Australia, New Zealand, Canada and many Caribbean countries may view the queen’s passing as an opportunity to cut their ties with the British crown. But breaking free may prove harder to do than to say
Australia is a particularly interesting case. The British monarch’s notional sway over its national affairs has long seemed anachronistic. In 1975 a deadlock between the House of Representatives and the Senate created a national crisis. To break it Sir John Kerr, the governor-general, or queen’s representative, of Australia personally dismissed the Labor government. Labor’s supporters were distraught; in 1977 Sir John had to resign after enduring two years of protests and criticism.
The release of the papers caused a storm. The reminder that, at least until recently, Britain’s monarchy exerted a considerable influence on Australian politics reinvigorated republicanism in the country. And with Charles now Australia’s king, many of its citizens will wonder if this is the moment to relinquish the monarchy. Polling finds that around one-third of Australians would back a republic.
Canada, too, may decide to ditch the monarchy. But the hurdle to getting rid of Charles is even higher than in Australia. Instead of a referendum, Canada requires “unanimous consent”: that is, a majority of the House of Commons, the Senate and all ten provincial legislatures. Emmett Macfarlane, a political scientist at the University of Waterloo, points out that no proposed constitutional amendment has ever passed such a high bar.
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