Salmond and the Royal Jubilee
I am looking forward to a fantastic weekend of celebrations right across Scotland to mark The Queen’s 60 years of loyal service on the occasion of Her Diamond Jubilee. Her Majesty has been, and contributes to be, a great friend of Scotland, offering her subjects unparalleled dedication and integrity as she has carried out her duties throughout her reign. This week, the Scottish Parliament put on record its admiration, respect and gratitude for all that the Queen has done for Scotland, and this holiday will enable the people of Scotland to do the same.
Up and down the country, people take time to reflect on the contribution of their monarch to Scottish life as they enjoy the variety of events on offer. At her Majesty’s request, these will be of moderate cost and will celebrate those who have, in their own way, offered outstanding service to their communities.
Alex Salmond, 3.6.12, Sunday Herald
Salmond and the Royal Wedding
Salmond who is known to have a warm relationship with the Queen, especially their shared passion for horse racing, has been seeking to reassure the royals.
He says they would continue to play a significant symbolic role in Scotland, with the Queen becoming head of State
. He first advised the Prince of Wales of his commitment to keeping Scotland within the Commonwealth during a private meeting over whisky and sandwiches at Balmoral in 1998, reflecting strong public support among Scots for the retention of the royals.
In an interview this week he spoke of his affection for the monarchy, saying he would have had the entire city
of Edinburgh covered in royal standards
to mark the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton if he hadn’t been so busy electioneering.
Isabel Oakeshott and Jason Allardyce, Sunday Times, 29th May 2011
The Queen: Floating In The Stink
(http://thecommune.co.uk/2012/06/05/the-queen-floating-in-the-stink/#more-8001)
The cult of the Queen as a symbol of British unity is the illusion that she is somehow above and beyond corrupt and dishonest parliamentary politicians, and profit obsessed capitalists;(1) To make Britain proud, she is jolly good at her job and has devoted her self to sixty years of selflessness in the stultifying boredom of public service.(2) Royal pageantry is not historical, but in the history of pageants the diamond jubilee, in the words of the Guardian, is important if not remarkable, but its only important because its rare.(3) As panic spreads throughout the world’s stock markets she is a useful symbol, keeping up the appearances of continuity and stability to stave off growing lack of confidence in the government’s austerity programme.
There is no real or rational meaning in the state orchestrated worship of the Queen,(4) but that’s not the point. It’s a state religion bringing magic and glamour to transform the harsh reality of job cuts, benefit cuts, pension cuts and wage cuts into an emotional communal feeling of togetherness. However, there is a negativity or fearfulness in all this spirituality. What is the alternative to the carefully crafted tradition of the Windsor Family? It could be something worse.(5) Although the worship of state leaders was historically similar in Russia, China and in the present, North Korea; that is seen as state propaganda, whereas in Britain it’s the Queen’s assumed decency and general niceness which is venerated. It’s for a person not the state. This is mystical, she is obviously at the apex of the state.
Appearances notwithstanding, the crown estates are not above shameless profiteering, far from it. Sir Stuart Hampson, chairman of the crown estates, has put the spectacular rise in property revenues from the estate down to entrepreneurial flair in the neo liberal market place. Rents have soared in Regent Street and other lucrative property. This has substantially boosted the Queens private Fortune.(6) She personally owns Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Balmoral estate. The unemployed from Bristol who were bussed into London to work for nothing, to steward the Royal Pageant, some of whom were left to sleep under London Bridge, own nothing but their ability to work.(7)
Andrew Marr claims he was a republican, but from observing the hard work of the Queen, he is no longer a republican.(8) But what work is this? She has an army of servants and the nature of the work is never specified. How would she know she was on holiday? The royal yacht Britannia was an ocean going liner, which took the queen all over the world, especially in winter. Well, she had to get away from all that hard boring work, don’t we all? She could be one of us if you don’t think about it. But do think about it, having to wine and dine with all those important dignitaries in all those grand places? Nice work if you can get it. The most those unpaid Bristol stewards can hope for is some paid temporary employment at the Olympics. Another state event to help make us feel great as the great economic depression deepens. But why spoil the jubilee party? Why be a communist kill joy? Let’s celebrate. But it is not simply a party or a celebration. It’s celebrating the Queen: Sixty years personifying the state as the head of the British imperialist army and their barbaric wars. It was difficult to escape from the Royal pantomime, even when I went into my local pub where there is no TV. The pump clips on the real ale carried the union flag, the crown or an image of the queen. Except one obviously brewed by a republican, which had what looked like a toad in royal gowns getting soaked in the rain, with the words “A long reign”. And a good beer it was-but then again, I was celebrating being off work.
Barry Biddulph, the commune, 5.612
Notes
1 David Hare, Guardian 2/06/12
2 Max Hastings, Financial Times 2/06/12
3 The Guardian Editorial 02/06/12
4 Polly Toynbee on the Andrew Marr show 3/06/12
5 Tom Nairn, The Enchanted Glass, 1988, Picador London.
6 The Financial Times 02/06/12
7 The Guardian 04/06/12
8 Andrew Marr, The Andrew Marr Show 03/06/12