The Commonwealth Nations and the British Monarchy News

[Curryong]

A thread to discuss the 54 member states and their association with the British Monarchy.

Not sure where to put this item. The Maldives has been approved for Commonwealth membership. Our 54th member nation!

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[SophieChloe]

^ I think it sits nicely here  :) 

[TLLK]

Maldives becomes 54th member of Commonwealth family | The Commonwealth

The Commonwealth has welcomed its 54th family member after Maldives' application for re-admission was approved.

The small island nation officially re-joined the Commonwealth at 00:01 today (Saturday, February 1 2020).

This marks the end of a process that began 13 months ago, in December 2018, when President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih wrote to the Commonwealth Secretary-General expressing the country?s interest in re-joining.

After due diligence, which included country assessment and consultations in accordance with the rules and procedures agreed by the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Kampala in 2007, Maldives has been re-admitted.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said: ?I warmly congratulate Maldives on its successful application. We are delighted to welcome the country and its people back to the Commonwealth.

?The reform process underway in Maldives aligns with the values and principles of the Commonwealth and we encourage the nation to continue on this path.

?Commonwealth members were pleased to note these developments and are happy once again to count Maldives as a member of the family.

?Together we will support Maldives to realise its ambitions.?

Maldives President, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, said: ?Today is a happy day for Maldivians as we return to the family of Commonwealth nations.

So from the article it states that it left the Commonwealth in 2016 but has now rejoined.  :thumbsup:

[wannable]

They want to be a republic by 2021, and will apparently join as a Commonwealth, i.e. Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago.

sign-in

[Curryong]

I don't know what 'join as a Commonwealth' means. They are already in the Commonwealth.

Barbados and Jamaica (which has been signalling this for a very long time) will remain in the Commonwealth as they are already,  but as republics, the same as the vast majority of countries in the Commonwealth.

The then Jamaican PM was urging a republic in 2012 just before Harry visited on his tour of the Caribbean and Brazil on behalf of Grannie. There were photos of the two of them hugging. It's inevitable that more Commonwealth countries will cease having the monarch as HOS but several are waiting for the next reign in order to do so.

[wannable]

Bad choice of words, but they will only be a CW.

There is a difference, political and economical.

Their plans to have their own head of government as a republic, they will alone be responsible of their politics and economics (the debt with the UK of USD 7.5 Billion, which is relaxed as of today, yet but soon will not, that's the moneys loaned by the UK), whilst being a member of commonwealth benefits the Barbadians in travel, education, trade and commerce with the UK. 

ETA: Of course they are free to do what they want and according to the BBC link, the discussions have been going on with both the BRF and Parliament.  I personally don't think its great idea, only if they have a plan A and B for their economy, partnering with USA or China or both?!  The top 10 richest Caribbean countries are tied somehow with firstly the UK, followed by USA, then France.  #1 Bermuda British Overseas Territory, #2 Cayman Islands British Overseas Territory #3 US Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands of The United States and the list are all tied, whilst the poorest...ummm.

[Curryong]

What's a CW? Countries in the Commonwealth aren't usually referred to as 'the Commonwealth of --------. In fact as far as I know Australia is the only one that is. Do you mean a federation as several little countries in the West Indies are, like Trinidad and Tobago?

Well, we aren't a republic here, the Queen is still our HOS at the moment, but we are still responsible for all our own economic, social, and political policies, and have been since Federation, certainly since 1948 when Australians' citizenship status changed from 'British citizen' to Australian.

That includes the other realms and all the countries in the Commonwealth no longer classed as British colonies. We are all in charge of our own destiny and financial arrangements with other countries, within or outside the Commonwealth.

Of course there are various Commonwealth schemes and arrangements to help smaller, poorer countries within the organisation. The U.K., Australia and Canada are major financial contributors to those.

[wannable]

CW = Commonwealth

I didn't say anything about your other parts,  it sounds passive aggressive, but I will agree that the benefits of being a member of the CW, have a basic for all (Travel, Education in the UK, trading their exports to the UK, whilst receiving relaxed imports from the UK), but  there are many extended benefits that aren't for all members.

Reading between the lines from the BBC, Royal Reporter report it pretty much sounds like a relief to BRF/Parliament that Barbados wants to be a republic with no British HOS. 

