end the British North American Act was given royal
assent by the Queen in 1867. She might not have known it but
her father had become equally enthusiastic about the idea of
uniting the colonies many years earlier after he spent time
living in Canada. Queen Victoria became known in her own
lifetime as the Mother of Confederation. It is a title that is
completely deserved.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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The Royals Who Wrote

7/16/2019

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Recently I've been in the process of de-cluttering my book
shelves of some of the hundreds of magazines I've bought over
the last few years. After keeping a few stacks of the more
useful ones I've been selling/donating the rest. And while I
have a good collection of books on monarchs I don't have any
by monarchs. But that doesn't mean they never wrote any.
The following is a not-at-all exhaustive list of English
monarchs who had a literary bent.

King Henry VIII

Defence of the Seven Sacraments (1521)
A Catholic polemic against the early
Protestant writers. Link

The Glass of Truth (1532)
This work was published anonymously
and argues the king's case for an
annulment of his first marriage. Link

King James VI & I

Some Reulis and Cautelis to be observit
and eschewit in Scottis poesie (1584)
Published by the 19-year old King of
Scotland and deals with poetry in the
Scottish tradition.

Daemonologie (1597)
A Socratic Dialogue on the topics of black
magic, demons, and witch hunting. It is
possible this work had an influence on
Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Link

The True Law of Free Monarchies (1598)
This work explains the king's views on absolute monarchy and
is thought to be a rebuttal to social contract ideas circulating
at the time.

Basilikon Doron (1599)
This book deals with what needs to be done to be a good king
and is written as a private letter to his son and heir. As such
this work it is part of the mirrors for princes literary
genre. Originally only seven copies were printed but a second
printing in 1607 sold in the thousands. Link

A Counterblaste to Tobacco (1604)
Perhaps one of the oldest anti-tobacco publications. The king
criticizes tobacco for being harmful to the lungs and hateful to
the nose. Link

King Charles I

Eikon Basilike (1649)
Allegedly written by the king himself. It
was published ten days after his murder.
The book both justifies royalism and asks
for leniency the king's executioners. The
book would remain popular throughout the following years
much to the Protectorate's chagrin. So much so that a book
countering the arguments put forward Eikon Basilike was
commissioned. This effort failed and sympathy for the king
continued well into the Restoration period. If it indeed was
Charles I who wrote this work (and there is some dispute on
this point) it means that even in death he continued to
frustrate his enemies. Link

Queen Victoria

Leaves from the Journal of our Life in
the Highlands (1868)
Queen Victoria is estimated to have
written about 2000 words per day, or
sixty million words during her lifetime.
Mostly these were personal letters with
some collections being published during
her lifetime. Link

The Letters of Queen Victoria (1908)
A posthumous publication of her letters from 1837 to 1861.
Link

The Adventures of Alice Laselles (2015)
One of Victoria's earliest writings is also one of the last to be
published. This is a children's book written when Victoria was
still a young princess. Royal Central has an excellent article
on the background of this work.

Prince Charles

The Old Man of Lochnagar (1980)
Prince Charles has continued the literary
tradition of his ancestors. His first book
is for children and contains elements of
Scottish folklore. He apparently
entertained his brothers with the story
when they were younger.

A Vision of Britain: A Personal View of Architecture (1989)
Prince Charles gives his opinions on the architecture of the
United Kingdom.

Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World (2010)
This work looks at how the problems associated with climate
change, architecture, and agriculture ultimately come back to
humanity's growing disconnect with nature. Link

There are of course many other monarchs who have taken the
time to put pen to paper. A short list of such works was put
together on Reddit a number of years back.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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Candidates in Airdrie-Cochrane on the Canadian Monarchy

4/2/2019

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Airdrie-Cochrane is just north of Calgary

Perhaps it is because I lived
in Alberta a number of years
ago or maybe it is because I
still have family living there
but I find it very easy to get
dragged into their political
discussions. The recent
Alberta election has not been
any different. And, as is my
tradition, I began surveying
various candidates on
where they stand on the
Canadian Monarchy.

As always the question asked was simple:
What are your views on the monarchy?

Follow-up questions were not asked. Each candidate was
permitted to say as much or as little they wanted on the topic.

Steve Durrell (NDP)

Contacted via: Facebook

"Hi, the monarchy and Canada's
relationship with it, is of federal
concern, and the Alberta New
Democratic Party has no position
on it."

(Full disclosure: This is a friend of a friend of mine)
I'll note this is not entirely true. Her Majesty also serves as
Queen in right of Alberta. Much as federalism splits the roles
of government between federal and provincial levels, the
office of the Crown can also be said to be split. As such the
monarchy functions in Alberta in much the same way as it
does at the federal level. It should also be noted that I didn't
ask what the NDP's views on the monarchy are.

