eurealist.co.uk

FROM: Philip Benwell MBE
National Chairman
The Australian Monarchist League

TO MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

I am taking this opportunity to write to you with regard to two matters
which are of concern to people here in Australia as well as to those in all
of Her Majesty’s other Realms.

The first matter relates to the proposed Ten Minute Rule Motion by Mr
Jonathan Sayeed M. P. on the issue of the retirement of the Sovereign and
the choosing of Her Majesty’s successor by the House of Commons. Very few
people, particularly in the Realms, are aware that few Motions of this
nature ever proceed further and will undoubtedly be unduly influenced by the
media sensationalizing of this particular subject. May I emphasize that The
Crown belongs to all sixteen Commonwealth Realms and whatever the House of
Commons may debate, let alone legislate, will affect all of Her Majesty’s
subjects outside the Kingdom. It is for this purpose that the Statute of
Westminster requires: “that any alteration in the law touching the
Succession to the Throne or the Royal Style and Titles shall hereafter
require the assent as well of the Parliaments of all the Dominions as of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom.”

The second matter of concern is with regard to voting in the proposed
Referendum on the European Constitution. Many hundreds of thousands, if
not millions, of British citizens who reside outside of the United Kingdom
will be affected by the decision of the Referendum and we ask whether
consideration is being given to allowing ALL British citizens a vote
wherever residing in Britain or not?

Yours sincerely,

Philip Benwell

If in order to attempt to control the outcome of the Referendum on the EU Constitution, Tony Blair were not to allow postal voting for those British people living abroad, either in the EU countries or not, then he would in fact be denying British people a say in their own constitution, and the future of this country.

The Spanish government have rightly in my opinion, said that in Spain the vote is a matter solely for the Spanish people, and are not going to allow British living in Spain to take part in that referendum. Without a postal vote these and others throughout to world will be disenfranchised, if at the same time the government also allows other non British EU nationals to vote in our referendum, which has been mooted, then a close vote will not have a popular mandate from the people.