The Constitution

     From Australia, John Bennett writes:
     "The referendum will probably ask for agreement on various matters of detail not acceptable to some voters who would otherwise opt for severing the UK bond. Major changes are taking place in the world's political infrastructure in the last decade. For example, the USSR has been dismembered, membership of the UK House of Lords may well be no longer a hereditary privilege in the near future, and unification of Europe is the name of the game. Accepting these changes can be viewed as a long term effect of mass education and the globification of communication of information.
     Similarly in Australia the move away from domination, both politically and economically, by the UK as the mother country is being accepted more and more by the rising generation. (Add to which changes in the roots of the population - which has about trebled in my lifetime - are increasingly affected by non-UK immigration.) So it is not surprising that formal independence from the UK has increasing support, particularly among the younger section of the population. My own view is that it is a trend to be expected. If the referendum is defeated, it will beby a narrow margin. (Also note that not only is a majority support required: it must also pass in a majority of States.)
     I shall certainly vote for complete independence. The details of how a Head of State is elected will certainly affect the way many people will vote. My own preference is for a more-or-less US-style approach. What should the differences be?
     My comment: The term "independence" must be used with care. Canada is independent; when the Queen goes there, she goes as Queen of Canada.
     As for the "U.S.-style approach", both the English system and the American constitution have the advantage of age and the respect that earns. Yet the disadvantages of both are apparent. The present Washington scene has brought out the defects of the American system. The world consensus is that Canada's system is working better, despite the peculiar Quebec problem
     When viewed strictly on their own merits, Spain seems to have the best constitutional monarchy, while it is widely held that the German constitution is the best. Several countries are thinking of imitating it. The problem is that neither Spain nor Germany have the long democratic traditions which make democracy work. I deeply hope both systems will survive long enough to gain the veneration which age bestows.
     P.S. As a forgotten emeritus, I find that last statement questionable at best.

Ronald Hilton - 01/30/99