display put on yesterday evening at Dow's Lake, Ottawa.
cake on Saturday (per company policy everyone must work
that day so no one misses out).
I hope everyone has a great Victoria Day (whatever the
weather).
Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour
A redditor was kind enough to share a video of the fireworks display put on yesterday evening at Dow's Lake, Ottawa. As per personal tradition I treated my coworkers to birthday
cake on Saturday (per company policy everyone must work that day so no one misses out). I hope everyone has a great Victoria Day (whatever the weather). Loyally Yours, A Kisaragi Colour 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 ![]() 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 Victoria Day long weekend was somewhat busier than normal this year. There was also some news I wanted to touch on that didn't warrant their own posts. ![]() As in previous years I treated my coworkers to cake on Saturday. I also had the chance on Friday to listen in on some of the newer hires talking positively about the Royal Family. ![]() On Saturday I learned that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, leader of the right-leaning Liberal/National Coalition, had won the election over Bill Shorten of the Labor Party. Bill Shorten has since resigned as leader. From a strict monarchist perspective the end of Mr. Shorten's leadership is welcomed. He had proposed a binding plebiscite on the future of the monarchy if he won (followed by a referendum on the specific type of republic to be adopted). His defeat makes this plan much less likely to happen. Especially as Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared himself to be a monarchist. This would be a good time for Australian monarchists in the Labor Party to start encouraging a leadership candidate more friendly to the Australian Monarchy to step forward. ![]() On Victoria Day I hosted a meeting of the New Brunswick branch of the Monarchist League of Canada in Fredericton at the Maverick Room (pictured). I had re-activated the branch in October of last year following a two year hiatus that resulted from the previous chairman stepping down. Despite the rainy weather we had ten people show up. After a brief update on the branch's status and a social time over dinner we discussed what initiatives we should pursue as a branch going forward. One new member was signed up at the meeting and a good time was had by all. ![]() An interesting post showed up on the Monarchists Facebook page stating that the UK pressure group Republic no longer has a functioning organization. The investigation of this claim does provide some solid evidence that something is wrong. This year only three press releases have gone out. This is paltry when compared to previous years. Their social media has likewise been much reduced in volume. This kind of slowdown can often be attributed to a lack of volunteers which stems from a demotivated base. However, the slowdown does coincide with executive board elections held at the start of the year so internal conflicts can't be ruled out. The organization still exists but if it can't find a new strategy beyond being snarky killjoys they are doomed. I hope everyone had an enjoyable Victoria Day (whatever the
weather might have been). Loyally Yours, A Kisaragi Colour Happy Victoria Day everyone!
This blog is now fours years old. Some goals that this blog set when it was first started have been reached while others could use a renewed focus in order to achieve. But overall, it is in good shape. There has been a three year gap in these blog updates so it is perhaps necessary to talk about where this blog is going in the near future. Hiring a summer student One good thing to come out of the controversy surrounding the federal government's attestation requirement for summer job grants is that it got me thinking about the possibility of hiring a summer writing position for the blog. Initial inquiries have been promising and we may be able to hire a student for the 2019 summer season. A Kisaragi Colour is slacking off At this point in time some may be noticing a decline in post frequency. This is due to A Kisaragi Colour (who writes the vast majority of posts) having thrown his hat into the ring to win a seat in the upcoming New Brunswick provincial election. As such there will be fewer posts until September and potentially after. Custom Logo The way Weebly handles thumbnails on Facebook has never been satisfactory. It essentially gives a choice of the pictures in the blogs sidebar. This has led to the coat of arms of the Monarchist League of Canada becoming this blog's de facto thumbnail image. While a great organization, this blog would prefer not to rely on the League for its graphics. As such an effort will be made this summer to create a unique logo for the blog. Section Redesign The Discussion Topic section never really worked as intended. It has been redesigned and renamed the Special Projects section. This will allow this website to better showcase its advocacy roles. Here is to hoping the next four years are even more successful than the last four. Loyally Yours, The Maple Monarchists ![]() Happy Victoria Day! There is a few items I wanted to cover this Victoria Day. The Monarchist League of Canada sent out an email on May 11th with ideas for how to celebrate Victoria Day with friends and family. It is a good list. Myself, I have the last two years treated my coworkers to birthday cake. It's a good way to inform people that Victoria Day is also the reigning monarch's birthday. Former MP Brian Murphy took the occasion to write a mostly positive tribute to the monarchy in the Times & Transcript on Friday. I had a few small issues with the piece and will be writing a reply but overall it was a welcome surprise. On the subject of the media: I have noticed a certain tendency towards using 'May Long Weekend' rather than referring to Victoria Day itself. I'm inclined to believe this is one of those time-saving measures used by the media rather than any sort of effort to downplay Victoria Day. Conservative Party Leadership Candidate Chris Alexander sent out an email today. I have copied it below: "Today we celebrate free institutions & the stability of monarchs. The policy on having a Canadian coronation is one he told me
about when I met him at a candidates debate in Moncton. The policy on styling Canada as a 'kingdom' is new to me though. Finally, the month of May marks the 3rd anniversary of this blog's founding. Hard to believe its been three years already. Loyally Yours, A Kisaragi Colour ![]() Happy Victoria Day! This Victoria Day is special in that it is also marks the official 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II of Canada. The Monarchist League of Canada has encouraged its members to film themselves singing Happy Birthday to Her Majesty to mark the occasion. The Governor General even joined in recently. Victoria Day is a uniquely Canadian celebration. No other member of the Commonwealth celebrates it. The date used to move around a little bit since it was Queen Victoria's actual birthday. It was eventually decided to fix the date to the Monday before the 24th of May (the Queen's actual birth date). Canadians celebrate Victoria Day in a few different ways. Some don't mark the occasion in any special way (although even this can be an appropriate way of marking the occasion). Firework displays have long been a part of Victoria Day celebrations and continue to be a part of celebrations in Canada today. As for myself... ...I treated my coworkers to birthday cake.
The month of May also marks this website's second birthday. When I started I was unsure about how long it would last. I wasn't even sure if I had the dedication to keep it regularly updated. But two years in I am pleased with how things are going. Loyally Yours, A Kisaragi Colour Today is not only a day for celebrating the birthday of a long-dead monarch. Nor is it only our current monarch's official birthday. Today is for celebrating the Canadian monarchy itself. It is the foundation of our constitutional government, a guarantor of our liberties, an all-weather friend, and reminder of our responsibilities to the past & future.
While Canada Day has become a day to celebrate the greatness of Canada, I feel Victoria Day has become a day to celebrate the freedom of Canada. We live in a country were you can drive from one end to the other without the need to pass through a security checkpoint. A country where a trip to the camp by the lake for a weekend is not a bullet point in some secret government file. A country where you can be as completely irreverent towards Queen & Country as you damn well please and you won't be hauled off to a secret tribunal never to be seen again. Victoria Day is to me a time to reflect on the freedoms enjoyed under the sovereignty of the Maple Crown and to reflect on whether those freedoms are still secure. Have a Happy Victoria Day, A Kisaragi Colour |
AboutThis 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. Archives
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