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Monarchy

Friday June 10, 2022

June 10, 2022 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday June 10, 2022

Easier to use than lose the monarchy

June 11, 2016

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations have come and gone in this country without a lot of the Canadian public even realizing they were ever even here. In the United Kingdom, a four-day feel-good holiday saw 2,000 street parties, rock concerts and thousands of jubilant Brits cheering the monarch outside Buckingham Palace. Our Commonwealth cousins, the Australians, enthusiastically kicked up their heels in four days of festivities, too, as landmarks across their antipodean nation were bathed in royal-purple lights, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese lit a special Commonwealth beacon and an island was renamed in Elizabeth’s honour. But in Canada, the loudest sounds came from crickets.

The best you can say about the federal government’s underwhelming response is that it was a foolproof cure for insomnia. Yes, there was a three-day whirlwind tour in May of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, that saw them stop in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ottawa and the Northwest Territories but, strangely, get nowhere near any of the country’s very biggest cities. Ho hum. If the government had deliberately set out to stage a mainly invisible non-event, it could not have succeeded better, something John Fraser, of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada called “embarrassing.”

July 11, 2020

Fraser may be in the minority. An Angus Reid poll from April reported that 51 per cent of respondents oppose this country continuing as a constitutional monarchy, though most by far personally admired the Queen. Yet despite such ambivalent views, there are strong reasons to conclude Canada just missed out on several nationally-unifying opportunities. First — and whatever the future holds for the Canadian Crown — we squandered the chance to properly commemorate Elizabeth’s extraordinary achievement of being the longest reigning monarch in not just British but Canadian history. It was an ungenerous move on Ottawa’s part.

The beating heart of this jubilee is a woman who has committed her life to public service since 1952 and continues to make a few public appearances at the age of 96. As Canada’s head of state, she has done everything this country has asked of her for 70 years, ever since Louis St. Laurent was prime minister. To be sure, Canada has changed phenomenally since she ascended the throne; but she remains a living symbol of our shared traditions and values as well as a cornerstone of Canadian democracy.

January 13, 2020

That brings us to Point 2: Had Ottawa marked this jubilee with more than indifference it could have reminded Canadians that we remain a constitutional monarchy. The Crown is embedded in the warp and woof of our political fabric and speaks to the deliberate division between our Head of State (the Queen) and the head of government (Justin Trudeau). Power, legally speaking, resides in the Crown even though the Queen and her representative, the Governor General, use it rarely and only in urgent situations. But while the PM and his government wield the power, they do so only with House of Commons majority support. They are ephemeral. The Crown is permanent, or at least it has been throughout the 155 years of Canadian Confederation.

Time, of course, frays many traditional bonds. And with the ongoing reckoning with a colonial past that too often devastated Indigenous Peoples, the old bonds, symbols and ways are increasingly being questioned and, in some cases, tossed. But those who would criticize the monarchy in this country face an uphill slog if they want to dump it. For starters, we’d have to decide what should replace the monarchy. Do we elect a governor general in a nationwide vote? Sounds complicated. How about a republic, with an all-powerful president as head of state — someone who might turn out to be a Donald Trump? Oops.

July 24, 2019

And even if someone came up with a reasonable alternative, divesting ourselves of the Crown could never happen without the approval of the House of Commons, Senate, and every provincial legislature. That constitutional bar’s almost impossible to clear. And remember: When the changes proposed in the Meech Lake accord failed to achieve this in the 1990s, the result was a national unity crisis, a near-miss for Quebec separation and the destruction of the old Progressive Conservative party. Want to dance through this mine field again?

As a respected and, in some quarters, beloved monarch heads into her final years, perhaps we should have these discussions. But people should speak up with their eyes wide open. A little clear foresight might convince us to find new ways to use the Canadian monarchy rather than try to lose it. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2022-19, beaver, Canada, constitutional monarchy, crown, government, Jubilee, Monarchy, platinum jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II

Saturday January 15, 2022

January 15, 2022 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday January 15, 2022

Prince Andrew: Ruthless royals move to limit the damage

There was no waiting to see if Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, could clear his name in court. He’s already lost the use of his HRH, and his military links have been severed.

