[Gunnair]

Quote:

March of republicanism is forced into retreat by royal name reversal
By Jack Knox,

The Citizens Against Jesus, or whatever the grim-lipped, dour, raisin-hearted, poetry-hating republicans are calling themselves these days, won't be happy.

Restoring the word "royal" to Canada's navy marks a sea change, as it were, to Ottawa's attitude toward the monarchy.

Not that the politicians portray it that way, choosing instead to depict the decision as being solely about splicing the thread tying the navy to its past.

"It's not about the monarchy, it's about restoring that sense of pride, identity, that sense of belonging and recognizing the sacrifices people have made under that designation," insisted Julian Fantino, Canada's associate defence minister, at CFB Esquimalt on Tuesday.

True enough, in changing the name the Conservatives are righting a historic wrong, like the Canucks trading to get Trevor Linden back. The word "royal" disappeared from the navy and air force in 1968 when Liberal Defence Minister Paul Hellyer amalgamated the three branches of the Canadian military and made them dress like the Fortrel-clad doorman at the Four Seasons.

Soldiers and sailors who were forced to swallow the change hated the taste. No one actually used the postunification names - Land Force Command, Maritime Command and Air Command. By the late 1980s, individual army, navy and air force uniforms were on their way back.

The retreat from regality was a bit of a half-measure, like our stalled conversion to metric, which left us in a country where a 5'5" woman who weighs 130 pounds fills up her car at $1.29 a litre and drives at 60 km/h to a 2,000-square-foot house on a half-acre lot on a 25 C day. The word "royal" disappeared from the navy and air force, but not from the naval and air force cadets. Vessels were still named Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Whatever. Fantino says restoring the "royal" was simply a matter of making things whole again, reconnecting the navy to its past.

"It's not a way of propping up the monarchy, or whatever," Fantino said. "That's a side issue."

Balderdash! (We monarchists like to say "balderdash.") Ottawa must know Tuesday's belated reversal will tick off the soulless, wretched pedants (I don't mean that in a negative way; it's not their fault that they're totally dead inside) who would replace our constitutional monarchy with some sort of blandly logical cookie-cutter McCountry, the Mini-Me to the giant to our south.

Canada's republicans, logic chips where their hearts are supposed to be, have largely had their way for more than 40 years, quietly sweeping the symbols of the monarchy out the door. The Queen remains on the $20 bill, but no other banknote. Only older post offices display her picture. Few postage stamps bear her image anymore (indeed, the Monarchist League of Canada says it took some monocle-popping bleating to convince Canada Post to produce a commemorative issue when Prince William and Pippa's sister wed in May). The School Act no longer requires Her Majesty's picture to be hung in halls of learning, and no more does the day begin with the singing of God Save The Queen, not unless you want to alarm the other bus passengers.

There have been a few minor victories (in 2008, B.C. Ferries reversed its policy of removing the Queen's portrait from ships when they went for refit) but for the most part the slide into the moral abyss, with the monarchy reduced to an anachronistic curiosity, has been seemingly ineluctable. Two more years, the Roundheads would have succeeded in changing Victoria's name to Leningrad.

But now the empire has struck back. "Culture, heritage and tradition... need to be celebrated," Fantino said in a quote that I will cheerfully take out of context.

Just in time for the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, too. The republicans lost that one. If they want to change the outcome, they'll have to go through the Royal Canadian Navy.

jknox@timescolonist.com

© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/news/March ... z1VO5eBVHt

[Mustang1]

Excellent post! Thanks.

""It's not about the monarchy, it's about restoring that sense of pride, identity, that sense of belonging and recognizing the sacrifices people have made under that designation," insisted Julian Fantino, Canada's associate defence minister, at CFB Esquimalt on Tuesday."

And i can't stand Fantino, but I do agree with him.

[Regina]

Mustang1 wrote:

Excellent post! Thanks.

""It's not about the monarchy, it's about restoring that sense of pride, identity, that sense of belonging and recognizing the sacrifices people have made under that designation," insisted Julian Fantino, Canada's associate defence minister, at CFB Esquimalt on Tuesday."

And i can't stand Fantino, but I do agree with him.

[BartSimpson]

Not to diminish my country, but my love for Canada is not rooted in your resemblance to the USA, it's rooted in the depth of tradition and culture that is recognized when one says 'Royal Canadian Navy'.

[SprCForr]

Ahh, the media...

All this did was merely realign the formal names of those two elements with all the portraits, toasts, memorabilia, regalia, badging, emblems, crests, and other numerous things that never changed.

[sandorski]

The Monarchy is dead, sorry.

[Mustang1]

sandorski wrote:

The Monarchy is dead, sorry.

Canada is still a constitutional monarchy, sorry.

[Unsound]

sandorski wrote:

The Monarchy is dead, sorry.

If that was the case, you'd think there woulda been a giant expensive state funeral. And though it's possible that I could have somehow missed the funeral I'm damn sure I wouldn't have missed the complaining about the cost of it.

[sandorski]

Mustang1 wrote:

sandorski wrote:

The Monarchy is dead, sorry.

Canada is still a constitutional monarchy, sorry.

Yes it is, however it has become meaningless as such, for most people.

[CDN_PATRIOT]

Julian Fantino wrote:

"It's not about the monarchy, it's about restoring that sense of pride, identity, that sense of belonging and recognizing the sacrifices people have made under that designation."

HERE HERE!


-J.

[GreenTiger]

BartSimpson wrote:

:rock:

Not to diminish my country, but my love for Canada is not rooted in your resemblance to the USA, it's rooted in the depth of tradition and culture that is recognized when one says 'Royal Canadian Navy'.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

[Gunnair]

sandorski wrote:

Mustang1 wrote:

sandorski wrote:

The Monarchy is dead, sorry.

Canada is still a constitutional monarchy, sorry.

Yes it is, however it has become meaningless as such, for most people.

Like your posts.

[RUEZ]

Interestingly enough, I have never personally seen anyone complain about the RCMP. The ROYAL Canadian Mounted Police.

[sandorski]

Gunnair wrote:

sandorski wrote:

Mustang1 wrote:

Canada is still a constitutional monarchy, sorry.

Yes it is, however it has become meaningless as such, for most people.

Like your posts.

Veering OT as usual, congrats.

[herbie]

What a load of horseshit. The Navy and Air Force are OURS not the fucking Monarch's. No tradition was ever diminished or disrespected by removing the 'royal'.
Ass kissing to the Monarchists again Steve? Like when you called down the Governor General for telling it like it is, it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck?