The Queen Is Dead
Royalists and republicans throughout the UK are responding to the news that the reign of Queen Elizabeth II has come to an end. Many citizens are grief stricken while others are taking the opportunity to relay their disdain for the institution that is royalty and all that represents. For some this outpouring is a reaction to what they see as uncritical and irrational subservience to a class that enjoys their status through the exploitation of those they view as subjects. Others are able to articulate the same dispassionately because its self evident.
What many fail to reflect upon is the gravity of this event, regardless of the merits of a constitutional monarchy. Unless you are over 70 you’ve never experienced a world in which Elizabeth was not the queen of England. Drop a diamond or the equivalent weight in mud into a pond, they can both have a significant impact. Whether you think the wealth and power of the royals was ill gotten or not, they are still wealthy and powerful. Another factor to consider is that England is steeped in ceremony, protocol and history. The passing of Queen Elizabeth is very significant in terms of UK institutions if not in the day to day lives of its ordinary citizens.
The irony of one Liz walking into number 10 at the same time the other Liz is being carried out of Buckingham Palace is not lost on many commentators. It’s interesting how the Liz we have lost…
