A Brief Comment by Doug Draper
For practically all of my life as a Canadian, I’ve heard some of my fellow citizens say; ‘Let’s cut our ties with the British monarchy. It is a medieval, autocratic institution that has no place in a democracy’.
Queen Elizabeth II – a pillar of dignity and solidarity in a world where we can’t find much of that any more.
That’s not to say that I would not rather prefer a true democracy that puts the best interests of the people at large first rather than a monarchy. But at least with a monarchy, you have a fairly good idea where you rank on the food chain. Much harder to tell in a fake democracy where the elected government, regardless of what party gets elected, bow to the will of their corporate masters and upper one per cent, and the rest of us have no ranking on the food chain at all, except to accept lower paying jobs with no benefits at fast food joints and box stores or get cut off employment insurance.
It doesn’t seem to be any better in that ‘world’s greatest democracy’ across the border in the U.S.A. where big money from Wall Street pirates decides who will occupy the White House and halls of Congress. Will it really make all that difference for the majority of American people and the rest of us whether Obama or Romney win the presidency this coming fall?
Canada’s Stephen Harper – a fake king ruling over a largely fake democracy.
If I might turn back to the sad state of current affairs in Canada for a moment, it should be remembered by all that Prime Minister Stephen Harper never told Canadians in the weeks and days leading up to last year’s federal election that if he was awarded a majority government, he would gut the country’s environmental regulations. He waited until he got his majority before he began dismembering Canada’s environmental rules and programs on behalf of his corporate masters.
Contrast that with the words Prince Charles and British king in making wrote in 1991 in the foreword to a fabulous book, edited by Jonathon Porritt and called ‘Save the Earth’. In the foreword, Prince Charles writes; “When all is said and done, we have only this one planet to inhabit. No other life-supporting planet has, as yet, been discovered. Until one is found, and the means to colonize it have been perfected, it makes sense, as far as I am concerned, to nurture our only life-support system. We are, or should be, more than anything else, the stewards of this unique oasis in an otherwise apparently barren and inhospitable universe.”
See how many elected officials in Canada or the United States who talk about the need to protect and preserve the life-sustaining resources of our planet like that. Can you come up with even 10 names?
So on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth’s 60 years on the throne, this one-time anti-monarchist says; ‘God save the Queen. … Long may she reign over us.”
(Niagara At Large invites our readers to share their views on this post.)
Niagara At Large 
As much as the Monarchy is an anachronism, it is a symbol of stability and constancy and, let’s face it, nobody does justice to their history, pomp and circumstance like the Brits. It is a source of pride for many because it reminds them of the glorious (and occasionally inglorious) past of their nation. The Monarchy IS living history.
I don’t agree with the public purse being a major source of income for her but, who among us can claim to have done the same job with dignity and grace as long as 60 years. I don’t envy her job in spite of its privileges.
The current Queen puts on a public air of formality and runs “the Firm” with an iron hand and that may seem out of touch by today’s standards but I think she acquired that attitude from the trials and tribulations her father had to go through due to Edward’s abdication. She was determined to keep respect for the institution. Her parents were inspirational to the people during WW2 and Hitler called the diminutive Queen Mom the most feared woman in Europe.
Her family has had its share or embarrassments in recent years but no more so than 99% of our “icons” in politics and the arts. They are human.
I also agree with you Doug that there is just as much of a monarchy, a corporate monarchy, in our own nation and the US, inherited by their offspring from the wealthy although the occassional outsider can work his or her way up the ladder. The important difference is, the Queen is more of a figurehead and less capable of causiing havoc while the corporate leaders are capable of doing much more damage through their ability to pass binding legislation and are far more arrogant than any royalty.
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Doug , You have just expressed my feelings about our Queen and where she fits in to our society. The best thing about our Queen, she has opinions on just about everything, as she is nobody’s fool, but keeps them to herself. Weget glimpses when she makes her Christmas message to the people being above the fray has it’s distinct adavantages, when she came to Niagara on the Lake many years ago. She remarked that their appeared to be more police than the public, The public had been discouraged from attending by the local radio stations claiming gridlock and too many people out of control, so many including me, decided to stay home. What a lost opportunity for royal watchers. My paternal grandmother was the daughter of a Baronet and had the whole deal, a debutant’s ball and intro to British society .I was happily suprised that the Queen was wearing on her white suit a diamond brooch given her by Lady Jardine., possibly the spouse of the Chief of the Clan Jardine of Scotland.
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I guess I am a reluctant monarchist, having lived in Britain for some time, for decades, off and on, and with a son now living there, who has become a British citizen, as well as an American-born citizen, and a Canadian, through us, his parents. We visit regularly, and while there is great disfunction with the monarchy indeed, I would take Anything over the despotic regime we have in Canada under OGL Harper.
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While I in no way endorse the policies of Harper or his ilk I think that a lot of people are living with the misguided belief that the Queen actually does something or in any way changes political policy or the economy.
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You are right, Nick Strugar, of course. I know the Queen has no power over government policy, and is just a figurehead. I guess I was using a lousy metaphor. Still, Harper’s personal ideology has overtaken his policies on all fronts, and I find it more than troubling. If you have not read The Armageddon Factor, I would recommend it. Gail
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