Thursday, September 24, 2009
Ertugrul Osman (1912-2009)
The man who would have been Sultan of the Ottoman Empire died in the city formerly known as Constantinople at the age of 97.
Monday, September 21, 2009
King of Thailand in hospital
Thailand's beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-serving head of state, is reported to be "stable" in hospital where he has been admitted for a fever. I wish HM the best for a speedy recovery.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Habsburgs seek right to seek Austrian presidency
Lawyers for the Habsburgs are trying to overturn the ban on members of the dynasty which ruled Austria for centuries until 1918 running for the republic's [ceremonial] presidency. I have mixed feelings about this. A monarchist might be expected to side with councillor Ulrich Habsburg-Lorraine and enjoy the chance to point out the republic's hypocrisy. But in a sense it is fitting for the Habsburgs to be excluded from the office of president of the republic, as the Republic of Austria (which in my view has no right to exist and deserves no respect from anyone, least of all the Habsburgs) is the antithesis of all for which the Habsburgs stood.
Habsburgs should be Emperors, not Presidents, and with all due respect to former MEP Archduke Otto, I have always felt that involvement in the democratic process as politicians is beneath the dignity of royalty. I could perhaps support a Habsburg presidential campaign if it were intended as a step towards restoration of the monarchy, but this does not seem to be what Ulrich, as a "Green," has in mind. As long as full royal restoration eludes the Habsburgs, it is perhaps better for the law to remain on the books, reminding Austrians that the Republic represents a negation and defeat of their ancient heritage, and even after 90 years remains fearful of Austria's legitimate rulers.
Habsburgs should be Emperors, not Presidents, and with all due respect to former MEP Archduke Otto, I have always felt that involvement in the democratic process as politicians is beneath the dignity of royalty. I could perhaps support a Habsburg presidential campaign if it were intended as a step towards restoration of the monarchy, but this does not seem to be what Ulrich, as a "Green," has in mind. As long as full royal restoration eludes the Habsburgs, it is perhaps better for the law to remain on the books, reminding Austrians that the Republic represents a negation and defeat of their ancient heritage, and even after 90 years remains fearful of Austria's legitimate rulers.
Reflections on Equality
The following excerpt, from The Worm Forgives the Plough (1973) by John Stewart Collis (1900-1984), appeared in the latest bulletin of the Campaign for the Traditional Cathedral Choir to which I belong, and I think it's relevant for monarchists as well.
"I took a short cut and made for the Big House and entered the Old Garden. It was not open to the public, but it was open to the private, so to speak. No one seemed to be in residence at the moment. The door through the wall in the garden was not locked and I went in. I sat down on a seat backed by the high wall and fronted by a pool of lawn cliffed by ancient trees..."
"...I fell into contemplation of the Old Garden. Aloof in the melancholy shade of history, it gave out peace and cast the ancient spell. How did it come into existence? By some men being rich and others poor, by inequality, by privilege. Entering the era of equality, shall we then throw them open to the public? The moment we do so they will become--something else. They will, no longer be gardens: they will be parks. Instantly their essence will evaporate and they will no longer be what they were. We must face the logic: the moment privilege becomes public it ceases to be privilege, for you cannot have a privileged many--they would not then be privileged. So our question is--Shall we have a privileged few? Well, the many do not like this kind of place anyway; secluded reverie is alien to them, quiet reflection wholly unsought--they prefer the definite peopled park. But they also enjoy on occasion the parade of circumstance and the pomp of power. And I said--Let us not throw everything away in the name of Equality. Let there be privilege! Let there be pride! Let there be palaces though they be built out of the pennies of the poor! The time is coming when the flood-tide of the multitudinous Many shall flow through all the gates and into all the courts of pleasure; but even then, let there be here and there a too favoured Few, so that scattered throughout the land there may yet remain, enwalled from the world's babel, the sequestered place, the pool of silence, the repository of peace, into which the wanderer may come and bathe in the spirit of the past and hold converse with the mighty dead!"
"I took a short cut and made for the Big House and entered the Old Garden. It was not open to the public, but it was open to the private, so to speak. No one seemed to be in residence at the moment. The door through the wall in the garden was not locked and I went in. I sat down on a seat backed by the high wall and fronted by a pool of lawn cliffed by ancient trees..."
"...I fell into contemplation of the Old Garden. Aloof in the melancholy shade of history, it gave out peace and cast the ancient spell. How did it come into existence? By some men being rich and others poor, by inequality, by privilege. Entering the era of equality, shall we then throw them open to the public? The moment we do so they will become--something else. They will, no longer be gardens: they will be parks. Instantly their essence will evaporate and they will no longer be what they were. We must face the logic: the moment privilege becomes public it ceases to be privilege, for you cannot have a privileged many--they would not then be privileged. So our question is--Shall we have a privileged few? Well, the many do not like this kind of place anyway; secluded reverie is alien to them, quiet reflection wholly unsought--they prefer the definite peopled park. But they also enjoy on occasion the parade of circumstance and the pomp of power. And I said--Let us not throw everything away in the name of Equality. Let there be privilege! Let there be pride! Let there be palaces though they be built out of the pennies of the poor! The time is coming when the flood-tide of the multitudinous Many shall flow through all the gates and into all the courts of pleasure; but even then, let there be here and there a too favoured Few, so that scattered throughout the land there may yet remain, enwalled from the world's babel, the sequestered place, the pool of silence, the repository of peace, into which the wanderer may come and bathe in the spirit of the past and hold converse with the mighty dead!"
Friday, September 18, 2009
Shawcross on the Queen Mother
William Shawcross, author of her aforementioned official biography, elaborates on why the late Queen Mother was a joy to profile.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wanted: Fergie
The Turkish government is demanding that Britain extradite the Duchess of York for trial, who it absurdly accuses of trying to "smear" Turkey in order to keep it out of the European Union. Ankara is annoyed that she and her daughter Princess Eugenie dared to draw attention to the mistreatment of children in Turkish orphanages by participating in an undercover documentary. I hope the British government tells the Turkish government exactly what it can do with its extradition request. While I highly doubt that Her Grace had any such intention, I also hope this kerfuffle does hinder Turkish EU membership; Turkey is not a European country and does not belong in the EU. Whether the EU should exist at all is of course another question...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
From Secretary to King
Peggielene Bartels, a secretary at the Ghanaian embassy in Washington, was surprised 15 months ago to discover that she had become the new King--not Queen--of Otuam in Ghana. Her story has already caught the attention of royal biographer Eleanor Herman.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)