Monday, August 13, 2007

Lively Debate on the future of the office of Governor-General

-- Virtual Pensacola

The moves within the Houses of Parliament to amend the Constitution and change the succession to the Office of Governor-General have recently taken a decidedly more “Monarchical Tone”.

The suggestion by the Solicitor-General (Guy Drury) that the constitution of the Dominion of British West Florida needed revision to address our current 'difficulties' has been meet in the House of Lords with several proposed amendments.

The Lord Rum's Original proposal, calling for an election of the Governor-General from the sitting Lords Temporal by the House of Lords, to a six year term, after review by the Privy Council was presented to the House of Lords and the House of Commons, with the blessings of the Privy Council, and the Marquess of Mobile and seemed assured of passage.

However, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Alan Goudman, PC raised the issue of 'creeping republicanism' and the 'presidential Governor-General'. The Marquess, on seeing the Councillor's objections in the House of Lords Debate contacted His Grace the Duke of Florida (who had elevated the current acting Governor-General to his post as a consequence of his elevation to the Marquessate).

His Grace, the Duke of Florida has now offered his own version of an amendment, which retains much of the Lord Rum's provisions, but would allow a retiring Governor-General to name his own successor (pending ratification by the House of Lords), and would permit an 'elected Governor-General' to serve until dismissed, retired, or his death.

The matter is considered of such significance that the Marquess of Mobile has taken the unusual step of publicly soliciting the Subjects of Her Majesty the Queen of Florida to contact their Members of Parliament to help them understand the will of the people on this issue.

The latest revision apparently has the support of the Commons, and of the Lords as a whole.

A majority of the Earls support is specifically required to pass changes to the constitution, and as of yet none of them have spoken on the latest revisions.

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