Not My King

Monarchy is an outdated institution. Mature political systems do not require paternalistic figures – they consist of societies of people of equality. Democracy cannot exist without this equality.
Australians have had mixed histories when it comes to royalty. The Indigenous peoples have suffered dreadfully from colonialism and continue to feel its effects. People of Irish descent resent the division of their homeland. Those with Scottish ancestry are bitter about the British government’s refusal to allow an independence referendum. Those of us whose convict origins give us the status of what one prominent actor called ‘Australian royalty’ have no illusions about the motivations of ‘transportation’.
In 1975 ‘the crown’ dismissed our lawfully elected government. Since sycophantic media have maintained the monarchy as an easy means of selling their dubious products. At the end of the twentieth century conservatives manipulated a referendum on changing the constitution and the head of state. When the result was negative, a future prime minister referred to the breaking of the nation’s heart.
Many of us were appalled when our Labor prime minister went along to the coronation of the latest incumbent and called him ‘king of Australia’. Australian republicans have been encouraged to see demonstrations by British people chanting ‘you are not my king’. They seem to understand that they have a choice between the monarchy and a decent health service. Australia should lead this push as we do not have any need for this wasteful, antiquated institution and its social trappings.

The tune is a variant of a well known Jacobite song.