Anacta’s Post

In Defense of Sovereignty and a Stable Democratic Society (by Darius A. Lecointe) In November Americans will decide whether they desire to step back from self-government and reverse the transition that began with the Magna Carta. Here is the story. Between 1776 and 1789 the 13 British colonies in America undertook a transition from a society governed by a monarch who reigns without ruling, into one governed by a President who rules without reigning. These British Americans committed themselves to a process that they did not plan and a great amount of blood was shed during the Revolutionary War to push the process forward. When the failure of the Articles of Confederation forced them to create a new form of government headed by a popularly elected President, they created a system of checks and balances that placed the powers of government into three independent bodies. To protect their new nation they instinctively resorted to a mechanism they had been accustomed to under the British monarch: An Oath of Allegiance. It is still true today that every officer in the British government must swear an oath to the monarch as Sovereign. The Americans required all officers of the state to take an oath to the Constitution as Sovereign. By that act they shifted the right to reign from the King to the Constitution and identified Sovereignty as the fourth power of Government. We do not need to know with any degree of certainty how the Constitution functions to appreciate that it requires the same level of respect and honor that our British cousins give to their Sovereign Monarch. Almost every act of Donald Trump reflects a desire to take the place of the Constitution as Sovereign in America. The election in November will determine whether Americans will turn their backs on the sacrifices of their ancestors who shed their blood for the idea of a Sovereign Constitution and grant the right to rule and reign to a man who has no respect for the blood that was spilt on this land. #sovereignconstitution

Brilliant speech, even though I am a Conservative and will be until the day I die but I will always give credit where credit is due. Having lived in the UK for nineteen years of my adult life and having been fortunate enough to arrive when it was still a great country, it has been difficult to witness its gradual decline. Covid has effectively pushed this once great ancestral homeland of mine off the proverbial cliffs. Do I see this coming back? No, I do not. The UK’s political system is a relic of the past on many levels, and if we are to put the GREAT back in Britain, systems need to change. The political system needs remodeling because British democracy is failing, and it will continue to fail, regardless of who is running the country, Labour or Conservatives: the system needs remodeling, it needs a complete overhaul, from the bottom up. Americanize the system, now or the country will continue to implode. As it stands, I foresee Zimbabwe growing astronomically in comparison to the UK within the next ten years. But why? Zimbabwe possesses resources that the UK does not, both in human terms and natural resources. Many of us from Zimbabwe who have been away for significant periods of time are returning from the diaspora with something to offer the country, in terms of skills and fresh ideas in terms of business development to make the private sector thrive. Even British people are leaving the UK; if anything, Zimbabwe understands what happens when there is significant brain drain.

October 19, 1781- Victory at Yorktown- The forces of British General Cornwallis surrender to the American Continental Army and its allies. Upon hearing this, the British Prime Minister allegedly proclaimed, “Oh God, it’s all over.” Three months later, the British government decided to negotiate an end to the war which, two years later, resulted in American independence. Therefore, in the long run, the victory at Yorktown brought us closer to the ideals of Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, ideals which could not be achieved under Britain. The central British government was ~3,500 miles away at a time in which it took five to nine weeks to sail to America, so it could not possibly fully understand nor represent us. The British government treated America for what it was to them: a group of colonies that existed to enrich Britain. Furthermore, the British government did not derive, as stated in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, its “just powers from the consent of the governed” as it was composed at the highest level by a monarch, who was obviously not elected, and a Parliament in which America had no representation. Without the ability to vote for the highest level government officials, Americans were second class citizens of the British Empire without full “liberty” nor the ability to truly succeed in the “pursuit of happiness.” Therefore, we celebrate that the victory at Yorktown led to independence from a government that did not treat us like true citizens. However, we must also note that immediately after the Battle of Yorktown, our government also did not extend the values of the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence to all. On the contrary, after the battle General Washington ordered his forces to round up fugitive slaves who fought with the British and “return them to their enslavers,” demonstrating how much more work we still had in recognizing “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” For sources go to https://lnkd.in/eJ4MhT87 (October 19, 1781). Image: https://lnkd.in/em9nQ77a

It was the State Opening of Parliament in the UK yesterday. For those, like me, who are curious to know more about Black Rod and the Cap of Maintenance, here is an interesting article explaining the ceremony's rituals: https://lnkd.in/edkY4bcT

