So there we go. The Jubilee came to London, and we all got an extended bank holiday, mused a bit about the pageantry and the meaning of a monarchy in a modern democracy, and tried to keep out of the rain while enjoying the sights. In was in short a thoroughly British weekend.
There was the sight of a flotilla of boats coming up the Thames, which would have put the fear of god into most of her royal predecessors. A concert on the Mall featuring any number of inoffensively bland national treasures. Then a service of thanks at St Paul’s Cathedral, where we were reminded, not only is the Queen an unelected head of state, but an also a seemingly un religious head of a church.
The Queen Liz is undeniably popular at the moment. Riding the crest of a pro monarchy wave blown over from last years wedding, an Oscar win for her dad’s story, and the actually rather impressive record of having not offended anyone for 60 years.
This is no mean feat. Only this year the King of Spain got himself in some hot water for shooting an elephant while on holiday. Compounding his mistake, apart from the century we are in, the crippling austerity currently weighing heavy on his country and his presidency (the irony not lost on this author) of the Spanish WWF. Oops.
No such nonsense from our Queen.
She did her duty, gave us some time off, and boosted sales of anything red, white or blue. And for that I salute her.
strangerthansatire 