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Evolution of the Right to Encourage

5/18/2020

 
Walter Bagehot was a contemporary of Queen Victoria having 
been born after, and died before, the long-lived queen. And 
while Queen Victoria was the one who set about creating a 
greater symbolic role for the monarchy going forward, it 
was Walter Bagehot who codified the monarchy's political 
role. Now, Mr. Bagehot would likely object that he was only 
observing what was already falling into place but in the years 
since his death The English Constitution has been 
studied by every heir to the throne as to what their role should
be. In physics there is a theory that the mere act of observing 
a phenomenon inevitably changes that phenomenon. And in
this instance it holds true of political science as well. Walter
​Bagehot observed that:
To state the matter shortly, the sovereign has, under a constitutional monarchy
such as ours, three rights — the right to be consulted, the right to encourage,
the right to warn
. And a king of great sense and sagacity would want no others.
He would find that his having no others would enable him to use these with
singular effect. He would say to his minister: “The responsibility of these measures
is upon you. Whatever you think best must be done. Whatever you think best shall
have my full and effectual support. But you will observe that for this reason and
that reason what you propose to do is bad; for this reason and that reason what
you do not propose is better. I do not oppose, it is my duty not to oppose; but
observe that I warn.” Supposing the king to be right, and to have what kings often
have, the gift of effectual expression, he could not help moving his minister. He
might not always turn his course, but he would always trouble his mind. In the
course of a long reign a sagacious king would acquire an experience with which
few ministers could contend. The king could say: “Have you referred to the
transactions which happened during such and such an administration, I think
about fourteen years ago? They afford an instructive example of the bad results
which are sure to attend the policy which you propose. You did not at that time take
so prominent a part in public life as you now do, and it is possible you do not fully
remember all the events. I should recommend you to recur to them, and to discuss
them with your older colleagues who took part in them. It is unwise to recommence
a policy which so lately worked so ill.”
PictureWalter Bagehot
Of the three rights Bagehot ascribes to
a constitutional monarch the first and
third have little changed from his day.
But I feel the second right, the right to
encourage, has slowly transformed. So,
slowly in fact that it was only with the
recent pandemic that factors led me to
notice it. What was once a right to
encourage politicians has become a
right to encourage the greater public.

Walter Bagehot would not have thought such a change
possible, or perhaps even desirable. His well-known contempt
of the political, and even rational, abilities of the lower classes
created blinders to such an expansion of the right to
encourage. At the same time technology did not yet allow the
expansion of this right with radio and television still in their
infancy. And finally, the character of Queen Victoria herself
did not allow it to expand as for much of her reign she shut
herself away from the people.

But what exactly am I referring to? In the quoted section
above Bagehot notes that a monarch can encourage a prime
minister to refer to events that occurred during previous
administrations, ask them to consult with the older men who
experienced those events, and suggest actions that might be
better. During the conference in London to finalize Canadian
Confederation Queen Victoria made use of her right when she
told John A. Macdonald that “I am very glad to see you
on this mission. It is a very important measure and
you have all exhibited so much loyalty.
” This is the
right to encourage as traditionally defined.

My first suspicion that a change has 
occurred without anyone
really commenting on it was the Queen's recent broadcast to
​the UK and the Commonwealth:
Here we had the Queen both encouraging people to do their
part during the pandemic and encouraging (in the sense of
​comforting) those who were having a hard time during it. It is
not about legislation but instead advocating people do what is
right. 

The Queen's decision to record an Easter message (a first in
her long reign) again functioned to encourage people to
practice social distancing and to instill hope for the future:
But looking back such encouragements are a common thread
throughout the Queen's Christmas messages as well. It would
seem that as the monarchy has taken on a more public role
the right to encourage has expanded in scope with it. The
Queen did not start this expansion (that distinction belongs to
her father) but her long reign has cemented its new form as a
prerogative of the Crown. Current events have simply made such encouragement more necessary. Her Majesty seems to
be everywheres in recent months. Her Covid-19 address was
accompanied by a special note for Canada. The New
Zealand Prime Minister was also surprised by a phone call
from Her Majesty. Of the videos that have been released only
the VE address was previously planned.