Peter Guthrie (UCP)

Contacted via: Facebook

"The monarchy is symbolic in
Canada."

A tad short but it will do. Often this type of comment is made
as a criticism (perhaps not in this case though). It shouldn't
be. Symbols are an important part of governance. When the
government invited the Queen to address the legislative
assembly during the 100th anniversary of Alberta's entry into
Confederation it was a symbol of the provincial pride in all it
has accomplished.

Matthew Morrisey (FCP)

Contacted via: Telephone

"I like the tradition of it. I swore an
oath to defend Queen and country
when I was in the Canadian Armed
Forces"

(Full disclosure: I am related to this candidate)
I think this is where many Canadians stand. They don't have a
great appreciation for the constitutional and legal roles of the
monarchy but they like that it makes Canada a little bit
different. I have also noticed that those who have actually
gotten to see how the monarchy infuses our system first hand
of government are the ones who have a stronger support for
it.

Vern Raincock (AP)

Contacted via: Email

"To be honest - given the
circumstances that we find
ourselves within Alberta - I have
not even considered a position on
the Monarchy and the impact the
Monarchy may or may not have on
our every day lives."

Mr. Raincock's first email to me actually asked what he should
consider in regard to Canada's ties to the monarchy. And if I
wasn't collecting survey responses at the time I certainly
would have. But I held back. Maybe I'll send him some links
to arguments in favour of the monarchy. Maybe I'll
send him some quotes by prominent Canadians. Or
maybe I'll just recommend an interesting book I've read.

I think this pretty much wraps up this blog's coverage of the
Alberta election. It has been an enlightening, if not always
comfortable, experience.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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Alberta's Freedom Conservatives and the Canadian Monarchy

3/18/2019

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As regular readers of this blog already know I often survey
political parties and their candidates to discovery their views
on our monarchy. The focus has often been on the federal
level but on occasion I have also surveyed provincial
politicians as well. Over the last month I have surveyed the
Freedom Conservative Party of Alberta to get their views
on the Canadian Monarchy.

The FCA is a right-wing, autonomist
party operating at the provincial level
in Alberta.

I sent the current slate of party candidates* the following two
questions. Their replies are below in roughly the order they
were received.

Question 1: What are your views on the monarchy?
Question 2: If the worst case scenario of Alberta leaving
Canada happened do you see it leaving as a monarchy or as a
republic?

*I was unable to find a contact for Regina Shakirova of the
Calgary-Bow riding.

Matthew Morrisey (Airdrie-Cochrane)

I contacted this candidate before I had decided to write this
article and is the only one contacted via phone. I believe his
views can be summed up as liking the 'tradition of the
monarchy'. Matthew noted that he swore an oath to defend
Queen and country while in the Canadian Armed Forces. He
was also kind enough to check with the party to see if they had
any official or unofficial stances. He relayed these to me via
Facebook:

"Yes, they want an autonomous Alberta in a united Canada.
So, we are not Republicans. Monarchy is safe."

How happy I would be if most of the other candidates reached
even this baseline of support.

Full disclosure: Matthew is my cousin and we have helped
out each other's political campaigns in the past. So while I
have serious reservations about this party having any political
success, my personal view is that he should win his riding.

Jeff Rout (Leduc - Beaumont)

What are your views on the monarchy?
"I tend to feel that we should respect traditions unless those
traditions are harmful. Therefore I tend to respect the
tradition of the monarchy. That being said, I dislike how it
has the ultimate power over law, even if that is symbolic. As
to my own preference, something of a republic while
honouring the monarchy without granting it final power
over law would be my choice. But that's a pretty specific
idea."

If the worst case scenario of Alberta leaving Canada
happened do you see it leaving as a monarchy or as a
republic?
"I am not sure what the people of Alberta would prefer. We ought to be what they prefer."

Steve Goodman (Drayton Valley - Devon)

What are your views on the monarchy?
"My personal views as I explained to our party leader was
that I personally believe that the Monarchy is out dated and
has nothing to do with our daily lives. Under the Monarchy,
Canada has to pay the Royal family millions of dollars a
year for the figure head. I believe that times have changed
and the true meaning of the Monarchy has been lost in
today’s society. These are my beliefs and not necessarily that
of the parties."

If the worst case scenario of Alberta leaving Canada
happened do you see it leaving as a monarchy or as a
republic?
"In a hypothetical independent Alberta or west, that would
be a question TBD in a referendum."

