Page 183. common element in the relationship between all members of the Common- wealth; and the Crown would no longer be the "symbol of their free association."
It cannot be denied that there is a very real danger that this change might, in the end, weaken the position of the Crown even in those countries which now wish to maintain the Crown connection unimpaired. The King would no longer be the supreme head of the Commonwealth. The historical value of the Crown in the Commonwealth relationship would be diminished. The position of the King as an influence "above politics" in his relations with all Governments of the Commonwealth would be lost. When the Commonwealth included a republican member, it might be thought that there would be some risk of provoking political controversy or unfortunate incidents by making the traditional references to the Crown connection on occasions when all members of the Commonwealth were represented. It might even be found expedient on this account to curtail or modify some of those occasions, such as the broadcast programme preceding His Majesty's Christmas Day address, which have hitherto served to reflect the sentiments of loyalty and affection which now link all the peoples of the Commonwealth with the Crown. And there can be no doubt that the King is the symbol and expression of that community of feeling which has hitherto been the mainspring of co-operation, particularly at times of crisis, between the Commonwealth peoples.
19. These considerations would prompt the criticism that the republican members of the Commonwealth would obtain all the advantages of Commonwealth membership without accepting any of the "obligations." This criticism may not be logically valid, but it will not be easy to meet. The point has been made against the arrangement by which Eire is not to be treated as a foreign country despite the passage of the Republic of Ireland Act; and, even though the comment is not there justified, since Eire will be debarred from numerous advan- tages of Commonwealth membership such as were mentioned in the Lord Chancellor's speech in the House of Lords on 15th December (Annex III), in the United Kingdom at any rate Ministers have not so far succeeded in dispelling the impression that Eire has by this arrangement secured "something for nothing" Though the situation would in fact be different, there seems little doubt that in Parliamentary discussions the same argument would be used against a system by which republican countries continued to be members of the Common- wealth, and to derive the full advantages of membership, when they no longer recognised the allegiance to the Crown.
February 1949.
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