Australia scraps Knighthoods and Damehoods (again)

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://home.bt.com/news/uk-news/phil...11364014142080

Australia scraps Knighthoods and Damehoods

New Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a republican, requests that the Queen discontinue the honour from the Australian Honours System

Queen Elizabeth II of Australia

The Duke of Edinburgh is one of the last people to be awarded a knighthood by Australia after the country scrapped the title, describing it as inappropriate in the modern honours system.

Philip was knighted by the Queen in Windsor Castle earlier this year, having been granted the Knight of the Order of Australia award by Australia's then prime minister Tony Abbott.

The Queen has now agreed to a recommendation to remove the titles of knights and dames from the Order of Australia, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said. The country's cabinet agreed "knights and dames are not appropriate in our modern honours system," Mr Turnbull, a republican who replaced Mr Abbott in September, said.

The announcement on Australia Day in January that Philip was to receive a knighthood was widely criticised at the time, with some suggesting it sounded like a joke. Philip's knighthood from Australia, a title he will retain, is one in a long list of accolades he has been awarded over the years.

He is already a Knight of the Order of the Elephant in Denmark, a Royal Chief of the Order of Logohu in Papua New Guinea, and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

Mr Abbott said at the time the award was for a long life of duty and service, citing Prince Philip's Duke of Edinburgh award scheme as having helped thousands of young people in Australia for more than 50 years. But members of the public said giving a member of the royal family the country's highest honour had created a "time warp".

Australia previously scrapped the honorary titles in 1986 but they were reinstated by Mr Abbott last year.

Turnbull is such a damp lettuce he may aswell join the Australian Labor Party. He makes Cameron look like a conservative.

I love how the anti-monarchy Turnbull describes the honour as not fit for a modern honours system though, as though any honours system is supposed to be modern anyway (and why is modern always taken as meaning a good thing?). The state handing out honours of any kind to individuals is a very old practice as old as nation states themselves: at least a knighthood though contains some sort of history behind it.

Hope things go really badly for Turnbull so Abbott can launch a Rudd-style leadership battle comeback before the next GE.

Imagine if the Queen were to pass away while Turnbull was PM. He'd love to one day be President Turnbull and have his own standard. Creep.

Thoughts?

[Alkaz]

Sounds like an idiot. Seems silly getting rid of the honours over there if they were only just reinstated a year or so ago. In a country that seems pro - monarchy I would have thought they would have given it a longer period to see if they are still current and 'modern".

[FlyingJesus]

Oh well. Just means one less Order in the big list, Australians can still be knighted anyway

[-:Undertaker:-]

I read before that the Queen can actually still bypass the Australian government position on Knighthoods and Damehoods by simply appointing to the Imperial (British) Honours ranks instead, which is what she did with former Australian Prime Minister John Howard who was inducted with an Order of Merit which carries a Knighted title.

It's just a shame normal Australians will be left out all because Mr Turnbull fancies himself as Mr President.

- - - Updated - - -

I read before that the Queen can actually still bypass the Australian government position on Knighthoods and Damehoods by simply appointing to the Imperial (British) Honours ranks instead, which is what she did with former Australian Prime Minister John Howard who was inducted with an Order of Merit which carries a Knighted title.

It's just a shame normal Australians will be left out all because Mr Turnbull fancies himself as Mr President.

- - - Updated - - -

I read before that the Queen can actually still bypass the Australian government position on Knighthoods and Damehoods by simply appointing to the Imperial (British) Honours ranks instead, which is what she did with former Australian Prime Minister John Howard who was inducted with an Order of Merit which carries a Knighted title.

It's just a shame normal Australians will be left out all because Mr Turnbull fancies himself as Mr President.

[FlyingJesus]

Yeah there are loads of Orders you can be knighted into no matter where you're actually from, the only difference is that if you're not British you can't use your knighthood to call yourself "Sir"