Queen is not amused by Brown's Royal succession plan

The Queen sounded a note of caution yesterday over Gordon Brown's revolutionary plans to bring equality to the monarchy.



Buckingham Palace said no changes to the laws and traditions of the Crown could be made until every country where the Queen is head of state had given its approval.

That means years of delay while 15 legislatures – including those of Australia, New Zealand and Canada – quibble over the Prime Minister's proposals.

Behind the Queen's insistence on cast-iron support from the Commonwealth is thought to lie her deep concern about the role of Christianity in Britain and the unforeseen impact of any reforms.

Mr Brown aims to remove the 308- year-old legal barriers that prevent a Roman Catholic or anyone married to a Catholic from becoming King.

He also intends to sweep away primogeniture, the ancient principle that says a man must always take precedence over a woman in line to the throne.

The surprise announcement that Downing Street and the Palace were in talks over reforms was made by Mr Brown's aides during a visit to Brasilia on Thursday.

Yesterday the Prime Minister accepted that Commonwealth countries must have a say, but added: 'I think in the 21st century people do expect discrimination to be removed and they do expect us to be looking at these issues.'

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace, however, said: 'This entire issue for us depends on obtaining agreement from each of the 15 realms of which the Queen is head of state. If an agreement were to be reached, then we would assess the situation. But not until then.'

It was underlined yesterday that the Queen is deeply committed to her overseas dominions and wants to be seen as taking her lead from them, not from the British Government.

And while Buckingham Palace was neutral over Mr Brown's reforms and the equality agenda that informs them, the Queen is known to be concerned over their impact on Christian belief and practice in Britain.

She is a serious Anglican and is aware of the possibility that Christianity may be sidelined if reforms to the monarchy culminate in the severance of the historic constitutional links between the Church of England and the state.

Mr Brown's reforms would mean the repeal of the Act of Settlement, the 1701 law designed to prevent the return of the Catholic Stuarts.

The abolition of primogeniture would open up the succession to women – for example Princess Anne would become fourth in line after Charles, William and Harry, and would overtake her brothers, Princes Andrew and Edward.

In the Commons, few MPs attended a debate on Liberal Democrat Dr Evan Harris's private members Bill calling for the same reforms.

It was effectively scuppered as Justice Secretary Jack Straw said Dr Harris's Bill was 'not the appropriate vehicle' for reform.

Tories meanwhile accused the Government of trying to divert attention from economic troubles.

Former minister Nicholas Soames said: 'This is an extraordinary thing to be talking about when the G20 summit is starting next week. It is a very, very odd time to raise it.'

By Steve Doughty and Rebecca English


ANALYSIS: Changing the act of succession would put a question mark over the monarchy

The Act of Settlement has long been a target of the political Left, who believe the 308-year-old pillar of the constitution is an offence against human rights.

Primogeniture, the automatic precedence of men over women in line for the throne which goes back as long as history has been written, is even more offensive to the diversity and equality lobby.

Campaigning against what the Left see as the twin evils of the Act and primogeniture began seriously at the turn of the Millennium, when the Guardian newspaper led the cause.

The Human Rights Act, which went into effect in 2000, gave a powerful boost to the idea.

Unhappiness has recently been shared by senior members of the Government. Justice Secretary Jack Straw launched a review of the Act of Settlement at the end of last year, calling it 'antiquated' and saying it discriminated against non-Protestants.

Leading Roman Catholics find the law irritating, although there has been no obvious sign of discontent among the millions of ordinary Catholics.

But the trouble with pulling down pillars of the constitution is that you never know what may fall with them.

Tinkering with either the 18th century law or the principle of primogeniture would put a question mark over the future of the monarchy, at a time when its popularity has been rocky.

The Act of Settlement was a law to ensure that the Roman Catholic Stuart dynasty, chased off the throne in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, could not return.

It barred any Catholic monarch or any monarch from marrying a Catholic, and paved the way for the arrival in 1714 of the Hanoverian dynasty with George I, the monarch from whom the present Queen is descended.

Repeal of the Act might even call into question the right of the Queen to be monarch.

The remnants of the Stuart dynasty now living in southern Germany might feel they had a better claim to the throne.

Removal of the Act of Settlement would threaten the position of the Church of England, England's state religion since 1534, when Henry VIII broke with Rome.

This would not worry some Church leaders. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said last year that disestablishment was 'by no means the end of the world'.

It would, however, be a further blow to Christianity and leave a major constitutional problem.

The role of the CofE is knotted deeply together with that of Parliament and the monarchy in centuries of constitutional law and practice.