March 9, 2021

“Brutal,” tweeted royal commentator Peter Hunt. “The Windsors have shown that when the institution is under threat, dynastic preservation trumps flesh and blood.”

It could also be seen as inevitable. Rather than facing endless awkward questions about Prince Andrew’s future, Buckingham Palace has made a pre-emptive strike, effectively announcing that he will never return to an official royal role.

The royal statement, in two short sentences, moves him from 61 years as a public figure to a “private citizen”.

Separate to the merits of the civil court case, from a reputational perspective this story has been like a leaking supertanker gushing out bad news, and the Royal Family want to stop any more from washing up on its shores.

Posted in: International Tagged: #meToo, 2022-02, castle, docent, Duke of York, Great Britain, history, International, Monarchy, Museum, Palace, Prince Andrew, Royal, UK

MacKay’s Monarchy Merch

September 27, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

 

House of Tudor socks

You may be familiar with my depictions of each King and Queen through English and British history. Whether it’s simply the bizarre pomp, weird clothes, or the complex social impact they had on civilizations for centuries, they represent an intriguing chronology of human history and culture.

The ermine, the crowns, the jewels, sceptres, orbs, funny hats and regalia – how can anyone not appreciate all that wonderful, ostentatious bling. It’s as fantastic to draw as it is to gaze upon. There’s a reason why the crown jewels at the Tower of London can only be viewed from a conveyor belt moving humans along because of the non-stop line of people who want to look at them.

ER mug

While monarchy as a form of government can be applied to many parts of the world through history, and still does today in various forms, it is the constitutional structure in Canada that is of particular interest to me for obvious reasons being a Canadian. The British monarch applies to this country as the rock solid foundation of power and authority abiding by limits prescribed within an established legal framework. It affirms order in times of peace, with good government, to paraphrase the expression that goes as a pretty good slogan among the realm states of the mother country. They have for a thousand years acted on desires to expand their influence and have fended off external challenges by those seeking to expand their own powers. They have had to contend with many rebellions from within and have adapted accordingly, surrendering human control along the way and all the flaws that come with human nature, to codifying a structure of order, justice, rights, and freedoms.

British Monarchs through the ages pandemic mask

But it’s the human faces of the institution that has stirred countless passions among humanity over the centuries from cultish followings of loyalty and devotion, to utter contempt and hatred. It is the longest soap opera of the English speaking world, with big bold leading figures coming and going through the ages providing volumes of dramatic storylines. From the battles: the victories and the losses; the struggles with the church; the politics; the culture, the literature, the art, the architecture, the music and theatre, there is much we owe a debt of gratitude to the royal figures who led Great Britain as these blossomed.

British Monarchy Merch

“To mask, or not to mask. I know the answer.”

While William Shakespeare isn’t exactly British royalty he sure saw the soap opera nature about them. Writing plays about Richard II, Richard III, Henry IV,  Henry V, Henry VI, and even the biggest Henry of them all, Henry VIII.  Incidentally, he also wrote about Roman Emperors, and there’s a design I offer of Julius Caesar.  

England’s King Henrys

Speaking of Henry, how about just King Henry socks. All the Henrys on one sock – ask yourself, has there ever been such a thing? Is there anywhere else on the planet one can find such a product?  Ideal for the British history buff, or for the Henrys in your life, these socks cover Henry I (1100-1135), Henry II (1154-1189), Henry III (1216-1272), Henry IV (1399-1413), Henry V (1413-1422), Henry VI (1422-1453), Henry VII (1495-1509), and Henry VIII (1509-1547.)

