A quick grab for power?
As we have been detained, reluctantly, at the late Queen’s bereavement party in the United Kingdom, the Heir Apparent has been staking out his own territory.
If you feel there has been an indecent rush to proclaim the new king, you are right. There are no pretenders to the throne; the lesser heirs have maintained an orderly procession, there are no ‘smokies’ hiding in the wings, neither in Scotland nor in France.
The various announcements and proclamations have continued apace since the Queen died. The scene-setting and the execution of the ceremonies have gone without a hitch.
Considering it has been seventy years since any of these events were last performed, it becomes clear there had been significant planning, and almost certainly rehearsals. That is why it is probable that the Queen was party to the preparations, even as she soldiered on.
Why hurry?
So why the haste? At first glance the Queen was always a constitutional monarch. As such her powers were strictly limited, and if we are to be brutally honest, she was always restrained by those limits. Part of her impeccable reputation rests on her willingness to act within those limits.
She was tasked with receiving advice from her prime minister(s). This in itself would be crushingly difficult, considering the quality of advisors. Listening to David Cameron, or Boris Johnson, sounds like slow torture. Her greatest victories seem to have been in the area of protecting her own vast wealth from tax.
Her will is forever unavailable to be seen by the public, so the wash-up is that what was hers becomes the new king’s; what was his, in his role as Prince of Wales, now becomes the property of his son and heir, Prince William.
Continue, until you run out of heirs. Be assured that the family will continue to advocate on behalf of minimal taxes for them, and an ongoing lack of accountability to the state, which nurtures them.
Building on the legacy
So the inescapable conclusion is that Queen Elizabeth the Second was a ruler without practical political power, who was nevertheless able, through a lifetime of ‘service’ and exemplary behaviour, to develop a huge, and deeply personal following amongst her subjects.
She has no legislative triumphs, because she has no power to legislate. She has, through dint of many years of dedication, developed a network of people whose lives have been enriched, sometimes by virtue of something as transitory as their having attended a street walk fifty years ago, or by the purchase of a commemorative item, which serves as a marker of time passed.
She has been invaluable at opening anything, from a bridge in Scotland, to the London Olympics, but if you study her achievements they are precisely those of an enabler, one who graces political decisions, no matter how damaging they might be, because that is her role.
We are surprised at the depth of feeling that her death has released, and the intense feelings of attachment to the Queen, are being translated into renewed support, perhaps even fervour, for the institution of the British Monarchy.
The grab for power and legitimacy seems to have been hatched long ago. Both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles must have been acutely aware that the very notion of a hereditary monarchy is completely incompatible with a modern democratic state, and so the moment to declare the continuation of the royal line would naturally be when the nation is consumed with emotion.
That would explain the unseemly haste with which Charles has had himself proclaimed King. The use of ceremony, of gorgeous costumes, the seamless call-up of notables and rarely seen archaic practices, including the use of the ancient language appropriate to mediaeval successions has us all shocked and awed by the mysterious power of the crown.
The new King will, no matter how powerful the assembled courtiers and the nominal military decorations worn so devilishly, equate to virtually no power. The Queen mastered the skill of quieting her own inner voice, and King Charles has already promised to follow her lead.
So forget about the time for reflection, the possibility of making the monarchy more democrat friendly. You have been awe-bombed by a family which relies 100% on our ability to quiet our inner voices, which naturally know the absurdity of a ruling family placed above the populace.
If we ask why do they continue to ‘serve’ we note their lack of political weight, their potential capture by those lucky enough, or devious enough to hold prime ministerial power.
The only ‘sweetener’ in this for a British sovereign seems to lie in the need to satisfy the personal mission of service, and the vast wealth and prestige attached to the office. In a month or so, as the novelty of a new king wears off, he will probably tail off in his relentless efforts to legitimise the existence of a hereditary monarchy, and simply continue the family tradition of opening things.
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10 comments
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RoadKillCafe -
R Gaede -
Kerri -
New England Cocky -
Harry Lime -
RoadKillCafe -
Canguro
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Fred -
Jano from the Gong -
RoadKillCafe
Return to home pageKing chucky, the man that aspired to be a tampon. Chucky, mate, did you think that one out, a bloody mess and then flushed. Oh well, good thing you’re not a back door man, be really in the poo then.
