The media is a awash with breathless sycophantic vomitus, following the death of Betty Windsor. Flags are down and parliament is off (in “mourning”) for 15 days.The bilge pours out of tired old Tory lords, loyalists and its commentariat.
One of the richest monarchs, with net worth of $28 billion according to Forbes magazine, and a personal net worth of $500 million, she also was afforded a hefty Sovereign Grant of $120 million dollars annually from the people of Britain.
With a vast wealth and army of supporters in the parliament, law, military and business “the firm” as its called is the confected leading edge of British imperialism, and Betty Windsor was a key actor in the royal role play.
Part of the role play was the pretense of impartiality and non-interference in political life. Patriots and progressive Australians know this to be a myth, revealed in the events leading to the the coup that overthrew the Whitlam government in 1975.
Windsor’s heir, Charles also has dirty hands in the 1975 coup, as copious correspondence has been revealed by Professor Jenny Hocking in the Palacepapers.
British imperialism now plays second fiddle to U.S. imperialism in Australia but it exerts its power through its governors, the military and business interests. The British are the biggest foreign landowners here. There are long established British political and social fingers in Australian society.
British imperialism’s heavy presence was gained by the genocide and removal of Australia’s First Nations people. After 244 years, their names and statues dominate the landscape.
Enough genuflection and toadyism to the British. Its time for a real commonwealth in a People’s Republic of Australia.
