Tony
Blair is indulging in what Professor David Flint quaintly calls “republicanism
by stealth.” The UK government is considering doing away with granny visas,
which until now allowed thousands of the Australian head of state’s colonial
subjects visas to live and work in Britain; Blair has scrutinised John Howard’s
draconian immigration laws and will introduce them. In doing this, Blair has unwittingly driven
yet another nail into the monarchist’s coffin – by denying colonists of British descent access to the “home”
country.

In an illustration of unbelievable irony, the majority of those who
will soon be denied visas are descendants of the original boat people – convicts
who were saved the opprobrium heaped by the Howard government on their latter
day cousins who were thrown into detention centres, humiliated and then in most
cases released into community.