Congratulations to Michael Kenny on the release of his new book, "Fractured Union," out today! The book includes interviews conducted over several years with Ministers, MPs and civil servants, examines the crises and tensions within the British Union, and the pessimism about its long-term viability. ‘Fractured Union’ addresses the existential question of the survival of the British Union post-Brexit. The fragility of the Union, highlighted by Queen Elizabeth's death and the ascent of Charles III in September 2022, stems from a prolonged history of political turbulence and declining public confidence in our governing institutions. Yet, despite concerns, the Union often takes a backseat in Westminster politics compared to many other issues. It focuses on how the political class has struggled to engage productively with devolution. It asks how English voters’ disenchantment with a detached central government has influenced how politicians and bureaucrats regard the UK’s future. How seismic events have fuelled tensions between Westminster and devolved administrations, from the SNP’s election and independence referendum to Brexit and Covid. And what next? https://lnkd.in/egvQCcab #BookLaunch #FracturedUnion #MustRead #HurstPublishing

In the UK, the Sovereign (the legal term for the reigning King or Queen) is constitutionally reposed with supreme authority as the living embodiment of the Crown - that is, the state itself. Thus, each Government is a creature of the Crown and Acts of Parliament become law only with the granting of royal assent. However, within the social construct of constitutional monarchy and responsible government, the Sovereign's royal prerogatives are generally exercised only on the advice of the Government of the day, which is collectively responsible to Parliament and thence to the British people. (Note: This convention does not apply in constitutional crisis situations when the Sovereign may unilaterally invoke the reserve powers of the Crown in order to uphold the rule of law and protect democracy.) Nevertheless, the Sovereign enjoys several rights in the conduct of public business, namely: 1. the right to freely access Government information without restriction or delay; 2. the right be consulted before receiving ministerial advice; 3. the right to encourage and warn the Government on any matter of state; 4. the right to recommit advice tendered to the competent minister of the Crown for reconsideration; and 5. the right to hold audiences with the Prime Minister, other ministers of the Crown, the Leader of the Opposition, judges, parliamentarians, civil servants, officers of the Armed Forces, and pretty much any other person the Sovereign may wish. On the latter point, there is a centuries-old convention what's discussed at royal audiences remains private. This is done in order to allow for an open discussion of issues without compromising the impartiality of the Crown. It was a serious faux pas on Liz Truss's part to divulge the contents of her sole audience with the late Queen. She's not the only former Prime Minister to violate this norm though; so to have the likes of Boris Johnson, David Cameron, and Tony Blair in recent years.

To be completely correct in describing this great experiment, the United States of America is a constitutional federated republic as designed in our founding documents.

Following the Constitutional Convention, a woman named Elizabeth Willing Powel once famously asked Benjamin Franklin, ""Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" His now-famous response was, "A republic, if you can keep it." Now the question is, "What can we individually and collectively do to 'keep it?'" Here are three things I do (or try to do): 1. My family and I try to be good citizens by getting involved in the community and do things to make our communities a better place to live. 2. I vote. Yes, it matters. 3. Professionally, I sue the government (or threaten to sue the government) to ensure that my clients are able to exercise the rights they are given under the Constitution and the laws of the United States. I also appeal agency decisions in federal court to protect my client's rights. (And my hats off to those public servants who represent the United States Government in that litigation. I have a job to do and so do they.) Happy Independence Day! (And Happy Election Day in the UK!) A link to a great article by the National Park Service about the Constitutional Convention is in Comment 1.

In January 1776, a 47-page pamphlet, published in Philadelphia by newly-arrived immigrant Thomas Paine. Paine rejected the idea that any man could be born to rule others, and he ridiculed the idea that an island should try to govern a continent. “Where…is the King of America?” Paine asked in Common Sense. “I’ll tell you Friend…so far as we approve of monarchy…in America THE LAW IS KING. For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be King; and there ought to be no other. The Second Day of July 1776 will be the most memorable Epoch in the History of America,” Massachusetts delegate John Adams said on July 3. The Second Continental Congress passed a “Resolution for Independence” declaring “That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.” While we celebrate the signing of the final form of the declaration two days later, the adoption of the  Resolution marked the delegates’ ultimate conviction that a nation should rest not on the arbitrary rule of a single man and his hand-picked advisors, but on the rule of law. The Greater Houston Port Bureau wishes all Americans a happy and safe Independence Day, July 4. #maritime #Independenceday #July4 #freedom #Houstonport #myportisbetterthanyours #HoustonShipChannel

In plain language, from Save the Semicolon: IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America When a group of people splits apart from another group to become their own power in the world, they should give their reasons. We think that the following things are obvious: Everyone is created equal. God has given everyone certain rights that no one should be able to take away, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. People make governments to help them keep those rights safe. If a government doesn’t do what it should, then the people have the right to get rid of it and set up a new government. Of course, if a government has been around a while, then it shouldn’t be changed without a really good reason. (In fact, history has shown that people would often rather keep a bad government than overthrow it.) But if there have been lots of abuses and the government is just trying to keep the people down, then the people have the right, and the duty, to get rid of it and start a new one that is better. see the rest https://lnkd.in/gwcqUNzX