The Church crowns the monarch and the monarch is Supreme Governor of the Church. Neither role could continue were the Church to be disestablished.

An end to primogeniture would be seen as a blow to the hereditary principle, already eroded by the removal of hereditary peers from the House of Lords.

By Steve Doughty

Source: dailymail.co.uk

King of Spain bestowed Spanish knighthood on Lt. Governor Owen

OLYMPIA – More than 15 years working with the Spanish government on projects from arts to trains and even recognition of a historical fort in a far corner of Washington state has earned Lt. Gov. Brad Owen and a senior aide the highest honor the King of Spain can bestow on a non-citizen: Spanish knighthood.

The lieutenant governor will formally receive the title at an 11:30 a.m. ceremony and reception on April 2 2008 in Senate chambers in the Capitol. One of Owen’s longtime advisors on international relations, Antonio Sanchez, also will receive the decoration.

“I am extremely honored to receive this prestigious title, but more importantly it is a tribute to the great relationship we have been able to maintain with the Spanish government, a relationship that has been of significant benefit to our state and its citizens,” said Owen.

A number of ranking state dignitaries, including Governor Chris Gregoire, are expected to be in the ceremony. The list will include several other elected officials, both current and past.

Spanish King Juan Carlos I will not be at the ceremony but will be represented by Manuel Pradas Romani, the consul general of Spain in San Francisco and Luis Fernando Esteban, the honorary consul of Spain for Washington state.

The ceremony will also be broadcast live on TVW, the state’s public affairs network.

“Through the tireless efforts of these men, many thousands of citizens of Washington state and Spain have been given the opportunity to share their languages, history, culture and business opportunities,” said Esteban. “Together they have built a pathway of understanding and a peaceful and prosperous future.”

Examples of Spanish projects the two have helped foster cited by Consul Esteban include:

>> Securing the high speed Spanish Talgo train for Washington state in the early 1990s. As chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, then senator Owen helped evaluate the train’s feasibility for Amtrak, even riding it at his own expense when it was being demonstrated in the state in 1994. Sanchez visited the production site and helped lead the effort to ensure that the train sets would be assembled in the state. Washington was subsequently the first state in the nation to purchase the train, which began service in 1998 and continues to draw record ridership a decade later.

>> Bringing renowned Spanish art to the state, including the “Catalan Masters of the 20th Century” to the Tacoma Art Museum in 1997 and 1998 and the “Picasso Exhibition” in 1998. Esteban describes work by Owen and Sanchez as “pivotal” in bringing to the state prestigious collections of Spanish royal art and artifacts in recent years, including “Spain in the Age of Exploration 1492-1819” to the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) in 2004. That exhibit was visited by King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain.

>> Coordinating a bilateral agreement with the Minister of Education of Spain and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to improve the skills and credentials of the 1,700 Spanish language teachers in Washington’s public schools. As a result more than 200 teachers were able to attend summer programs at the University of Salamanca west of Madrid. Owen attended the opening of the summer class in 2000 and gave a keynote address to more than 600 teachers from around the world.

>> A decade of collaborative work by Owen and Sanchez that culminated in the opening of the Cervantes Institute at the University of Washington. The institute, one of just four such programs in the U.S., promotes the Spanish language and culture from Spain and Latin America. Also developed and funded by Spain was the establishment of the Spanish library and Center for Spanish Studies at the UW.

>> The development of a memorial park in Neah Bay in collaboration with the Spanish consulate and the Makah Nation. Called Fort Núñez Gaona, the park commemorates the site of the first European settlement in Washington state 215 years ago and also serves as a veterans’ memorial. The park was completed in 2007 and will be dedicated later this spring.

>> Other work includes assistance with the development of a Microsoft research center in Spain and a $260,000 grant by University of Leon the University of Washington’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese to establish a teaching chair.

The title of knighthood has been received by only four other Washingtonians. They include Esteban; Mimi Gates, director of the Seattle Art Museum; former Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro and Chiyo Ishikawa, chief curator for European art at SAM.

Elected in 1996, Lt. Gov. Owen is currently the longest-serving lieutenant governor in office in the country and, at 32 years, the second-longest serving elected official in Washington state government. He served two terms in the House then four terms in the Senate prior to his current position as second-in-command of state government.

Updated March 28. 2008 The Spanish ambassador is no longer able to attend the ceremony as was stated in the original version of this release.

Source: ltgov.wa.gov

House of Lords

The Lords work in Parliament’s second chamber – the House of Lords – and complement and operate alongside the business of the House of Commons. It is one of the busiest second chambers in the world. The expertise of its Members and flexibility to scrutinise an issue in depth means the Lords makes a significant contribution to Parliament’s work. The UK public does not elect Members of the Lords.

