The republican movement’s royal watcher Barry Everingham verballed Senator Nick Minchin on 30 April on a site controlled by the media director of the republican movement.
He wrote:
“That avowed monarchist, Nick Minchin, said on the appalling Q&A this week (28.4.2011) that the Duke of Edinburgh remarked on hearing we had voted to maintain the status quo: “what kind of people are those Australians?”
He added: “I too have heard that story from one of the royals present at the time.”
Senator Minchin did not say that. It was the compere who repeated the story which is unsourced, uncorroborated and clearly of doubtful veracity.
As we pointed out here, if the ABC had to use this story, the audience deserved to know that the story is at least questionable. in fact the ABC had a duty to soinform its viewers.
Tony Jones and not Senator Minchin said this:
“TONY JONES: …we also heard in that documentary that Prince Philip, upon hearing that Australians had rejected the referendum said, 'What's wrong with those bloody people. Don't they know what's good for them?'”
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Mr. Everingham should apologize to the Senator. We must assume that he was equally mistaken about the “royal” telling this.
Unless of course he tells us who it was.