With the effects of COVID19, all countries have been economically affected.  Each country will have to deal with their own debt, I feel the poor countries will be badly affected politically, socially because of this.

[PrincessOfPeace]

A natural progression. Im a Canadian and our constitution is so complicated that I cant see any federal politician putting forth a referendum.

The Conservative Party is monarchist to the core and when Liberal leader Justin Trudeau was elected he went out of his way to support the monarchy.

[PrincessOfPeace]

Pressure from China is driving the campaign for Barbados to become a republic, a Conservative MP has claimed.

Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said Beijing was playing a large role in the island nation's decision to remove the Queen as head of state.

Barbados signed on to Chinas Belt and Road initiative in 2019, opening up trade between the two countries.

Meanwhile CIA intelligence in the US about Chinese activities in Barbados has now reportedly been shared with Britain.

More: Barbados's moves to drop the Queen as Head of State 'are being driven by Chinese interference' | Daily Mail Online

[Curryong]

Barbados has been talking about replacing the Queen since 2015, long before Barbados signed up to this Chinese enterprise. However, China's interfering in the political processes of Barbados doesn't surprise me at all. Australia (and NZ and the US) is having the same sort of trouble here with Chinese influence in the Pacific with islands quite near to us. However, Australia has good relations with Pacific nations and so far has managed to fight them off to a large extent.

The large sums of money offered by these Chinese backed endeavours in the form of infrastructure is very tempting, but they should also be well aware that no nation like China offers something for nothing out of simple benevolence and sooner or later there is a price to pay.

[wannable]

Only a few Barbadians will profit with China (if signed sealed and delivered, the job openings will be a huge shocker with communist pay, minimum wage in each range mid management with zero benefits,  all senior management are Expats brought in, almost going back to surfdom).  The later is offering many countries in USA's backyard, Caribbean and Latin America.

Basically, the 2 superpowers are muscling geopolitics (Obama welcomed China to USA, causing many American Co's to shut down due to cheap made in China Co's in the USA versus American products, Trump threw them away with economic policies; pay high rise taxes, etc. which would make it practically impossible to have a China Co in the USA), UK is a NATO (and other treaties) with the USA, the UK is the head of the Commonwealth, simple math.

I know exactly the feeling, Oil industry is the only one that peace or war, we're there.  I've seen how China has ''purchased a country''. 

[Curryong]

Yes, I agree. It was Obama's economic policies and trade agreements that caused this situation to develop. China's own factory workers are basically slave labour as well, and suicides from despair and stress are apparently frequent. Australia and China's relationship used to be a good one but has deteriorated due to flexing of muscles in our part of the world, notably in the South China seas and certain espionage activities within Aus becoming known.

[wannable]

Thank you @Curryong I truly wanted to use the word slave/slavery, but I was afraid it may bring a very heated discussion, but I see now that you with your Australian knowledge of the Geopolitics and China trying to intervene, you are in the Know.

Before moving to this new country where I'm at, I was at one of the worlds largest oil deposit countries. I work for a USA company, they decided due to the political situation to bring way down the number of employees, luckily I was transferred, but I was in a crossroads previous to transfer, the Chinese had called me to offer me the same position with a 90% reduction of salary, then I was contacted by a union of oil workers, they shared the same concern, some stories were harrowing and very sad, livelihoods messed to the point of mental health suicidal issues.  Of course, today these people who didn't or were not offered my fate are in a starving slavery situation.

The hardest hit Co's in the USA when China was in was California fishery and agriculture. They are back in, these Co's are a minority versus the artistic aka Hollywood.  Basically, China is the biggest movie/film buyers/viewers in the world, simple math again.

[Curryong]

Indeed. I do not trust China at all. It's muscle flexing over the last few years has proved that it is a threat to democracy and true economic growth in this region. Our Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews signed a supposedly advantageous agreement with the Chinese Govt about 18 months ago, the curiously named Belt and Road initiative.

Victoria?s controversial Belt and Road Initiative deal with China

Our Federal Govt will likely tear that agreement up as not in the national interest, though they were careful to say that the overview was not anti-Chinese. Several Chinese-Australians here in Victoria including an MP have been proven by their actions  to be under the influence of a certain foreign power. It's perhaps just as well that certain methods of increasing influence here have all the subtlety of a sledge hammer.

