Anachronisms

"Aren't the 'colonies' curious my dear?"

In this week's Camino a Ítaca, a less jubliant Royal Jubilee. Click over to read the original piece in Spanish in el HOY or read the English version below.

What do such diverse countries as Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Great Britain, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Tuvalu all have in common? 

If you’re having trouble finding a common thread between such vastly different nations, I wouldn’t be surprised. After all, they span the globe and range from huge frozen spaces, such as my native Canada, to tiny South Pacific nations that are difficult to find on the map.

Still struggling? Here’s a hint, Barbados used to be part of the group.

That was until last year when the Caribbean Island nation made the bold move to right a wrong that began in the 1600’s and took their final step in becoming a fully sovereign nation. The country came of age and replaced the Queen of England as head of state with an elected representative and became a republic. And it is just the latest Caribbean country to do so. In 1970, Guyana dropped the Queen as its head of state, followed by Trinidad and Tobago in 1976, and Dominica in 1978. Mauritius, way out in the Indian Ocean, left the club in 1992.

While it may come as a surprise, the rest of the countries on that list all have Queen Elizabeth as head of state. In these countries, known as Commonwealth realms, the queen appoints a representative, such as a governor general which is generally recommended by the popularly elected leader, such as the prime minister or president but the queen remains head of state.

Sometimes these countries are confused with other members of the Commonwealth. Most of whose members are simply states, like India, Kenya and Malaysia, with close ties to the United Kingdom. These do not have the queen as their monarch and who elect a head of state from among their own people.

But these are tough times for those with blue blood. Life is no longer just a steady stream of Vega Sicilia and jilted former lovers. During a recent tour of the Caribbean, Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge were greeted by more protests than admiration as they drove around in colonialist parades. Local protesters in Belize and Jamaica called for a formal apology by the royals for their family’s role in the enslavement and brutalization of Africans and demanded reparations. Something they refuse to do.

As they treated their sunburns back home, Belize, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis all announced plans to follow Barbados’ lead.

Then another royal shock happened over the weekend, not in Sanxenxo, but in our antipodes. Australia ousted their populist right wing Prime Minister and elected Anthony Albanese. The Labor leader is an avowed republican who has stated that Australia should hold a referendum to remove the queen as head of State.

Growth and change are inevitable. As these brave nations have shown, coming of age and becoming a truly democratic country does not have to be traumatic. The word ‘republic’ doesn’t have to mean rebellion. It simply means choice. The power to choose heads of state and peacefully oust them if and when necessary.