Some claim that the monarchy needs to evolve (without ever
really stating how) but miss the fact that the monarchy is a
living institution that has always been evolving to meet the
needs of its people. The expansion of the right to encourage is
necessary because politicians are bad at encouraging people
to follow rules. The respect people once held for elected
officials just isn't there to the degree it once was.

But let me switch gears before I sign off and note that in some
provinces restrictions start loosening tomorrow. Be sensible
with the increased freedom and have a Happy Victoria Day.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

The Mother of Confederation

7/29/2019

 
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. 
Picture
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

Prince Charles Addresses COP21 Conference in Paris

11/30/2015

 
PicturePhoto Credit: The BBC
Prince Charles addressed the
COP21 Conference on climate
change today. In his speech His
Royal Highness urged the
gathered national leaders to
commit to fighting climate
change.

This is an issue with which the
Prince has a lot of experience.
The Prince has been sounding
alarm bells long before it was
​fashionable to do so. 

The Prince's Speech

Below is a partial transcript of the remarks made by the
Prince of Wales. A video of the opening minute of his speech
can be found here. Link
Your deliberations over the next two weeks will decide the fate,
not only of those alive today, but also of generations yet unborn.
So I can only urge you to think of your grandchildren, as I think
of mine, and those billions of people without a voice. Those for
whom hope is the rarest of sensations. Those for whom a secure
life is a distant prospect. Most of all, I urge you to consider the
needs of the youngest generation. Because none of us has the
right to assume that for our today they should give up their
​tomorrow.
The Prince went on to say that "On an increasingly crowded
planet, humanity faces many threats - but none is greater
than climate change, i
t magnifies every hazard and tension
of our existence.
" Further, the Prince pointed out that climate
change will stress civil society to the breaking point:
"It threatens our ability to feed ourselves; to remain healthy and safe from extreme weather; to manage the natural resources that support our economies, and to avert the humanitarian disaster of mass migration and increasing conflict."

​All of which is consistent with what the Prince has been saying for years. But sadly Prince Charles has had to play the
part of a political Cassandra, more often mocked for his
views than respected.

Shortly after the address 
Philippe Joubert, Chair of The
Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group, remarked that
while success in putting a price on carbon would be good,
doing so while also continuing to subsidize carbon sources
makes no sense.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour 

The Black Spider Memos

5/19/2015

 
Picture
The British Government has at
last published the 'Black Spider'
memos (so called due to the
margin notes and underlining the
Prince adds in black ink). To the
disappointment of republicans
and conspiracy theorists the
memos did not include;
demands, threats, plans for one
world government, partisan
attacks, gibberish, or political
sensitive issues. What the memos
did reveal is the Prince's concern for issues not likely to be on the
government's radar. In short they show Prince Charles
making appropriate use of The Right to Encourage & The
Right to Warn. Others have already done a good job of
outlining the importance of these letters so I will (try) not re-tread here. Instead, here are the direct links to each piece of
correspondence.

Correspondence with the Prime Minister

Correspondence with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Correspondence with the Secretary of State for Education

Correspondence with the Minister for Environment

Correspondence with the Secretary of State for Health

Correspondence with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Office

Correspondence with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
The Prince has every right to make his views known. His
involvement in each area discussed has been long-term and
hands-on. It is no exaggeration to say he has far more expertise on some cabinet portfolios than the ministers themselves. Indeed, the turnover in cabinet has been a source
of frustration for the Prince as each new minister comes into
the job with little knowledge of what work has already been
done and what still needs attention. Much like the Queen, the Prince is a valuable source of institutional knowledge that ministers have always been appreciative of.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour  

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    This website is intended to be a resource for those arguing in favour of Canada's monarchy, researching Canada's royal past, or wondering what the various vice-regal representatives of the Canadian Crown are up to currently. As well, articles about other monarchies may appear from time to time. 

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