Making laws
Making laws takes up the bulk of the House of Lords time, and Members are involved throughout the process of proposing, revising and amending legislation. Some Bills introduced by the Government begin in the Lords to spread the workload between the two Houses.

Judicial work
The House of Lords is the highest court in the land: the supreme court of appeal. A group of salaried, full-time judges known as Law Lords carries out this judicial work.

Checking the work of government
Lords check the work of the Government by questioning and debating decisions made by ministers and government departments.

Specialist committees
There are permanent committees investigating work relating to Europe, science and technology, economics and the constitution. Occasionally one-off committees are set up to deal with issues outside these areas.

Source: www.parliament.uk

Guide to the Honours

British honours are awarded on merit, for exceptional achievement or service.

Anybody can recommend a British national for an honour, which consist of life peerages, knighthoods, appointments to the Order of the British Empire and gallantry awards to servicemen and women and civilians.

Nominations, sent either by government ministers or by members of the public, are divided into subject areas and assessed by eight committees comprising both senior civil servants and independent experts.

Their assessments are passed to a selection committee that produces the list that is submitted to the Queen through the prime minister.

The Queen formally approves the list of recipients. The honours are published in the official Crown newspaper, the London Gazette.

Private nominations, made by individuals or by representatives of organisations to the Cabinet Office, traditionally make up about a quarter of all recommendations.

Honorary awards for foreign nationals are recommended by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Orders for chivalry are made after a personal decision by the Queen.

Life Peers

Life peerages are the only form of peerages regularly created by the Sovereign.

A life peer becomes a baron and sits in the House of Lords on conferment of peerage.

These are titles which they hold only during their lifetime and are not passed to their heirs.

Knights Bachelor

The honour of knighthood comes from the days of medieval chivalry, as does the method used to confer the knighthood: the accolade, or the touch of a sword by the Sovereign.

Although Knights Bachelor do not comprise an order of chivalry, knighthood is a dignity which has its origins in Britain in Saxon times. They are styled "Sir" (except for clergymen who do not receive the accolade) and their wives "Lady".

Women receiving the honour are styled "Dame" but do not receive the accolade.

The Order of the Bath

The Order of the Bath is an order of chivalry and was founded in 1725 for service of the highest calibre. The order has a civil and military division and is awarded in the following ranks: Knight Grand Cross (GCB), Knight Commander (KCB) and Companion (CB).

The Order takes its name from the symbolic bathing which in former times was often part of the preparation of a candidate for knighthood.

Order of St Michael and St George

This Order was founded by King George III in 1818 and is awarded to British subjects who have rendered extraordinary and important services abroad or in the Commonwealth. Ranks in the Order are Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GCMG), Knight or Dame Commander (KCMG or DCMG) and Companion (CMG).

Order of the Companions Honour

This is awarded for service of conspicuous national importance and is limited to 65 people. Recipients wear the initials CH after their name.

Orders of the British Empire

King George V in 1917 created these honours during World War 1 to reward services to the war effort by civilians at home and servicemen in support positions.



The orders are now awarded mainly to civilians and service personnel for public service or other distinctions and has a military and a civil division. Ranks in the Order are Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GBE), Knight or Dame Commander (KBE or DBE), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE) and Member (MBE).



Royal Victorian Order

By 1896, prime ministers and governments had increased their influence over the distribution of awards and had gained almost total control of the system. Therefore, Queen Victoria instituted The Royal Victorian Order as a personal award for services performed on her behalf.

Today this honour is still awarded in recognition of services to the royal family. The ranks are Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GCVO), Knight or Dame Commander (KCVO or DCVO), Commander (CVO), Lieutenant (LVO) and Member (MVO).

Royal Victorian Medal

Associated with the Royal Victorian Order is the Royal Victorian Medal which has three grades: gold, silver and bronze. The circular medal is attached to the ribbon of the Order.

More than one grade may be held by the same person and the medal may be worn along with the insignia of the Order itself.

Royal Red Cross

Founded in 1883 by Queen Victoria, The award is confined to the Nursing Services. Those awarded the First Class are designated "Members" (RRC): those awarded the Second Class are designated "Associates" (ARRC).

It is said that the suggestion for the founding of this decoration was made to Queen Victoria by Miss Florence Nightingale.

Queen's Police Medal

This is awarded for distinguished service to the police force.

Queen's Fire Service Medal

This honour is given to firefighters who have displayed conspicuous devotion to duty.

