Saturday 2 February 2013

Nicola Roxon quits - The Queen carries on


This morning Nicola Roxon resigned from Cabinet as Attorney-General and will not contest her seat in the election on 14th September. If she is known for something, then it is certainly for her fierce republicanism.

In 2006 she suggested, Queen's Birthday holiday should be replaced by something more to her liking.
"As a committed republican, I find it hard to justify the time off for the Queen's Birthday. Nevertheless, I am not sure that the republican cause can survive if the cost is one less long weekend.

"Perhaps Tax Return Day? Maybe we can make the Australian "Christmas in July" official?

"Or why not Socceroos' Day?

"I am only half-joking."
Australians for Constitutional Monarchists' National Convenor, David Flint, cites another quote of Nicola Roxon:
"We reported in this column on 13 March, 2006 the brutal words of the Hon. Nicola Roxon, the federal shadow attorney general in Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition: 'There are no new monarchists being born,' she said, only months after swearing or affirming her allegiance to the Sovereign. 'If we bide our time they will all die off…'"
Nothing could be more wrong. While she resigned from her job "to spend more time with my daughter", Her Majesty has been Queen of Australia for 61 years and shows no sign of retiring.

2 comments:

The Duke of Swann said...

Hear Hear!!!! Long Live the Queen. If Her Majesty continues biding her own time, all the opposing politicians will retire and their snotty remarks with them.

Npinkpanther said...

If we bide our time all the republicans will die off...

I hope that's not too insensitive, but it's more true than Roxon's quip. The bulk of republicans, at least the bulk of "true believer" republicans, are middle-aged, going into retirement (if not there already).

My generation are not ardently royalist, but, by and large, we don't care for a republic, and we tend to look more favourably upon Australia's ties with Britain.