I am no Monarchist. However I find your analysis of the Queen, her position, powers and understanding of the workings of the British Constitution cynical, and shallow.
An aspect of monarchy you appear to have failed to grasp is not what the Monarch can do, but rather what the monarch can refuse to do. All legislation ultimately requires Royal Assent. This means that would be absolute rulers are denied the ultimate power, short of a palace coup deposing the monarch. Because of the normally neutral, and compliant excercise of power, should the monarch publicly refuse to give RA, it would shriek to the World that something is very seriously amiss with the proposal, sufficient to put the entire population on enquiry. The Queen acted, in some cases as a background moral influence against government excesses. In some cases e.g. the IMHO Palace Coup of 1976 in Australia, her quiet, background influence was not benign. But all rulers face such dilemmas, and play the situations as they see them, for better, for worse.
On a more mundane note, your comments on taxation are seriously in error. While the Queen, and the Dukes of York and Lancaster are exempt from taxation, they have voluntarily had income from their personal assets taxed in the ordinary way. Other income from assets of the Crown is exempt, is no taxed, however it goes to the govt ,with the Monarch, and the Dukes retaining 10% for expenses of State. They cannot dispose of any of those Crown assets for personal gain, and any disposals must be approved by the govt.
R Gaede I too am no monarchist. Nor am I a traditionalist. I agree with you and would add (to clarify for the article) that King Charles did not have himself declared King hastily. He became King the moment Elizabeth stooped breathing. The coronation is a formality and a public show and declaration of service to both church and state. By your definition Charles was no faster than his mother. “The Queen succeeded to the Throne on the 6 February, 1952 on the death of her father, King George VI. She was in Kenya at the time and became the first Sovereign in over 200 years to accede while abroad.” If you must criticise do it with accuracy and research instead of making your own conclusions. A lack of research makes us all similar to the far right opinionistas who rely almost totally on their own somewhat flimsy resources.
The Queen is dead. Long live the Australian Republic with an Australian borne head of State.
I long for the time when we are going to accumulate the maturity to jettison all this absolute bullshit, and actually live in the 21st century.The cult of personality in period costumery.Given here in Oz we throw State funerals for questionable ‘heroes’ at the drop of a top hat,proves political populism is alive and well.We may have ascended on the sheep’s back,but it’s time we stopped leaping in the air like sheep exiting a gate.
Harry, there are some that see the bullshit and some that find relevance in giving their considered opinions on subjects, I find, are mostly a waste of space, of time and energy. There you go though, different strokes for different folk. Even though we seem to have a herd of elephants in the room (global warming) we continue to seek delusion in subjects that are merely garbage, the detritus of a fucked up species.
George Monbiot nails it, again.
Clearly I don’t get the Monarchy! Puting aside the pomp, ceremony, etc., can somebody please explain in simple terms what practical value, if any, it adds to running a country like Australia. Remember – the GG didn’t value-add to the omni-ministerial PM situation whether in making the public aware or saying don’t be greedy. There has to be a better way.
The Rort ya als – Con archist …Yeah , its their common wealth ! And-The Union – is all Jacked Up !!!….( Give us a fellow convict for our Head of state , Any day ,,) God save the fair dinkum and the fair go !! … Currently , ,Benny Hill for GG , any one ,lol …
Thankyou, Canguro, further insights into the rottenness, the corruption, the evil at the heart of this bullshit construct we live. You, yes you, think about it, we accept what is as real, as the way, following blindly, drifting through, consumed by the pressures imposed by a bullshit construct that we accept as real.
What is real? The sun rises in the east, sets in the west, the air we breathe, what we call gravity, the tides, the wind, that we live on a beautiful finite planet, a completely self contained habitat that, in our blindness, our ignorance we destroy.
We need to admit we have been exploited, sucked in, become braindead suckers. Once upon a time we knew we were part of the whole, one with this life, not the rapers, the destroyers, not the greedy, corrupt, rotten creatures we have become. Think about it. None of us were issued with an how to manual, we’ve grown accepting this status quo as the truth, that this is the way it is, that this is our reality.
No, it’s not. No fucking way. Ultimately this place does not need us, certainly not in our current state of being. Once, we knew, we are the caretakers, once we knew our place in this magnificent ecosystem, we did in joy, we were responsible, caring, loving.
It is not too late, please wake the fuck up. Think.