Monarchy

If several of the premiers had previously been unaware of Arthur's intentions, they had no choice but to learn them now.

In the several premiers' original plan, they only needed to placate Arthur and get him to agree to establish a Federal Government formed by a union of Autonomous States. That way, they could retain a great deal of their power.

Even if they could not enter Australia's national government, they could continue to retain their positions as state governors and might even try to render Arthur a figurehead.

But according to Arthur's proposal, the Upper and Lower Houses would fall into Arthur's hands, and the Cabinet elected by the Lower House naturally would not escape him either.

The states evolved from the various colonies would have no other powers. They could only serve as governors, waiting until their terms ended before seeking reelection or stepping down.

The several premiers remained silent, merely turning their eyes toward Prime Minister Evan, who stood at the head.

Prime Minister Evan gave a bitter laugh, but did not dare stand up and speak. How could he not understand what the other premiers meant? In reality, all of them had been sent to Australia by the British Empire as Colonial Premiers. Although they had gained considerable power in Australia, control had actually been split in two: they held administrative power, while the commanders of the various armies controlled the rest.

Now that Arthur had arrived in Australia, the Australian Army would inevitably transfer its allegiance to him.

Besides, Queen Victoria was still here. Who would have the courage to stand up and oppose Arthur?

Queen Victoria's destination was the Isle of Wight in New Zealand, and she had not stayed long in the Suez Canal or India.

Yet in Australia, Queen Victoria had stayed for three whole days and showed no intention of leaving. Was that not another way of expressing her support for Arthur?

"Very good. Since none of you have any other objections, we can begin preparing to change the colonies into states and establish the Upper and Lower Houses. It is already nearly May. I hope that elections for the Lower House can officially begin nationwide by mid-May." Seeing that no one objected, Arthur said with a smile.

It seemed that these fellows were quite sensible after all. There were no fools among them who dared to stand up and oppose Arthur.

One had to understand that even the entire Australian garrison numbered only a little over six thousand men, and they were scattered across the six colonies.

Meanwhile, Queen Victoria's and Arthur's Guard Army together numbered four thousand men. Even if someone incited a rebellion, it could be crushed immediately.

"Yes, Your Highness." The six men had no choice but to agree.

"Before the national government is officially established, Prime Minister Evan will temporarily serve as the Prime Minister, while the other premiers will become Cabinet Members of the Temporary Cabinet. Australia's development will still require the joint efforts of all of you. We must strive to completely transform Australia and finish building the government by the end of May." Arthur smiled as he spoke.

Arthur understood the principle of striking someone with a stick before offering them a sweet date. After stripping the six premiers of the state autonomy they had wanted, he promoted them to Cabinet Members of the Provisional Government. His purpose was to make them contribute to the government's formation and speed up the process.

If they truly possessed ability, Arthur would not mind giving them a push after the government was established, allowing them to genuinely take the seats of Cabinet Members or even Prime Minister.

"Yes, Your Highness!" As expected, after hearing Arthur's arrangements, the several premiers seemed to suddenly find their motivation and responded one after another.

"But at the same time, the establishment of a national government requires a charter to guide it. It is time to promulgate a constitution of our own. We shall call it the Australian Constitution. Its contents will take the major monarchies of Europe as reference, then be revised in accordance with our domestic circumstances. Did the Federal Government have any proposals regarding the constitution?" Arthur asked.

The constitution was the basis for defining the detailed division of powers among the various state institutions, and it also clearly established the rights and duties of every social class.

Whether for Australia's ordinary people or for Arthur himself, a detailed and clearly defined constitution was needed to determine their rights.

"We did consider drafting a constitution, but it clearly does not suit our current national circumstances," Prime Minister Evan replied.

The previous Federal Government had leaned more toward a federal republic, which was completely different from the present Australian Duchy.

Prime Minister Evan was sensible enough not to mention the constitution they had envisioned before. Otherwise, if he angered Arthur, he feared that even his position as Prime Minister would be gone.

"Then let us discuss it briefly now. Do you gentlemen have any good proposals for our constitution?" Arthur asked with a meaningful smile.

Speaking of constitutions, the United Kingdom was a rather special country. Unlike other countries with clearly established constitutional systems, the United Kingdom had no clearly defined written constitution. Instead, it had a system composed of statute law, common law, and conventions.

This had led the British monarch to possess a great deal of power in form, including appointing and dismissing all officials, Colonial Governors, bishops, and senior church clergy, as well as convening, suspending, and dissolving Parliament, approving laws, and declaring war or making peace.

In reality, however, a large portion of these powers had been transferred to the Cabinet, and the authority of the British monarch had been severely restricted.

Yet it could not be denied that if the British monarch possessed substantial influence, those formal powers could indeed be exercised with ease.

Take the current British monarch, Queen Victoria, for example. If Queen Victoria wanted to appoint or dismiss any official in the British Empire, the British political establishment would basically not oppose her.

But after Crown Prince Edward ascended the throne, if he wanted to swiftly appoint or dismiss important officials, he would have to see whether Parliament's impeachment would truly strike at the heart of the matter.

"Your Highness, I believe our first constitution must first clarify the division of powers and responsibilities among the various departments, as well as clearly define our country's system and institutions. Out of respect for you, your powers must also be explained in detail." Prime Minister Evan spoke with a slightly deferential smile.

Although Prime Minister Evan's words sounded pleasant—he claimed that clarifying Arthur's powers was a sign of respect for Arthur—everyone actually understood that once a monarch's powers were clearly defined, it meant that the monarch's authority had in fact been restricted.

After all, only powers granted by the constitution were legal. Wouldn't powers absent from the constitution become illegal?

"I think Germany's system, with its clearly defined constitution, is quite good. Australia would also be well suited to becoming a duchy under a Dual Monarchy." Arthur smiled and said, "The Lower House will be responsible for legislation and elections. The Upper House will be responsible for supervising and dismissing officials, as well as reviewing laws passed by the Lower House and the election results. The Lower House will answer to the electorate, while the Upper House will answer to me. At the same time, Australia's ruler—that is, me—will possess all the powers of both Houses, as well as the right to dissolve the Cabinet and the Upper and Lower Houses at any time."

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