PRO-republican leaders lost their collective minds this week after the “Palace Letters” disproved their long-held claims of royal involvement in the Whitlam dismissal.
Expecting a smoking gun that would trigger a rush to republicanism, the newly released documents instead shredded the anti-Monarchists’ credibility – forcing them to invent conspiracy theories to hide their disarray.
After campaigning so hard for their release, Australian Republican Movement (ARM) chairman Peter Fitzsimons immediately attempted to discredit the letters as nothing more than cover to “give the Queen plausible deniability”.
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His pro-republican organisation spun a similar line saying the 1975 correspondence between Buckingham Palace and Australian Governor-General John Kerr were an “arrogant attempt” to mislead all Australians and which treated them “like idiots”.
“It is clear from the Palace Letters that Buckingham Palace was consulted and forewarned about Governor-General John Kerr’s decision to dismiss the Whitlam government,” ARM said in a statement following the release of the letters by the National Archives on Tuesday.
“Without the explicit assurances of the Palace, Sir John Kerr may not have acted.”
This is crazy spin-doctoring based on fact-less hypotheticals from ARM. Not even pro-republic supporters are buying into it.
Constitutional expert and pro-republican Anne Twomey said the letters made it clear the Queen had not encouraged the dismissal of Mr Whitlam.
“There seems to be this assumption the Queen wanted Sir John to dismiss Mr Whitlam but there’s no evidence of this,” she said. “I actually think the opposite.
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“It’s certainly not in the Queen’s interest to have that kind of controversy because, to state the obvious, it encourages republicanism.
“Indeed, a lot of the material suggests the Palace was trying to discourage Sir John from acting.”
The correspondence made clear the Crown was unaware of Kerr’s intention to dismiss Whitlam until after he had acted on November 11, 1975.
Regardless, Mr Fitzsimons said he stood firmly by every word of ARM’s latest accusations.
Gough Whitlam’s Labor government was dismissed by Australian Governor-General Sir John Kerr after it failed to have its 1975 budget passed by Parliament – effectively sending the government into bankruptcy.PC
Historians, particularly the hysterical types always write history to suit their own ends and ideologies.
The bandanaman is a prime example of this. Its about time someone took that red rag off his head and stuffed it in his mouth.
The Pirate is the monarchists best asset. Keep him in his role at all costs.
We are a constitutional monarchy come back in 500 yrs if you want any chance of a republic.
Poor old Pete, is DAZED and Confused……ANYWAY so I guess he is, at least consistent…. Couldn’t play rugby that well either, from memory!
Fitzsimons never hears anything unless it proves his beliefs. He is not a journalist. Just someone that uses journalism as a cover and pulpit to push his own agendas. Most of his “arguments“ are pure sophistry of the most cynical nature.