The 6 Wives Mouse Pad

The Six Wives of Henry VIII made this British monarch one of the most intriguing historical characters of all time. During Henry VIII’s reign the Renaissance was beginning to unfold, the Protestant Reformation was gearing up, and one man’s chaotic love life and quest for a male heir was turning events upside down and causing turmoil that would endure for years after his death in 1547.  These women are well documented and chronicled for all the drama of romance, betrayal, and tragedy against the backdrop of a tyrannical royal setting. For the student of British history this design is a fun reminder of a time with a favoured set of chapters from the royal textbook.

 

Thomas Cranmer coasters, you ask? Why not?

Thomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, the boy-king Edward VI and, briefly, bloody Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, bringing about the Church of England. Dude wore colourful robes and funny hats. Unfortunate for him was his belief in the supremacy of Kings and Queens, which didn’t go over well with Queen Mary, a rebel Catholic child of Henry VIII. Under her reign Cranmer was dragged to a public square and burned alive. 

Louis XIV t-shirt

Designs on offer are not just restricted to the English monarchy. There is a caricature of Louis XIV, King of France, otherwise known as the Sun King (1643-1715.) It was his long 72 year reign as an absolute monarch clinging to the notion of Divine Right of Kings, his failure to reform state institutions which arguably contributed to social dissent leading years after to the French Revolution. Which Frenchman gained more than any other Frenchman because of the French Revolution? Napoleon Bonaparte, of course, but like all other heroes against the establishment, Oliver Cromwell immediately comes to mind, both eventually fell into the trap as pretenders to the crowd, and both have designs of themselves in the MacKaycartoons Boutique.

Czar Vladimir Putin spiral notebook

Speaking of crown pretenders, they may not be a monarchs, but there are two heads of state who might easily be viewed as such considering things they’ve said or done or enacted. Vladimir Putin, has been ruler of Russia since the days of Bill Clinton.  Putin has overseen numerous changes of his country’s Constitution which may effectively find him ruling like a czar over Russia for many years to come. In case you’re not into him being depicted in all that regalia, there is a standard design of  a suited full-bodied Vladimir Putin.

 

King Donald Trup sticker

Donald Trump is all about golden flourishes on his over the top real estate holdings, so much so that he disparaged the digs handed to him when he won the U.S. Presidency. Accused of trying to rule like a king, he declares his admiration for autocrats and oppressive regimes of our times that wouldn’t be out of the ordinary from 12th century England. 

Posted in: Cartooning Tagged: gifts, holiday, Monarchy, Redbubble, Vacation

Saturday April 10, 2021

April 17, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday April 10, 2021

Prince Philip loved Canada, and knew this country in good times and bad

Prince Philip, in personal encounters, had a special ability to put you immediately at ease at the same time as he kept you on edge. It was his style: he loved to demystify the monarchy so you didn’t sound like a blithering idiot when you were addressed by a member of the family. But at the same time, he also brought to conversation a degree of forthright questioning that sometimes could turn you into … well, a blithering idiot.

October 3, 2002

He loved Canada and probably visited this country more than any other on the planet, both officially with the Queen he served so dutifully and lovingly all those years, and privately on many more occasions, especially in connection with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards or the World Wildlife Fund.

In a life spread throughout most of the 20th century and well into the 21st, he met thousands of people and graced hundreds of institutions. When he made one of several visits to Massey College in the University of Toronto during the Golden Jubilee Year (2002) to become the college’s first Honorary Senior Fellow he was asked — inevitably — to unveil a plaque honouring the visit. The college flag was draped somewhat ornately over the plaque and he went up to it with a certain degree of familiarity:

June 11, 2016

“You about to see the handiwork of a master unveiler of plaques,“ he said with a wry smile. Then he took one corner of the flag and with a few twists of the wrist made it twirl in the air which made everyone laugh.