Of course the Chinese have not reacted well to the countermeasures and out beef, wife and grain markets are under threat as we export a great deal to China, a major trading partner. However, if we have to seek other markets then that is what we have to do. IMO It is no good pretending that a totalitarian power has kindly intentions.

[TLLK]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/queen-victoria-statue-winnipeg-1.6087684

Two statues of queens on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislature were pulled down Thursday during a rally aimed at replacing Canada Day celebrations with actions in memory of hundreds of Indigenous children buried in unmarked graves at residential schools across the country.

Dozens of people, many wearing orange shirts in memory of Indigenous children sent to residential schools, surrounded the Queen Victoria statue. Some of them wrapped it in ropes and pulled it off its base.

The grounds were the destination of an Every Child Matters walk in Winnipeg on Canada Day afternoon to protest the fallout of Canada's residential schools system.

The statue was covered in red paint handprints. A sign saying "We were children once. Bring them home" was left leaning on the statue's pedestal after it was toppled.

Queen Victoria reigned from June 1837 until her death in 1901. As such, she was the monarch as Canada entered Confederation, negotiated treaties with Indigenous Peoples and as the federal government enacted its residential schools policy.

[Curryong]

Is the Manitoba legislature going to replace the two statues, not bother or what?

[Macrobug67]

Who knows.  Manitoba and Winnipeg have a huge population of Cree and Ojibway.  Not to mention Metis. (This is the home of the Red River rebellion after all).  At this time, replacing the statues would be a slap in the face. 

I don?t see how tearing the statues down help the situation.  Having the Catholic Church come to the table in good faith would help. 

[Curryong]

Yes agree. The Church must squarely face up to its past actions.
It?s true the situation IS fraught at the moment and it wouldn?t be a good idea for politicians to immediately replace the statues. And then there?s that folk myth that?s been floating around Canada for years about the Queen, Prince Philip, and missing children at a picnic that might have fed into it. Interesting about the Red River rebellion, I was only reading about General Wolseley the other day.

Pulling down and defacing of statues doesn?t appear to have happened in Australia. However, I go for a proposal that was suggested at the time for statues of explorers, Generals, settlers etc. That is that a plinth be erected next to the statue with a large plaque that discusses subsequent events and consequences of their actions. That wouldn?t be suitable for royalty though, as they weren?t directly involved, just that injustices were allowed under their name. 

[PrincessOfPeace]

"The actions by individuals to vandalize the Manitoba Legislative Building July 1 are unacceptable & acts of violence will be pursued actively in the courts. They are a major setback for those who are working toward real reconciliation."

- Manitoba Premier @BrianPallister

[wannable]

I think if the vandals were supported, they'd be much much more than a dozen yellow shirts/people.

[TLLK]

Yes agree. The Church must squarely face up to its past actions.
It?s true the situation IS fraught at the moment and it wouldn?t be a good idea for politicians to immediately replace the statues. And then there?s that folk myth that?s been floating around Canada for years about the Queen, Prince Philip, and missing children at a picnic that might have fed into it. Interesting about the Red River rebellion, I was only reading about General Wolseley the other day.

Pulling down and defacing of statues doesn?t appear to have happened in Australia. However, I go for a proposal that was suggested at the time for statues of explorers, Generals, settlers etc. That is that a plinth be erected next to the statue with a large plaque that discusses subsequent events and consequences of their actions. That wouldn?t be suitable for royalty though, as they weren?t directly involved, just that injustices were allowed under their name. 

@Curryong that is an excellent suggestion to have information available that explains the context behind the decisions made by those in power at the time.


Interesting topic of discussion as I believe many of us involved in the discussion have ancestral connections to Great Britain and nations that it conquered/colonized over the centuries: Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia etc...

I did notice that for the first time there was no official Canada Day messages from the three royal social media accounts. Would this be due to PM Trudeau's remarks about July 1, 2021 being a day of reflection for the nation? 

[PrincessOfPeace]

^^^
Probably but most municipalities had something going on. My city celebrated . Very few officially cancelled anything.

A poll by the Globe and Mail found only 14% of Canadians favoured 'cancelling' Canada Day.

[PrincessOfPeace]

Justin Trudeau has a problem over residential schools. His father was all for them as Prime Minister. Pierre Trudeau oversaw the schools for 15 years.

Justin Trudeau is calling for 'reflection' but also ignoring his father's role with them.

[TLLK]

Thanks for sharing @PrincessOfPeace.