With Elizabeth II now the longest reigning monarch in British history, here is Colin Liddell's look at her significance published in 2012 on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee.
With the incessant barrage of adulation unleashed by the media on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, the bigger picture has slipped down the back of Britain’s national sofa yet again.
While we have heard lots of twaddle about what a subtle manager of the national psyche she is and how similar to us she actually is (minus her diamonds, caviar, and gilded carriages), nobody seems to have much of a grasp on what monarchy in the 21st century actually is, or of the rationale behind it. The gap where that unasked and unanswered question lies seems for the most part to be clogged with trashy platitudes like “if we didn’t have a Queen we’d have to have a president” and “I suppose it’s good for the tourists.” Very profound!
While we have heard lots of twaddle about what a subtle manager of the national psyche she is and how similar to us she actually is (minus her diamonds, caviar, and gilded carriages), nobody seems to have much of a grasp on what monarchy in the 21st century actually is, or of the rationale behind it. The gap where that unasked and unanswered question lies seems for the most part to be clogged with trashy platitudes like “if we didn’t have a Queen we’d have to have a president” and “I suppose it’s good for the tourists.” Very profound!