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The Duchess

The Duchess is a 2008 British costume drama film based on Amanda Foreman's best-selling biography of the 18th-century English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. It was released in September 2008 in the UK. Originally to be directed by Susanne Bier, The Duchess was directed by Saul Dibb.

Set at the end of the eighteenth century, The Duchess is based on the life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. While her beauty and charisma made her name, her extravagant tastes and appetite for gambling and love made her infamous. Married young to the older, distant Duke of Devonshire, who was blatantly unfaithful, Georgiana became a fashion icon, a doting mother, a shrewd political operator, intimate of ministers and princes, and darling of the common people. But at the core of the story is a desperate search for love. The film delves into Georgiana’s passionate and doomed affair with Earl Grey, the future Prime Minister, and the complex love triangle with her husband and her best friend, Lady Bess Foster.

Source: Wikipedia

The Young Victoria

The history books tell us that she was the ruler of the United Kingdom of Great Britain from 1837 to 1901. Her time in power was the longest of any ruler in British history and came to be known as the Victorian Era. With this, we immediately conjure up all those images of a frumpy over-weight woman dressed in black; but soon, the upcoming motion picture, "The Young Victoria", will present a different view of this dynamic British monarch. "The Young Victoria" will chronicle the early and often turbulent years, of a young girl who became queen of Great Britain. Victoria was a young girl of barely 18 when she was crowned, vivacious, fond of parties, and prone to flirting with the gentlemen of the court, and even her ministers. The film will focus on her storied romance and legendary marriage to Prince Albert. Martin Scorsese [American] and Graham King [British] have teamed-up again [The Departed, The Aviator and Gangs of New York] to retell the story of this famous queen with a little help from the outspoken Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. Graham King told Variety Magazine, "We all think we know Queen Victoria from the latter part of her life, but in fact she was an amazing, dynamic, romantic personality from a very early age that is largely unknown. I had been searching for a British project for many years so I am just thrilled to bring her story to life." Although no names have signed yet, "The Young Victoria" will be a prestige production with a big-budget and big stars. Scorsese will co-produce.

Source: squidoo.com

Ted Kennedy to receive honorary knighthood

The US senator Ted Kennedy is to be given an honorary knighthood, Downing Street announced today.

The Queen will honour the 77-year-old brother of the former US president John F Kennedy for his services to the US-UK relationship and to Northern Ireland, officials said.

Gordon Brown will today formally announce the award during his address to both houses of Congress on the second full day of his visit to Washington.

Kennedy, who has been a senator for his home state, Massachusetts, for more than 46 years, is being treated for a brain tumour.

The most senior member of the famous Irish-American political dynasty, he was diagnosed with brain cancer last May. He has since had chemotherapy and radiation to treat the malignant glioma.

Kennedy suffered another seizure during Barack Obama's inaugural lunch in January, but was released from hospital a day later.

He is probably best known in the UK for his work on the Northern Ireland peace process, being intricately involved with province's politics during and beyond the Good Friday agreement.

He snubbed Adams during the latter's St Patrick's Day trip to the US in 2005 following the killing of Robert McCartney. The IRA was accused of involvement in the death.

Kennedy joins a select band of overseas nationals to be given an honorary knighthood.

The Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, the former president George Bush senior, the former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani and the film director Steven Spielberg have also received the honour.

www.guardian.co.uk

Immer ihrer Zeit voraus und nun für alle Zeiten verewigt: die neue Elfi-von-Dassanowsky-Stiftung

Wien/Los Angeles (ots) - "Ihre Arbeit wird weitergehen" ist mehr als nur ein Nachruf für die verstorbene österreichisch-amerikanische Kulturdiva Prof. Elfi (Elfriede) Dassanowsky, die international bekannte Filmproduzentin, Sängerin und Pianistin, die im Oktober 2007 im Alter von 83 Jahren in Los Angeles verstarb - es ist nun Wirklichkeit. Als ihr Sohn Dr. Robert Dassanowsky, Produzent und Professor für Germanistik und Film an der Universität von Colorado, Ende 2007 die Gründung der Elfi-von-Dassanowsky-Stiftung bekannt gab, erfüllte er den letzten Traum seiner Mutter.