To Mr. Goodman's credit he also asked what my views were
on this issue (he was the only one to do so). This I did...along
with my reasons why. Which resulted in this follow up reply:

"Wow! I want to thank you for the enlightenment. Honestly
you have given me food for thought. My ignorance has
narrowed my views on the Monarchy and what role it plays
in Canada besides a figurehead. Thank you again for being
passionate and believing in a huge part of our history. You
make some valid points to consider when it comes to
Alberta’s future."

It is refreshing to see a politician who is both curious about
other views and willing to question their own beliefs. This was
a rare high point of working on this article.

Malcolm Stinson (Fort Sask - Vegreville)

What are your views on the monarchy?
"I have sentimental attachments to the British monarchy..
Sue me. We are fortunate in that the present monarchy is
benign."

If the worst case scenario of Alberta leaving Canada
happened do you see it leaving as a monarchy or as a
republic?
"I think a republic is the way to go."

Rick Northey (Airdrie - East)

What are your views on the monarchy?
"The FCP has no official position on the monarchy. Canada is
actually a constitutional monarchy, even though most
Canadians don't realize it and the Crown had delegated most
of its powers to our elected leaders. This means we don't
have a system of proper checks and balances like our
American neighbours. My personal feeling is that the
monarchy is obsolete and should be abolished for a more
Republican system of accountability to the people. Canada is
a very weird country in the sense that we have a hybrid
system of a written constitution and a lot of unwritten
inherited British rules. Personally, I'm a big fan of actually
writing down the rules. In my experience people in power
don't always choose to act honorably."

If the worst case scenario of Alberta leaving Canada happened do you see it leaving as a monarchy or as a
republic?
"In the specific case of Alberta leaving, there would have to
be a discussion about what form it's government would take
on. Keeping the monarchy in the short term would allow for
the continuity of laws and governance. But once traditions
are broken by an act of succession, I think it's highly unlikely
that the people of Alberta would choose to continue as things
are."

Sheyne Espey (Calgary - Peigan)

What are your views on the monarchy?
"For the first one I am of Irish heritage(The republic not
Northern) and grew up among a family that was not a fan of
the monarchy or British Government for that matter, where
Michael Collins was considered a hero. So me personally I
would cut all ties with the monarchy."

If the worst case scenario of Alberta leaving Canada
happened do you see it leaving as a monarchy or as a
republic?
"For your second question I have always believed in the
power of the grassroots so i would support whatever form
that the people of Alberta wanted. But there is a growing
feeling that it if we did separate it would be as a republic."

Cam Khan (Calgary - Northwest)

What are your views on the monarchy?
"Republic, we love Canada but on equality ..."

Ok, then.

Derek Fildebrandt (Party Leader)

What are your views on the monarchy?
"I’m honestly divided on the issue, but I believe it should be
up to a constitutional convention to decide if we went down
that road."

If the worst case scenario of Alberta leaving Canada
happened do you see it leaving as a monarchy or as a
republic?
"I view this as an academic question at this point. In the
event that Alberta moved to become independent,
constitutional questions such as this should be decided by a
constitutional convention."

"In any case, I hope you’ll join our party."

No, no, no.

Concluding Remarks

Overall, I was disappointed in the responses from the FCP
candidates. With the exception of a couple bright spots most
respondents were negative towards the monarchy.

Despite the preference expressed for either a constitutional
convention or a referendum on the monarchy I don't think
they have the numbers on their side to actually get a republic.
Recent polling has continued the trend of Alberta having
some of the highest levels of support for the monarchy in
Canada. Given how support divides pretty equally along the
ideological spectrum there is a good chance that the same
people whose support they need to separate are the same ones
who support the monarchy.

Their responses are also useful for pointing out a possible
deficiency in the Monarchist League of Canada's out-reach
efforts. We still have Canadians who incorrectly believe that
we send the Queen millions of dollars. We have Canadians
that are not aware of, or look down on, the constitutional
protections of having a monarch. The League should consider
this a strong indication that it is not reaching all the people it
needs to. After all, many of these candidates would have come
to age after the League's founding.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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Canada has had a Female Head of State for One Hundred and One Years of its One Hundred and Fifty-two Year History

3/8/2019

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I am told that today is International Women's Day. So it is
fitting I post a photo of an international woman.

Oh, and so far We've had a female prime minister for a grand
total of five months of that time.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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That Time Economists Apologized to the Queen for the 2008 Financial Crisis

3/1/2019

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In November of 2008 Her Majesty was
visiting the London School of Economics.
The financial crisis was well underway and
the Queen took the opportunity to pose
a question about the scale of the disaster
that everyone had been thinking; "If these
things were so large, how come everyone
missed them?" It was a fair question that
deserved a proper response.

