The Queen At 80

[poliphilo]

I want an English republic. (I didn't say "I'm a Republican" for fear of misunderstanding.)

The Guardian has at least two big essays this morning on how us English Republicans must seize the moment and start preparing for an English Republic now the Queen has turned 80.

But I'm afraid we've missed our chance. We should have struck in the 90s. The monarchy had reached an all-time low. Diana Spencer (alive and dead) was our standard bearer.

And now the Queen is entering the autumn of her reign. Like Victoria before her, she's become the Grandmother of the Nation.

Inertia takes over. Establishing an English Republic would mean reworking the Constitution from top to bottom. I can't see any Prime Minister having the heart for it.

Especially since removing the monarch means an end to the Royal prerogative, which gives the Prime Minister of the day quasi-regal powers, including the right to declare war without putting it to a parliamentary vote.

So we're almost certainly stuck with the Windsors for the forseeable future.

The Queen could last another 20 years, which means that Charles, if he lives that long, will be over 70 when he succeeds and Grandfather of the Nation from day one.

The only thing that could turn everything around is a big royal scandal. And I wouldn't put it past Charles or either of his two boys to supply us with one.

Comments

[frumiousb.livejournal.com]

I agree with you about the timing. I tend to think that the public has come around to a grudging respect for Charles.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I think the British public has come to view Charles as a silly old duffer, but basically harmless. It still takes a stretch of the imagination to picture him with the crown of stae on his head.

[ex-kharin447.livejournal.com]

"a silly old duffer, but basically harmless"

An incorrect view of course, given that he has remorselessly used his position to advance views on a variety of subjects he has neither the right nor the knowledge to speak on.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't disagree.

And his treatment of his first wife was infamous.

Genuinely ignorant and curious

[bodhibird.livejournal.com]

he has remorselessly used his position to advance views on a variety of subjects he has neither the right nor the knowledge to speak on.

Can you give me a couple of examples of ways/times/situations where Charles has done that? You're talking to a U.S. reader who's not all that savvy about what her own political leaders have to say.

Re: Genuinely ignorant and curious

[ex-kharin447.livejournal.com]

Charles apparently sees himself as a 'dissident' and regularly pronounces on subjects like GM crops, farming, education and foreign policy (e.g. boycottong a banquet at the Chinese Embassy in 1999 out of respect for Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama - and encouraging the leaking of this fact) as well as apparently bombarding ministers with letters on subjects like the Iraq war and nanotechnology. More details at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/22/nchar22.xml

Bear in mind that a constitutional monarchy only works by the monarch abstaining from such entanglements. You cannot be a unifying figurehead and be partisan at the same time.

Re: Genuinely ignorant and curious

[bodhibird.livejournal.com]

Thank you. That makes plenty of sense. (And my God, he is so *old*. I guess I haven't taken a good look at him in a while.)

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

Is there anything left for the nation to be scandalized by? Charles has his Camilla finally, William is apparently living with his tootsie, I guess that leaves Harry (who looks more and more like HIS father every day), but would that even cause a stir now? Probably not. Maybe Princess Anne could decide after all these years she's really gay?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

There are sharks circling under the surface.

The continuing investigation into the death of Diana Princess of Wales could throw up something tasty.

And then there are all the ill-used and under-paid palace servants who have seen things they weren't supposed to see.

And the Windsors are all pretty dim. Who knows what stupid things one or other of them might do or say?

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

Inbreeding, the problems with inbreeding, and still they continue to do it. Well, either that or marry someone with NO breeding whatsoever.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

They're woefully out of touch- and none of them smart enough to do anything about it.

[ex-kharin447.livejournal.com]

I would suspect that people wilfully blind themselves on these points. The strong probability that one of Charles's sons is illegitimate is a good example.

[pickwick.livejournal.com]

I think it's more that people don't care if one of his sons is illegitimate - it's not a huge scandal these days. Certainly, I don't think it's a reason not to have him as king.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

If Harry is illegitimate and yet acceptable as a (possible) future king it makes nonsense of the mystique of the blood royal.

[ex-kharin447.livejournal.com]

My view precisely. In the event that he was to succeed I doubt that people would necessarily be quite so relaxed.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's just his age or the way he's been typecast in the media, but Harry comes across as peculiarly stupid and insensitive

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

or maybe it's just that nazi costume he wore to a party...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Well there's that,

and his duffing up of a reporter outside a nightclub

And his recent visit to a lap-dancing club

and the fact that he almost certainly cheated to get into Sandhurst...

[pickwick.livejournal.com]

Heh, I was watching something the other night that was talking about this. Most people in the country are republican (small R) in their heads, ie they can't logically support an unelected head of state and all their sponging relatives, but because the Queen's been queen for all of most of their lives, everyone's a bit "Well, I don't like monarchies, but I dunno if we want to get RID of them. I mean, they're quite harmless..."

I think Charles as king could be funny, though.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

In fact it comes down to us (meaning the politicians) not wanting the trouble of having to devise an alternative.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I think the Queen is probably above reproach. I'm not so sure about Philip, though....

[senordildo.livejournal.com]

Just behead the lot of 'em. It would make a great reality show.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We tried something along these lines back in the 1640s. It only had a short term effect.

[senordildo.livejournal.com]

Ah, but did you have television back then? Anyway, back then you only chopped off Charles's block. This time you can polish of the whole gamily at once. (You could have them fight each other gladiator-style)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That would score good ratings...

[paroxysma.livejournal.com]

Amidst all of this...Camilla is still sucking a lot of dick. *shakes fist at her* Man she's a bitch!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

She's still sucking a lot of dick dick? Whose? When? Where? Tell me more.....

[paroxysma.livejournal.com]

Well...Charles' of course. When and where I don't know, but it's safe to presume. Unlike many people, I liked Di. I thought she was a right dandy lady, and felt bad for her.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ah, I thought maybe she was spreading it around a bit.

The thing is you guys in the States get stories about our Royals that the British media are too scaredy-cat to use.

Yeah, I liked Di too. The Windsors treated her really badly and she had the spirit to fight back.

[methodius.livejournal.com]

I got polled by SkyNews on this topic, I'm not sure why.

But I was surprised to find how thoroughly monarchist I was, and I don't even live in the UK.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that here republicanism has been closely associated with fascism, and I'd like to think that a constitutional monarchy in Britain could conceivably resist the incipient fascist imperialism of the Blair gang.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

My problem with the monarchy is that it locks a culture of cringe and subservience in place. It irritates me no end, but as political systems go, it's hardly the worst.