We had twin rebellions in 1837-8 that were put down, but we were granted responsible government (that is, self-government) to keep us happy and non-rebellious.
The Treaty of Westminster came about because we felt that, given our sacrifices in WWI, especially at Vimy Ridge, we were a nation and it was about time we were recognised as one. We didn't get our Constitution until 1982 (the repatriation of the British North America Act - basically it meant the piece of legislation that established the Dominion in 1867 was transferred from the UK to Canada so that we could be in charge of our own Constitution). Our path to indepence was longer and a bit more sedate than yours, but the demand for change came from this side of the pond. This is the King-Byng affair I was talking about earlier. I was wrong on a few details. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King-Byng_affair |
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[quotes]Didn't we (Netherlands) at one point have the same king as some other country? I think it was Austria or something, but I'm not sure. But because there were different laws there, someone else inheritted it.[/quotes]
Sounds like the War of the Austrian Succession. Maria Theresa of Austria was named heir to the Holy Roman Emperor (her father), but half of Europe couldn't stomach the thought of a female ruler and the other half saw a chance to grab some territory by using it as a pretext. It's scary having this much useless information crammed into my head. |
"The distinction that nobody realises is that Canada isn't part of the UK, Canada shares a monarch with the UK. When she's over here, she's Queen of Canada. Furthermore, she's a reigning monarch but not a ruling monarch, which means she doesn't get to pass laws. Further furthermore, she's delegated her authority to the Governor General, which means all we ever see of the old girl is her face on the money and stamps."
So of what use is the Royal Family if all they do is act as part of a complicated set of checks and balances that could easily be accomplished in a better way through a system closer to the USs'? |
Because we're not the US. We don't want to be the US (well, most of us). We've been arguing about Canadian Identity since Day 1, and about the only thing we can agree on is that we're Unamerican.
Put another way, this system works for us and it's too much effort to change it. Rather than get all worked up about it and pull everything up by the roots, we did the Canadian thing and politely pushed the old girl into the corner, where we can ignore her without being actively rude. |
Ah, c'mon. You're America Lite.
Hmm.... More like America Ice, actually. |
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Nate: The way I see it, our queen at least, is more of a symbol than anything else. She does have some power that some of us think is already too much for a non-elected person, but it's not really significant. |
America Ice. :)
I believe that would be Minnesota. Go Gophers! |
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She was driven right past me at the '94 Commonwealth games. I got a brief flash of a little old lady in the back of a fancy car, and then she was gone. |
What does the Queen actually do? I mean, her personally. Has SHE actually done ANYTHING?
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(Both are now thought of by Americans (when they bother to think of them at all) as just part of the French and Indian Wars. Is all how you look at it.) Quote:
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I'm not really a fan of the whole royal family idea (In the way that most people are not 'fans' of smallpox). They cost money, they get privilege they really do not deserve and there's probley a bit of jealousy thrown in too.
But the only thing I think they've got going is the whole adding 'Royal' to front of things. We haven't got just a navy. We've got 'The Royal Navy'. It's not the mail service. It's 'The Royal Mail'. *Question in a question..... Its the Royal Navy and the Royal Airforce....why not the Royal Army?* On the first question, I just though it was all down to the order of things. If there's a Queen and she marries, he can't be King cos he would outrank her, so he's a Prince. If there is a King, he can have a Queen.... she won't affect him. If the King gets run over by a bus or whatever, the oldest son or daughter becomes the reigning monarch, not the tart the king married. So there was no point in her driving that bus over him, she won't be the ruler. We had: Edward and George Eddie was the oldest, but he sodded off to marry a American woman (She couldn't be queen cos she had been divorced - Simpson something) So George was King. He had a wife Queen 'Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon' and two Daughters 'Elizabeth' and 'Margaret'. When he died, his wife ('Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon') became the 'Queen mother' as she couldn't be the ruler (Not special enough, you see). As the oldest, Elizabeth became our Queen. Or Queeny as she likes to be known. Bit sucky though, eh? Just because you're born later, you never get to be King? |
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Aragon, Castile, Navarre, The Basque Territories, Granada, The 17 Provinces, Milan, Most of Southern America in the Sixteenth Century. It's called monarquia, bub. Quote:
And I refuse to refer to you as 'great' :p |
*snerf*
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In the sixteenth century I don't think any of those called themselves separate countries, at least not in earshot of England.
So I wandered over to the Wikipedia line of succession page, and found it most interesting. 1. There are way more kings and queens still "active" in Europe than we think. 2. All of them are somehow in the lines of succession for each other. 3. The rules about who can be king are very strict. 4. Somebody has way too much time on their hands calculating this stuff, because there are thousands of entries that will NEVER be King. They'll be dead before the list works its way down to them. |
Thank Victoria Hanover/Saxe-Coburg-Gotha for that whole mess as to who-is-related-to-whom.
The exception AFAIK is Juan Carlos. And in the sixteenth century, no-one gave two hoots about England, except the Pope and the King of Castile, the King of Aragon, the King of Navarre, the King of Seville (basically, the King of Spain), because Drake kept burning his ports/annoying his ships. And yes, they did call themselves separate countries. The 17 Provinces, for example, did not count themselves as part of Spain. Nor did Castile consider itself part of Aragon or Navarre part of the Basque. |
The King of Spain still holds 21 Kingly titles, some of which are actually in Spain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._Spanish_Crown These Spaniards seem to be packrats as far as titles are concerned. Most of those titles used to be Hapsburg possessions and haven't been Spanish for centuries. I think they bought the other half at aristocratic rummage sales - not the territories, just the titles. |
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