Restore the Red Ensign!

I would like to direct the attention of readers (particularly those in the Commonwealth and Her Majesty's Dominion of Canada) to this video with Canadian journalist Brigitte Pellerin on the removal of the Canadian flag by the minority government of Quebec. I applaud Ms. Pellerin and could not agree with her more. She points out that, aside from their flag antics, members of the Bloc Quebecois frequently "mumble" their required oath of loyalty to Her Majesty the Queen, basically acting childish about a supremely solemn moment because of their stupid anger, some even shouting "Vive la Republique" at the end, but who still are glad to accept the Queen's salary. Particularly though, I agree with Ms. Pellerin in pointing out (correctly) that the adoption of the Maple Leaf flag in the first place was an effort to placate Quebec and that if this flag is no longer acceptable then it should be discarded entirely and the Canadian Red Ensign restored as the national flag of Canada. I like the Maple Leaf fine but the Red Ensign was the first, true national flag of Canada and there was no reason to get rid of it. I would be thrilled to see it come back. God Save the Queen of Canada!

Portuguese Monarchists Strike Again

The flag waving monarchists of Portugal struck again on March 26 when the people of Lisbon awoke to find a large national flag from the era of the Kingdom of Portugal (blue and white) flying low at the Edward VII park in place of the green and red flag of the Portuguese republic. Claiming responsibility for this harmless act of monarchist defiance was the group "Carbonara - Monarchist Movement for the Masses" in recognition of the birthday of the 14-year-old heir apparent Infante Dom Afonso. The police say they intent to pursue criminal charges against those responsible -which seems rather absurd as this display of political protest hurt nothing and no one (especially when liberal revolutionary types are usually the first to cry about their own rights to protest). However, this is not the first time Portuguese monarchists have used the symbolism of the royalist flag to show their opposition to the republican regime. Readers will remember last August when Portuguese monarchists took down and carried off the national flag from the city hall in Lisbon and replaced it with the Kingdom of Portugal flag (they returned the republican national flag unharmed). The authorities are especially sensitive about royal flags appearing while the Portuguese republic is celebrating its 100th anniversary. They will overreact but that is all the more reason to salute the gallant monarchists of Portugal who are showing where their allegiance is in a dignified but striking way. Vivo Portugal!

Changing the Canadian Flag

It was on this day in 1964 that the Canadian Parliament voted to end the debate on the new design for the national flag, effectively making the current "Maple Leaf" flag official and replacing the older Canadian Red Ensign. It was a hotly debated issue by Canadian standards and although the vast majority accept and love the Maple Leaf there are still those who prefer the Red Ensign. The fact that the issue ever came up at all, however, says alot about the national trend in what was once called the Dominion of Canada. Speaking for myself, it is hard to imagine a sizeable group in any country wishing to change their national flag. The Red Ensign had long been recognized as the Canadian flag and it presided over the movement of Canada to independence and it was the flag Canadian troops fought under in both World Wars. However, rising liberal trends in Canada brought a reaction against the Canadian Red Ensign which they accused of being "too British", "too colonial" and not representative of the new multi-cultural Canada.

Part of this was an effort to appease the increasingly powerful movement of the French Canadians in Quebec toward talk of secession. Obviously if the design was to quiet such talk by the French Canadians the new Maple Leaf design did not work out as hoped. However, beyond that the primary criticism of the Red Ensign was that it reminded everyone of the late British Empire. My response to that would be a simple, "so what?!" The British Empire was one of the least oppressive and most humane and beneficial colonial organizations in the history of the world. There were unsavory instances to be sure but the British Empire brought security, stability, economic progress and representative government to vast tracts of the world, producing a number of the most advanced, free and prosperous independent countries in the world today. Moreover, if not for the Canadian ties with Great Britain the "Great White North" would most likely be part of the United States today which tried to incorporate Canada into their own union during the American War for Independence and the War of 1812. I see no reason why Canadians should not be proud of their past membership in the British Empire. In any event, changing the flag does not change history.

Allow me to also say that, while I would prefer the Red Ensign, I have no problem with the current Canadian flag and find it a very attractive design. However, I consider the issue important, still, because many of the same arguments made against the Red Ensign back in the 60's are being used today by the annoying collection of Canadian republicans who would like to see the Canadian monarchy go the way of the original Canadian national flag. Like the old flag, the monarchy is and always will be associated with Great Britain, always a reminder of the days when Canada was part of the British Empire but, also like the Red Ensign, the Canadian monarchy is also uniquely Canadian; a symbol not only of where the country came from and what it was but also what it is and the most significant difference between Canada and her closest neighbor. So, it is not simply that the flag was changed which I find disturbing (as I said, I like the new design just find) but it is the reason behind it and the trend represented by the change. Canadians should be proud of their history, their flag -both old and new, and of their form of government as well as of their own Canadian monarchy.

God Save the Queen of Canada!

A Mad Rant

The republican revolutionaries of the world are ceaseless in their attacks and one of the monarchies that has been on the front lines fighting for its life in recent years is the great Commonwealth of Australia, currently under the glorious reign of Queen Elizabeth II of Australia. I am not ranting about the republicans themselves; I actually do very little ranting about republican revolutionaries -they are traitors who should be put up against a wall and that's that. However, one of the things that seems to go hand-in-hand with republicanism in Australia is the call for a new flag -because evidently they seriously hate the British, their own history and die a little inside whenever they see the Union Jack in the canton of the Australian flag. This is the sort of stuff that makes me feel like my brain is bleeding!

I cannot fathom a country changing its national flag. For example, there is no way that the people of Texas would ever, for any reason, abandon the Lone Star. I could not imagine any circumstance, ever, that would provoke any sizeable portion of the US population to even consider ditching the Stars & Stripes for a new model. Because a flag is not just a piece of decorative cloth. When I look at the Lone Star flag I don't just see a "design", I see the 1st Texas Infantry that carried that flag into the cornfield along Anteitam creek in 1862, suffering the highest casualty rate of any regiment in American history. I see 185 men at the Alamo standing behind a line in the sand saying 'we will stay here and fight to the death rather than be pushed one step farther'. Likewise, your true-blue American types look at the Stars & Stripes and they don't just see a flag, they see the siege of Ft McHenry, they see marines storming the halls of Montezuma and the sands of Iwo Jima, they see Normandy beach.

I simply cannot fathom how anyone in Australia, no matter how despicable a republican traitor they might be, could wish to throw away the flag their forefathers fought under at Tobruk, the flag that flew when the ANZACs stormed the beaches of Gallipoli or even hold such anger against the Union Jack which was the flag of the British Empire of which they were a part. Why would they be ashamed of that? I would dismiss it as being too ridiculous to ever come to fruition were it not for the fact that others have already done it, such as the proud Dominion of Canada. I like the Maple Leaf flag, it's a nice design, but my head wants to explode whenever I try to understand how a country could change the national flag that their fathers and forefathers fought for, saluted and carried into battle. The Red Ensign was good enough for the brave men who fought at Vimy Ridge; why did it suddenly become not good enough for a new generation?

Changing the national flag of an independent, long-established country must require a sentiment that is simply beyond my comprehension because I cannot for the life of me bring myself to any degree of understanding of it. Why not just change the name of the country while you're at it? But of course, I shouldn't say things like that because someone in the traitor's camp just might be sick enough to take it seriously. Issues such as talking about changing the flag of Australia is yet another reason why I am...
The Mad Monarchist