first the queen's counsel, then the queen

Slow disappearance of old country links like the Queen's Counsels and even portraits of the queen herself are noted here by two political scientists, warning against calls for moves in New Zealand to a written constitution. This is, they warn, not a slow maturation towards republicanism but a blatantly naked grab for power. "New Zealanders should not be under any illusion. Moves to republicanism have been made with stealth. To date we have seen the abolition of appeals to the Privy Council, and the renaming of "Queens Counsels" to the meaningless title "Senior Counsel". The General Salute of the armed forces has been taken away from the Governor-General and assumed by the Prime Minister. Even the portraits of our Head of State have been removed from our overseas embassies. Each underhanded change has been justified with the absurd claim that the removal of our current constitutional monarchy will make New Zealand a more open and mature society. Such changes show a slow grab for power, and a disregard for tradition and democratic values."- Sean Palmer and Simon O'Connor read more digg story