[HPforGrownups] Re: Wizards and the Queen

[Shaun Hately]

No: HPFGUIDX 83676

On 27 Oct 2003 at 15:48, Geoff Bannister wrote:

> Occasionally, the monarch will be called in to solve a knotty 
> constitutional problem as when the Australian Governor-General 
> dismissed the Prime Minister several years ago. 

On a point of order (-8

Her Majesty was not consulted by the Governor-General of Australia prior to the 
dismissal of the government of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. Sir John Kerr 
acted on his knowledge of the Constitution of Australia, with the advice of the 
Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, without any reference to the Crown. 
The Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia 
made contact with the Queen to ask her to intervene after the event. She declined 
and made it quite clear that she felt she felt she had 'no part in the decisions 
which the Governor-General must take in accordance with the Constitution,' and 
that 'it would not be proper... to intervene in person in matters which are so clearly 
placed within the jurisdiction of the Governor-General by the Constitution Act.'

The whole event did lead to the best speech in Australian political history, which 
was a plus for me (I like speeches).

In terms of Harry Potter - I think the fairly complex relationships between the 
Monarchy and the numerous members of the Commonwealth, serve to illustrate 
just how complex any relationship between the Crown and the Wizarding World 
might be - the Monarchy is an institution that is used to dealing with convoluted 
relationships.




Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately | www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       | drednort at alphalink.com.au | ICQ: 6898200 
"You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one
thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the 
facts. They alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be 
uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that 
need altering." The Doctor - Doctor Who: The Face of Evil
Where am I: Frankston, Victoria, Australia