Following on from the discussion of whether there should be a specific English national anthem - and I think that there should be - the question that springs to mind is, what about the monarchy? According to the British national anthem, there`s little else in the country apart from them, or at least the Queen.
The adoption of "Flower of Scotland" by the international community as the national anthem for Scotland is a great move. One that was and is immensely popular in Scotland and among Scots, even though it isn`t an ancient Scottish song but one created in the last 20 years or so by a member of the Corries, now sadly deceased. My only criticism of it would be that it dwells too much on the ancient historical fued between England and Scotland, instead of trying more to define who we, the Scots, actually are today.
A similar move by England would be a good idea, while also getting rid of the annoying habit of some playing the British national anthem as if it was the English one. (I won`t bring up the minor detail of those who believe the Union Jack is the English flag - that`s what the St. George`s Cross is for.)
Being British, or English, or Scottish has nothing to do with the rights (or wrongs!) of a single family. "...Long to reign over us ..." Why should She?
As a Scot I`m proud of Scotland, of the achievements of Scots through history, and of the quality of life that we have in Scotland. The same can easily be claimed by the English, Welsh or Irish with their long histories too. In truth, the inhabitants of the British Isles have played a conspicuous role in the development of the world.
I, not being a fan in any way of the Royal family apart from the Queen Mum, am an Equalitarian, meaning I believe that nobody is "born" to any role in our society. Everyone should be judged and treated according to their talents and deeds, not by who their great-grandmother married. It doesn`t matter to me if they are pure-bred Brits (to use an unintentionally racist-sounding phrase), or whether they are Greco-Germanic in origin. They wouldn`t have the right to reign over me whoever the hell they are. No-one does (except my wife, evidently ...)
To me the Royal Family serves only the limited purpose of attracting tourists. That role, for what they cost us all in taxes, is on shaky grounds in terms of value for money. After all, we pay a fortune to this lot every year despite the fact that the Queen is one of the richest people in the world. I found it very annoying and offensive to have the Queen insist that the public purse be used to repair fire-damaged parts of Windsor castle which are not open to the public, only the Royals.
I`d like to point out that much of her "wealth" is in the form of land ownership across the United Kingdom which she inherited from her predecessors. They in turn inherited it or were given it or simply took it by saying it now belonged to the Crown.
I strongly feel that, in our world of computers, the internet, international air travel and other such modern wonders, the concept of a ruling family is so out of date that it should be seriously questioned. Technological change must be accompanied by sociological change.
I have no doubt, though, that Queen Betty is one of the last. The monarchy will not survive for much longer if they maintain the distance between themselves and their "subjects". They are simply out of touch.
The percentages of the population who feel that the monarchy is an irrelevance will grow as the generations that lived through the Second World War pass on. Then the monarchy, and here`s where my respect for the Queen Mum is rooted, chose to take the difficult path of staying in London and living out the Blitz, even though they would have been a plum target for the Luftwaffe. But those memories are slowly departing from us, and being replaced by the ridiculous machinations of the Palace residents regarding Princess Diana, Fergie, Prince Charles, the Duke of Edinburgh, et al.
The future is, as with every generation, for the young. In this case, the young don`t really see the need for a monarchy. It seems unlikely that this will change.
And if you feel the need for proof that this statement is true, just watch what the celebrations will be like for the Queen forthcoming Golden Jubilee. I remember the Silver Jubilee with all the street parties and parades, etc. I doubt that there will be many street parties next year, do you?
(Stands back after throwing the cat among the pigeons ...)
cheers,
Gareth
