Knighthoods obsolete in modern Australia
By Adam Shand
It
seems like a dream-like memory when, in 1999, Australia voted in a
referendum against sending our vice regal trappings back to ole
Blighty. There was majority support for Australia to become a sovereign
republic, but division in the yes vote meant the status quo was
retained.
Now
remarkably there seems enthusiastic support in Australia for British
Prime Minister Gordon Browns suggestion that the Commonwealth Honours
system be revived to honour the exploits of cricketers.
Browns reasoning seems as flawed as some Australians desire to plunge back into the past seems ridiculous.
"I
believe it was a good tradition to celebrate the achievements of great
Commonwealth cricketers - it shows we are a nation of good sports.
Personally, I would like to see some of the great players of our era
receive honorary awards so that the British nation can salute their
achievements in one of our national sports, Brown told The Telegraph newspaper.
So,
essentially, Brown wants to congratulate foreign players with
knighthoods for kicking the backsides of the England cricket team. How
dispiriting for Englands struggling XI to have to call ruffians like
Shane Warne Sir.
So starved are the English people of
sporting success, the Queen made the entire team Members of the British
Empire when England won the 2005 Ashes series against Australia.
Captain Michael Vaughan and coach Duncan Fletcher were admitted to the
Order of the British Empire. Paul Collingwood, who only played the last
Test match, scoring 10 and 7, still got a gong. The currency seems a
trifle debased.
While
still a-courting the Australian public pre-election Labor leader Kevin
Rudd sorta, kinda promised there would be a fresh debate about a
republic if he was prime minister.
We
are still yet to see the colour of his flag on this one, but reviving
the old honours system would devalue our own honours here. Who would
want to be a Companion in the Order of Australia when you could be a
knight of the realm? Rudd needs to politely let this through the
keeper. Australias critical shortage of dragons in need of slaying
settles the issue for this correspondent.
And
of course, just as Shane Warnes ex-wife Simone might say: she who
waits for her knight will probably end up cleaning up after his horse.