I grew up republican, but now I'm ambivalent about it. For all their faults, absurd rituals, misguided notions of hereditary power - the British monarchy has lasted centuries and is
intrinsic to British cultural identity. If you ask a random person in the world what springs to mind when they think about Britain - the Queen's one of the first things they mention. If we replaced the monarchy with a President, what differentiates Britain from any other nation ?
However what's also absurd is the elevation of the Queen to sainthood since her death with the wall-to-wall coverage, abandonment of sporting fixtures, Twitter logos turning black, the forced public expressions of grief for a woman who very few truly know and condemnation of those who refuse to join in the mass hysteria.
Isn't it ironic that those who are quick to criticise wokeism, "political correctness" and erosion of free speech are the
loudest voices now guilt-tripping those who refuse to participate in royalist worship ? As long as the protests remain dignified, they're free to exercise their democratic rights.
I understand why Elizabeth II generates affection. She generally conducted herself with class and dignity, that's uncontested. She became a grandmotherly figure and in a world of change - she was a constant. However she never made a public stance on a single matter - she was a monarch to be seen and not heard, which to be fair is the role of a constitutional monarch. It's whispered she was unhappy Margaret Thatcher opposed sanctions on Apartheid South Africa, and she loved her horse racing. That's about it, meaning people can project themselves on this blank canvas.
Respect for the dead is fine, but revisionism is not. There's little transparency about the royal finances, and the Queen fought tooth and nail to ensure that. She only started paying taxes in 1992 when republicanism peaked in a year of royal scandal. Thanks to a 1993 agreement, Charles doesn't have to pay a penny on his inheritance.
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/s...2784/queen-elizabeth-royal-family-tax-breaks/
She was also too indulgent of Prince Andrew who's been described as her favourite son. Look, parents will do anything for their children but he should've been slapped down for hanging out with a known sex offender, then making pathetic excuses. Don't assume that was Andrew's only scandal. He was a Trade Envoy for 10 years, and abused his position charging the taxpayer thousands for leisurely trips to corrupt tyrants. The Kazakhstan President's son-in-law paid
millions over the odds for Andrew's Surrey mansion.
Finally, regarding colonialism. It's silly to blame Elizabeth II for the sins for her ancestors. She oversaw the biggest contraction of British Empire in centuries. However it's fair to criticise what her throne symbolised. Her husband's uncle, Louis Mountbatten, oversaw the bloodiest and disasterous territorial Partition in history. With only several thousand useless Frontiermen patrolling the border, and his insistence on rushing British withdrawal forward from June 1948 to Aug 1947, we saw the
worst pogroms in 20th Century history. He was killed by the IRA in 1979 and people wanted to scrub his record then too. 1 million Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs died on his watch.
Again may she rest in peace, I hope Charles succeeds as King (and stops interfering in politics like the Black Spider memos revealed), but let's keep things in balance.