HOSTED OPINION
Questions arising from or re-invoked
by the accession to the throne of a new monarch
Democracy, sovereignty, monarchy,
vassalage and citizenship
CONTENTS
1. Accession proclamation*, text reproduced below. Published in
The London Gazette (Official public record) 12 September 2022, Supplement: 63812 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/63812/supplement
2. OPINION: Questions arising with the accession to the throne of a new monarch **
A PROCLAMATION
Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to call to His Mercy our late Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth the Second of Blessed and Glorious Memory, by whose Decease the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is solely and rightfully come to The Prince Charles Philip Arthur George:
We, therefore, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of this Realm and Members of the House of Commons, together with other members of Her late Majesty’s Privy Council and representatives of the Realms and Territories, Aldermen and Citizens of London, and others, do now hereby with one voice and Consent of Tongue and Heart publish and proclaim that The Prince Charles Philip Arthur George is now, by the Death of our late Sovereign of Happy Memory, become our only lawful and rightful Liege Lord Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories, King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to whom we do acknowledge all Faith and Obedience
with humble Affection; beseeching God by whom Kings and Queens do reign to bless His Majesty with long and happy Years to reign over us.
Given at St. James’s Palace this tenth day of September in the year of Our Lord two thousand and twenty-two.
Signatories: Many privy councillors, list available in The London Gazette reference above.
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OPINION
Questions arising with the accession to the throne of a new monarch.
Pre-amble
In the "accession proclamation" text the monarch is described as "sovereign". In a recent statement Charles Windsor referred to his kingly new status as "sovereign".
Sovereignty according to The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary OED, 3rd edition, p.2059:
Supremacy in respect of power, domination or rank.
The position, rank or power of a supreme ruler or monarch; royal authority or dominion.
The supreme controlling power in communities not under monarchical government; absolute and independent authority.
According to the proclamation of accession to the throne, "We ... representatives of the realms and territories ... citizens ... and others" "acknowledge obedience to" "our only lawful and rightful Liege Lord Charles the Third".
Meaning of "liege" (The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition, p.1208)
Referring to the Lord ("superior"): "Entitled to feudal allegiance and service"
Referring to the Vassal: "Bound to render feudal allegiance and service"
Meaning of "vassal" OED p. 2455
A humble servant or subordinate: one devoted to the service of another.
In the feudal system, one holding lands from a superior on conditions of homage and allegiance.
One who is completely subject to some influence.
Questions:
As part of our system of government we have a monarchy. This means rule by one person. Also we are said to have democracy which means rule by the people. How can that combination work in practice? Who is really in charge? Who holds responsibility for government, for deciding serious matters of state, and who holds responsibility for law-making?
Pre-amble to a further question
Again, in the UK and its countries we are said to have democracy which means rule by the people. In a democracy the people, at least all enfranchised citizens, own and hold ultimate power and so are sovereign. (Usually this power is expressed and applied by the electorate using the method of voting about public issues or voting to elect politicians.) In contradiction of this, according to the above official state proclamation of a monarch's accession to the throne, we the people have agreed to submit to and obey the will of one individual person. So it appears that because the people, "demos", must obey and so can be overruled by the monarch, we do not have democracy but perhaps a form of consultation of the people by an authority. Experts have frequently asserted that the UK is indeed a democracy but this highly important status is not laid down in law nor entrenched in a constitution of state.
Above we have seen that our current constitutional status is unclear, confusing and full of contradiction. This has led to "muddling through" and arguably has hindered our progress towards high-quality, state-of-the-art democracy and governance. Thus, injustice and unfairness have been allowed to persist or grow. This deficitary condition is potentially a source of great danger in and for this powerful state which must carry great responsibility and show wise statecraft in our turbulent modern world.
Question:
Is it not now in 2022 very clearly time to clarify the status of citizens and of our democracy? After public information and careful deliberation we must surely and urgently apply legally binding democratic action to revise our state's constitution in these fundamental aspects.
OPINION written in September 2022 by M. Wallace-Macpherson, Perthshire and Manchester, founder (1999) of a campaign for better democracy http://www.iniref.org/
Comments and replies are invited. These may be sent by e-mail to proclaim@iniref.org and if you wish send your comment to on-line discussions, news outlets and social media. This document will be published on-line at http://www.iniref.org/record62.html
* Also available from the Privy Council
https://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-09-10-Accession-Proclamation.pdf
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