A Queen and Her Subjects
The Twenty-First Century Monarchy is a credit both to our Royal family and the British Public!
Throughout the recent celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee and a Royal birth much rightly has been rightly been said about the way our Royal Family serves this nation so well. Her Majesty the Queen in particular has been praised for her devotion to duty and the dedication with which she has approached this lifelong role.
The blogger could not agree more wholeheartedly with such sentiments. It must be right that we acknowledge the (often unremarked) devotion to duty of our Royal Family. Another factor that is often unremarked is the loyalty and commitment of the British public to the institution of Monarchy.
It is because of the British public that few politicians, who generally make it their business to attack traditional institutions, work openly to undermine the Monarchy (although some politicians rely on more subtle tactics). It should be remembered that the British public always supports the great Royal events, shows a genuine love for our national family and has a better understanding of the importance of the institution than many in the political and media class.
Indeed this country’s whole stable evolution to its current system of government by Queen-in Parliament was achieved partly through the commonsense of the public. Unlike some of our Continental neighbours, the British public has rarely become swayed by the latest fashionable theory. Although the argument for our institutions is not often articulated, it is generally understood that the tried and tested institutions that have arisen organically have more worth than the attempts to make society fit the latest political theory. It suggests that if theories have to be articulated before they can be intuitively understood, they generally have less common sense about them.
So the emotional affection combined with the small-c conservatism of the public has meant that we understand the importance of Monarchy as a binding institution that unites us today with each other and with past and future generations. We understand that for the Head of State to be there through tradition rather than being selected for partisan loyalty is a greater force for stability and unity than party politics. We understand that the ceremony that Monarchy brings to our affairs gives them a greater dignity and meaning. So credit is due to the Royals who serve us so well and credit is also due to the commonsense of the British public for the Monarchy we have today.