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From: mclase@watdaisy.UUCP (Michael Clase)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: The Commonwealth
Message-ID: <7822@watdaisy.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 21-Jul-86 09:52:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: watdaisy.7822
Posted: Mon Jul 21 09:52:55 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 22-Jul-86 02:33:42 EDT
References: <8091@watrose.UUCP> <2354@hcrvx2.UUCP>
Reply-To: mclase@watdaisy.UUCP (Michael Clase)
Distribution: can
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 26
Summary: 

In article <2354@hcrvx2.UUCP> jimr@hcrvx2.UUCP (Jim Robinson) writes:
>PS As I understand it the Queen is getting upset because Thatcher won't
>   impose sanctions on South Africa. Personally, I wouldn't mind her
>   (the queen's) position if she would show a bit of consistency and
>   call for sanctions against *any* Commonwealth country that has not
>   enfranchised its citizenry. 

Two points:

(1) I don't think South Africa is a member of the commonwealth,
(I'm not sure about this, does anyone Know for sure?) so the Queen
is not being inconsistent by criticising one commonwealth country
and not others.

(2) The reason the Queen was getting upset with Thatcher was that she
felt that Thatcher's position was leading to a break up of the commonwealth.
The Queen felt that it was her duty to speak out on behalf of the
commonwealth as a whole, and not let Thatcher continue in a policy
which was purely in Britain's self-interest.

(It is interesting to note that during her reign, the Queen has only felt
it necessary to criticise the government of Britain four times, and all
four have been during Thatcher's reign.  I can't remember what the previous
occasions were -- one was the miner's strike, I think.)

mclase@watdaisy