"Angesichts des Wiederauflebens des österreichischen Films hatten wir noch zu ihren Lebzeiten über ein Stipendium oder Beihilfeverfahren für Film- und Musicaldarstellerinnen in Österreich gesprochen. Sie wollte Frauen ihres Heimatlandes zu ähnlich bahnbrechenden Schritten ermutigen, wie sie sie selbst unternommen hatte", erinnert sich ihr Sohn. Elfi Dassanowskys Mitbegründung der Belvedere Film 1946 in Wien, die noch heute als Produktionsgesellschaft besteht, ihr Wirken in der Kulturdiplomatie als Musicalstar und Pädagogin in der Nachkriegszeit, ihre Jahre in Hollywood sowie die Würdigung ihrer Karriere durch Österreich, Frankreich, die USA und die UNESCO machten sie zu einem einzigartigen Vorbild für Frauen in der Kunst, wie die Presse es häufig nannte.

Dieser Elan lebt in ihrem Sohn weiter, dessen wissenschaftliche Arbeit ebenfalls zum Verständnis der Filme und Kultur Österreichs im Ausland beigetragen hat. "Meine Mutter erzählte mir von der Kunst als Kraft der Menschlichkeit und Veränderung, und ich habe ihr sehr genau zugehört", so Prof. Dr. Dassanowsky, der mit seiner Fortführung der Stiftung das Engagement seiner Mutter am Leben erhalten möchte. Die erste Phase des Konzepts ist nun abgeschlossen.

Während die mit einem Startkapital für Filmmacherinnen dotierten Auszeichnungen eher eine Investition in die Zukunft darstellen, gewährt der Stiftungsfonds Elfi von Dassanowsky bereits ab Februar 2009 auf Empfehlung von Beratungsgremien gemeinnützigen Organisationen in den USA und in Europa Fördermittel für Kunst, Ausbildung, Frauenfragen und die österreichische Kultur.

www.elfivondassanowsky.org

Eine Frage, Herr Knigge - Welche Umgangsformen brauchen wir noch?

Die große Sammlung alltäglicher Lebenssituationen, in denen Sie sich schon mal gefragt haben, wie benehme ich mich jetzt am besten: Vom Leben in und neben dem Fettnapf, von den Wasserspielen auf dem Klo, peinliche Stille im Lift, die Fallstricke des Flurfunks, das Handy und die schnurlose Verlautbarung und, und, und. Alles nicht dramatisch und doch wäre man in diesen Situationen gerne etwas sicherer. Moritz Freiherr Knigge und Michael Schellberg haben hier den vielleicht ersten ernst zu nehmenden Knigge geschrieben, der amüsant zu lesen ist.

2008, 333 Seiten, Maße: 19 cm, Taschenbuch, Deutsch
Lübbe
ISBN-10: 3404664183
ISBN-13: 9783404664184


Wer - wie ich - den Namen Knigge trägt, den beschleicht das Gefühl, das, was landläufig unter Knigge veröffentlicht wird, macht den Umgang eher komplizierter bei all den Fettnäpfen, die überall lauern. Als allzu steif und realitätsfern erscheinen einem die Verhaltensempfehlungen der “Benimmexperten”.

Aber mal ehrlich: Weder sind wir täglich auf dem Wiener Opernball, in “besternten” Hotels oder Restaurants, noch droht uns die gesellschaftliche Isolation, wenn wir keinen Handkuss beherrschen, unseren Mitmenschen “Gesundheit” wünschen oder am Abend braune Schuhe tragen.

Vielmehr werden unsere Manieren doch im Taxi, in der Kaffeeküche im Büro, im Urlaub mit Freunden oder im Supermarkt auf die Probe gestellt. Da hier ebenfalls gutes Benehmen gefragt ist, habe ich mich außerhalb der “Sissy-Welt” auf die Suche nach manierlichen Antworten begeben.

Wer also also wissen möchten, was es bei der Rede zur Hochzeitsfeier seiner Tochter oder Sohnes zu beachten gilt, wie man sich den Titel “König Kunde” redlich verdient, wie man sich gegenüber geschwätzigen Zeitgenossen verhält, was eine Freundschaft aushält oder warum Großzügigkeit ein Merkmal wahrhaft höflicher Menschen ist, der wird in “Eine Frage, Herr Knigge” Antworten finden.

Sollten Sie danach dem Klappentext zustimmen, es sei mir und Michael Schellberg gelungen, “den vielleicht ersten ernst zu nehmenden ‘Knigge’ geschrieben zu haben, der amüsant zu lesen ist”, dann würde uns das freuen. Wären wir doch dann der Verhaltensempfehlung Adolph Freiherr Knigges nachgekommen, nach der man nicht vergessen solle, “dass die Leute unterhalten und amüsiert sein wollen; dass selbst der unterrichtendste Umgang ihnen in der Länge ermüdend vorkommt, wenn er nicht zuweilen durch Witze und gute Laune gewürzt wird.”

Moritz Freiherr Knigge in qulturszene.at