Grenada Monarchist League | |
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Founded | 7 February 2024 |
Headquarters | St. George's, Grenada |
Ideology | Monarchism (Grenadian) |
Slogan | For the Advancement and Defence of the Nutmeg Crown. |
Website | |
www.grenadamonarchist.org |
The Grenada Monarchist League (GML) is an unincorporated nonprofit organisation in Grenada, promoting and educating on the Grenadian monarchy and Constitution. The organisation was founded on 7 February 2024, in response to increased pressures of republicanism among politicians in Grenada following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the country's Golden Jubilee of independence. [1] [2]
The Grenada Monarchist League is an unincorporated nonprofit organisation. The organisation is independent and non-partisan, not being formally associated with any political party or other organisation. It has no paid staff, relying on volunteers to keep the group operating. [3] The organisation is governed by a General Assembly consisting of all registered members of the league. An Executive Council comprising a chairman, deputy chairman, Head of Diaspora Affairs, and appointed Executive Councillors is tasked with the day-to-day operations of the organisation. The chairman, deputy chairman and Head of Diaspora Affairs are elected by the General Assembly, while Executive Councillors are appointed by the chairman, but may be removed by the General Assembly. [4]
Ahead of the Golden Jubilee of Grenadian Independence in February 2024, proposals to amend the Grenadian oath of allegiance was proposed by a number of Grenadian lawyers. [5] The proposed changes would have entailed the removal of references to the monarch from the oath, without the holding of a referendum. [6] A similar proposal had previously been defeated by 56.7% of voters at the 2016 Grenadian constitutional referendum.
The Grenada Monarchist League's first public actions following its establishment entailed a public campaign against the proposed changes to the oath. [7] The league condemned suggestions that the oath, as it stood, was to the “British monarch” and that it represented a lack of sovereignty and subordination to the United Kingdom. It accused prominent proponents of the change of spreading misinformation about the oath and the monarchy, and called on the government to drop any potential plans to amend the constitution. [8] The league further campaigned by directly contacting Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell and all the members of the House of Representatives, encouraging its members to do the same. [9]
A prominent objective of the league is the reform of the appointment process of the Governor-General, who is currently appointed by the King on the advice of the Grenadian Prime Minister. The league has proposed the establishment of a Privy Council for Grenada, which is to act as the body to advise the King on vice-regal appointments, as well as act as advisors to the Governor-General. [10]
For the purposes of this proposed reform, the league presented to the government a legislative proposal, the Privy Council (Establishment) Bill, in March 2024. The bill would establish a "Privy Council for Grenada to act as a body to advise His Majesty and the Governor-General". [10] [11] The proposed body would advise on vice-regal appointments by unanimous consent, and would consist of the Prime Minister, Leader of His Majesty's Opposition, the Minister for Carriacou and Petite Martinique, the Chair of the Public Service Commission, a judge, and 2 members appointed by the Governor-General.
The proposal faced some criticism on the basis that it was unnecessary given the ceremonial status of the Governor-General. [12] The league reiterated its calls on the government to implement the proposed bill, pointing to the important constitutional roles vested in the Governor-General, which give it important powers far beyond ceremonial duties. [13]
Other activities include educating and spreading awareness of the constitutional and ceremonial roles of the monarchy in Grenada, and dispelling misconceptions about its position. In particular, the group objects to referring to the monarchy in regards to Grenada as the "British monarchy", pointing to its formal independent status under the Statute of Westminster as the "Grenadian monarchy" [8] [13]
The league maintains an extensive overview of the monarchy's historic and political relationship with Grenada, seeking to educate Grenadians about why the monarchy matters and how it impacts governance.
The organisation has an undisclosed number of full and honorary members. Full membership is open and free to all Grenadians both resident in the country and in the diaspora, while non-Grenadians are accepted as honorary members. [14]
Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. Constitutional monarchies differ from absolute monarchies in that they are bound to exercise powers and authorities within limits prescribed by an established legal framework.
The governor general of Canada is the federal representative of the Canadian monarch, currently King Charles III. The king or queen of Canada is also monarch and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and lives in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the advice of his or her Canadian prime minister, appoints a governor general to administer the government of Canada in the monarch's name. The commission is for an indefinite period—known as serving at His Majesty's pleasure—though, five years is the usual length of term. Since 1959, it has also been traditional to alternate between francophone and anglophone officeholders. The 30th and current governor general is Mary Simon, who was sworn in on 26 July 2021. An Inuk leader from Nunavik in Quebec, Simon is the first Indigenous person to hold the office.
Republicanism in Australia is a movement to change Australia's system of government from a constitutional monarchy to a republic; notionally, a form of parliamentary republic that would replace the monarch of Australia with a non-royal Australian head of state. It is opposed to monarchism in Australia. Republicanism was first espoused in Australia before Federation in 1901. After a period of decline following Federation, the movement again became prominent at the end of the 20th century after successive legal and socio-cultural changes loosened Australia's ties with the United Kingdom.
The Australian Republic Movement (ARM) is a non-partisan organisation campaigning for Australia to become a republic. The ARM and its supporters have promoted various models including a parliamentary republic.