He wrote later that he had “a soft spot” for Massey College. He had laid its cornerstone in a previous visit in 1962 and he was a particular friend of the college’s founder, Vincent Massey, the first Canadian-born governor general. It was part of a much larger soft spot for Canada as a whole.

January 23, 2021

And he knew the country in good times and bad. Famously, during the troubled visit of 1964 during the height of the Quiet Revolution Quebeckers backs were turned on him and the Queen as their official car headed for the provincial legislature. Later at a press reception, he pointed out that if Canada was tired of being a monarchy perhaps we could try to end it with a bit of civility. “We don’t come here for our health,” he pointed out. “We can think of other ways of spending our time.”

Although a deeply intelligent and inherently kind man with an extraordinary sense of duty, it was his testiness that was a big part of his appeal, and also what got him into trouble. Depending on your views of the monarchy, his off-the-cuff quips were either a sign of the blatant ridiculousness of the Crown or proof of its enduring power. It was usually a matter of perspective.

April 9, 2002

He certainly understood the often murky deal between the Crown and the media that both sides played. On the one hand, there was deep resentment within the Royal Family and those officials who served them at the brutal way the media could often push into their lives during troubled periods. At the same time, the media has for some time now been the leading handmaiden in securing the Crown’s hold over people’s imagination, to the equal irritation for their own reasons of republicans and royalists alike.

He was a man marked for life by his earliest experience of being poor but royal, impoverished but often in the presence of vast wealth, alone in the world but determined to survive and make his mark. And it was all done with a sense of duty that has few parallels in our own time. (National Post) 

 

Posted in: Canada, International Tagged: 2021-14, Balmoral, Canada, Commonwealth, consort, corgi, death, Duke of Edinburgh, duty, Monarchy, Obit, Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth, royalty, service, shadow, UK

Tuesday March 9, 2021

March 16, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday March 9, 2021

Prince Harry clarifies that it was not Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Philip who commented on Archie’s skin color

During Sunday night’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey on CBS, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex revealed that there were discussions about “how dark” their baby’s skin color would be. On Monday morning, Oprah told “CBS This Morning” that neither Queen Elizabeth II nor Prince Phillip made the comments. 

January 22, 2020

After describing the conversations about how Archie would not be given the title of prince and how he wouldn’t have security, Meghan said there were discussions while she was pregnant about “how dark” Archie’s skin color would be.

“In those months when I was pregnant, all around the same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of, he won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born,” Meghan said.

“What?” Oprah asked. “Who is having that conversation with you? What?”

January 13, 2020

Meghan said “so, um,” and Oprah said, “Hold up, there is a conversation?” Meghan replied, “There were several conversations.” 

“Potentially, and what that would mean and what that would look like,” Meghan said, adding that the conversations were with Harry. 

She wouldn’t reveal who it was who had the conversation with Harry, saying it “would be very damaging to them.”

May 19, 2018

“It was really hard to see those as compartmentalized conversations,” she added.

On Monday morning, Oprah told “CBS This Morning” that neither the queen nor her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, was involved in that conversation. 

“[Harry] did not share the identity with me, but he wanted to make sure that I knew, and if I had the opportunity to share it, that it was not his grandmother or his grandfather that were part of those conversations,” Oprah told Gayle King. “I tried to get that answer on camera and off.”

Harry said he is “never going to share” more about the conversation about Archie’s skin tone, only saying it was “right at the beginning.”

The couple is now expecting their second child, a girl, due this summer.  (CBS) 

 

Posted in: International, USA Tagged: 2021-09, kkk, Meghan Markle, Monarchy, Oprah Winphrey, Prince Harry, racism, Royals, royalty, UK, USA
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Please note…

This website contains satirical commentaries of current events going back several decades. Some readers may not share this sense of humour nor the opinions expressed by the artist. To understand editorial cartoons it is important to understand their effectiveness as a counterweight to power. It is presumed readers approach satire with a broad minded foundation and healthy knowledge of objective facts of the subjects depicted.

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