Political prisoner, activist, journalist, hymn-writer, emerging thinktanker, aspiring novelist, "tribal elder", 2019 parliamentary candidate for North West Durham, Shadow Leader of the Opposition, "Speedboat", "The Cockroach", eagerly awaiting the second (or possibly third) attempt to murder me.
Saturday, 19 January 2008
Royal Duty
The Royal Family and the monarchy are two distinct things, and the former will be doing the latter an enormous disservice if no member attends the funeral of Sir Edmund Hillary next week.
I don't believe that for one moment. The Queen's alarm at neglect of the Commonwealth since 1979 is well-known, and she would be on the first plane if she were even a very few years younger. What does Prince William or Prince Harry have to do that would prevent him from attending?
If nothing else, that family has the survival instinct. It is not yet one hundred years since they cast off their very name and their closest relatives in order to retain the throne. The Commonwealth argument is increasingly the strongest monarchist argument, and they know it.
If they really cared about the Commonwealth, important members of their family would live in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, etc, at least for large proportions of the year.
Instead they choose to divide their time between Slough and Scotland. As I said: provincialists. I'm the opposite to most people in this reagrd, I feel no great animus against the monarchy as an institution, it is this particular queen and her family that I feel have failed their subjects.
They won't. They are provincialists who care not a toot for the Commonwealth.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that for one moment. The Queen's alarm at neglect of the Commonwealth since 1979 is well-known, and she would be on the first plane if she were even a very few years younger. What does Prince William or Prince Harry have to do that would prevent him from attending?
ReplyDeleteIf nothing else, that family has the survival instinct. It is not yet one hundred years since they cast off their very name and their closest relatives in order to retain the throne. The Commonwealth argument is increasingly the strongest monarchist argument, and they know it.
If they really cared about the Commonwealth, important members of their family would live in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, etc, at least for large proportions of the year.
ReplyDeleteInstead they choose to divide their time between Slough and Scotland. As I said: provincialists. I'm the opposite to most people in this reagrd, I feel no great animus against the monarchy as an institution, it is this particular queen and her family that I feel have failed their subjects.