And on July 22, 2009, the Queen received one. A group of
experts had gathered on the 17th to hammer out an answer to
the Queen's question. The list of participants was actually very
impressive:
Professor Tim Besley, FBA, London School of Economics
Professor Christopher Bliss, FBA, University of Oxford
Professor Vernon Bogdanor, FBA, University of Oxford
Sir Samuel Brittan, Financial Times
Sir Alan Budd
Dr. Jenny Corbett, University of Oxford
Professor Andrew Gamble, FBA, University of Cambridge
Sir John Gieve, Harvard Kennedy School
Professor C. Goodhart, FBA, London School of Economics
Dr David Halpern, Institute for Government
Professor José Harris, FBA, University of Oxford
Mr. R. Harrison, Economic Adviser to the Shadow Chancellor
Professor Peter Hennessy, FBA, University of London
Professor Geoffrey Hosking, FBA, University College London
Dr. Thomas Huertas, Financial Services Authority
Mr. William Keegan, The Observer
Mr. Stephen King, HSBC
Professor Michael Lipton, FBA, University of Sussex
Rt. Hon. John McFall, MP, Commons Treasury Committee
Sir Nicholas Macpherson, HM Treasury
Mr. Bill Martin, University of Cambridge
Mr. David Miles, Bank of England
Sir Gus O’Donnell, Secretary of the Cabinet
Mr. Jim O’Neill, Goldman Sachs
Sir James Sassoon
Rt. Hon. Clare Short, MP
Mr. Paul Tucker, Bank of England
Dr. Sushil Wadhwani, Wadhwani Asset Management LLP
Professor Ken Wallis, FBA, University of Warwick
Sir Douglas Wass
Mr. James Watson, Dept. for Business, Innovation & Skills
Mr. M. Weale, Nat. Institute of Economic & Social Research
Professor Shujie Yao, University of Nottingham

Having gathered and had a wide-ranging discussion Professor
Tim Besley and Professor Peter Hennessy summarized the
discussion into a three page letter and submitted it to the
Queen. The letter is quite interesting. Or at least as interesting
as economics can be. The letter is part explanation, part Mea
culpa for their part in being unable to see the economic
disaster unfolding.

The letter promised that a future meeting would look at what
could be done to prevent Her Majesty from ever having to ask
her question again. And in December the promised meeting
took place and a second letter was delivered to the Queen.
In summarizing the discussion the group proposed a course of action which I have quoted below:

"So, we end with a modest proposal. If you, Your Majesty, were to ask for a
monthly economic and financial horizon-scanning summary from, say, the Cabinet
Office, it could hardly be refused. It might take a form comparable to the Joint
Intelligence Committee’s ‘Red Book’, which you received each week from 1952 until
2008 when it was abandoned. And, if this were to happen, the spirit of your LSE
question would suffuse still more those of your Crown servants tasked to defend,
preserve and enhance the economic well-being of your country."

I'm actually curious if the Queen has opted to do this. It is
possible as the financial crisis did lead the Queen to start
becoming more involved. For instance it led to Mervyn King
being the first Bank of England governor being invited to
the palace for a chat with the Queen.

In the end a simple question from the Queen led a group of
people to thoroughly examine the causes of the greatest
economic disaster of our time and perhaps taught some
economists the value of seeing the big picture.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

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Meme Monday #6

Fundy Royal Green Candidate Shares Views on the Monarchy

The Trudeau Liberals and the Monarchy: A Retrospective on Four Years

Names & Titles Given to Members of the Royal Family by Canada's First Nations

The Mother of Confederation

The Royals Who Wrote

Candidates in Airdrie-Cochrane on the Canadian Monarchy

Steve Durrell (NDP)

Peter Guthrie (UCP)

Matthew Morrisey (FCP)

Vern Raincock (AP)

Alberta's Freedom Conservatives and the Canadian Monarchy

Matthew Morrisey (Airdrie-Cochrane)

Jeff Rout (Leduc - Beaumont)

Steve Goodman (Drayton Valley - Devon)

Malcolm Stinson (Fort Sask - Vegreville)

Rick Northey (Airdrie - East)

Sheyne Espey (Calgary - Peigan)

Cam Khan (Calgary - Northwest)

Derek Fildebrandt (Party Leader)

Concluding Remarks

Canada has had a Female Head of State for One Hundred and One Years of its One Hundred and Fifty-two Year History

That Time Economists Apologized to the Queen for the 2008 Financial Crisis

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