The Governor-General of Grenada is the representative of the Grenadian monarch, currently King Charles III, in Grenada. The Governor-General is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Grenada. The functions of the Governor-General include appointing ministers, judges, and ambassadors; giving Royal Assent to legislation passed by the Grenadian Parliament; and issuing writs for election.
The governor-general of Jamaica is the representative of the Jamaican monarch, currently King Charles III, in Jamaica. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister of Jamaica. The functions of the governor-general include appointing ministers, judges, and ambassadors; giving royal assent to legislation passed by parliament; issuing writs for election.
The Canadian Oath of Allegiance is a promise or declaration of fealty to the Canadian monarch—as personification of the Canadian state and its authority, rather than as an individual person—taken, along with other specific oaths of office, by new occupants of various federal and provincial government offices; members of federal, provincial, and municipal police forces; members of the Canadian Armed Forces; and, in some provinces, all lawyers upon admission to the bar. The Oath of Allegiance also makes up the first portion of the Oath of Citizenship, the taking of which is a requirement of obtaining Canadian nationality.
Canadian republicanism is a movement for the replacement of the monarchy of Canada and a monarch as head of state with a parliamentary republic and a democratically-selected Canadian as head of state. Republicans are driven by various factors, such as a perception of inequality in the concept of excluding all but members of the royal family from the position or the argument that Canadian independence will not be achieved until Canadians can choose their own head of state independently and democratically.
The Australian republic referendum held on 6 November 1999 was a two-question referendum to amend the Constitution of Australia. The first question asked whether Australia should become a republic, under a bi-partisan appointment model where the president would be appointed by Parliament with a two-thirds majority. This was the model that was endorsed by the Constitutional Convention, held in Canberra in February 1998. The second question, generally deemed to be far less important politically, asked whether Australia should alter the Constitution to insert a preamble.
Australians for Constitutional Monarchy (ACM) is a group that aims to preserve Australia's current constitutional monarchy, with Charles III as King of Australia. The group states that it is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation whose role is "To preserve, to protect and to defend our heritage: the Australian constitutional system, the role of the Crown in it and our Flag".
The Australian Monarchist League (AML) is an incorporated nonprofit organisation, that runs throughout Australia, promoting and educating on the Australian Constitution and monarchy. The organisation was part of the successful "no" campaign in the 1999 republic referendum, which asked whether Australia should become a republic and whether Australia should alter the constitution to insert a preamble. Neither of the amendments passed.
The monarchy of Australia is a key component of Australia's form of government, embodied by the Australian sovereign and head of state. The Australian monarchy is a constitutional one, modelled on the Westminster system of parliamentary government, while incorporating features unique to the constitution of Australia.
The monarchy of Canada forms the core of each Canadian provincial jurisdiction's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy, being the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government in each province. The monarchy has been headed since September 8, 2022 by King Charles III who as sovereign is shared equally with both the Commonwealth realms and the Canadian federal entity. He, his consort, and other members of the Canadian royal family undertake various public and private functions across the country. He is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.
The monarchy of Jamaica is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Jamaica. The current Jamaican monarch and head of state, since 8 September 2022, is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Jamaican Crown. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled King of Jamaica and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of the Jamaican state. However, the monarch is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.
On 30 November 2021, Barbados transitioned from a parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the hereditary monarch of Barbados to a parliamentary republic with a ceremonial indirectly elected president as head of state. The prime minister remained head of government while the last governor-general, Dame Sandra Mason, was elected as the country's first president on 20 October 2021, and took office on 30 November 2021.
The monarchy of Grenada is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Grenada. The current Grenadian monarch and head of state, since 8 September 2022, is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Grenadian Crown. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled King of Grenada and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of Grenada. However, the King is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.
The Australian head of state dispute is a debate as to who is considered to be the head of state of Australia—the monarch, the governor-general, or both. "Head of state" is a description used in official sources for the monarch, but the Australian constitution does not mention the term. In discussion it has been used for describing the person who holds the highest rank among the officers of government. A number of writers, most notably Sir David Smith, have argued that the term is better used to describe the governor-general. The difference of opinion has mainly been discussed in the context of Australia becoming a republic, and was prominently debated in the lead-up to the republic referendum in 1999.
The 1998 Australian Constitutional Convention was a Constitutional Convention which gathered at Old Parliament House, Canberra from 2 to 13 February 1998. It was called by the Howard government to discuss whether Australia should become a republic. The convention concluded with "in principle support" for an Australian republic and proposed a model involving appointment of the head of state by Parliament. The model was put to a referendum in November 1999 and rejected by the Australian electorate.
Republicanism in Jamaica is a position which advocates that Jamaica's system of government be changed from a constitutional monarchy to a republic. Both major political parties – the Jamaica Labour Party and the People's National Party – subscribe to the position, and the current Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, has announced that transitioning to a republic will be a priority of his government. In June 2022, the Jamaican government announced its intention that Jamaica become a republic by the time of the next general election in 2025. The process will include a two-thirds majority vote in parliament along with a referendum.
A constitutional referendum was held in Grenada on 24 November 2016. Voters were asked whether they approved of seven amendments, with each one voted on separately. The amendments would only have been approved if two-thirds of valid votes had been cast in favour. However, all seven proposals were rejected by voters. It was the first referendum in Grenada's history.