God save the queen?

When I was a child my dad bought two souvenir coronation money boxes from some stall on Neston market for my sister and me. They are both pretty battered and well used now, and probably worth at least £1.50. But my links to the royal family go back much further than that. Here is my wonderful mum, born in 1936, youngest of four daughters, and named Elizabeth Margaret for the two little princesses. I find it interesting that my grandparents so admired the royals that they named their daughter for them, and yet Elizabeth herself chooses to barely acknowledge that my mum is an independent human being.

Here is my only correspondence with her from 2018 which to me represents a woman who remains stuck in the past while the world has changed around her. I read in the Guardian recently a comment by Peter Tatchell, on refusing to participate in the jubilee events, "To my knowledge, [the Queen] has never publicly acknowledged that LGBT+ people exist. The words lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender have never publicly passed her lips and she has never visited or been a patron of any LBGT+ charity.":

The government meanwhile is apparently spending £12million on books for primary schools, but all the same one, that celebrates the life of the queen. Amid all this excitement, and teaching resources directed towards this jubilee, I wonder if, in pursuit of a broad and balance curriculum, schools will be discussing the many potential alternatives to a constitutional monarchy. It feels anachronistic that in the 21st century we still treat these mere human beings as if they are special, as if they have some quality that the rest of us lack. What they have done, for the last thousand years, is to acquire land, property, wealth and resources, and given these things out to their friends and family to reinforce their own power and position. And somehow they have persuaded us ordinary people to come out and wave tiny flags and cheer them as they go by. I also read a report concerning the lack of tree cover on royal land and the refusal by the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall to discuss afforestation or consider the rewilding of some of their extensive estates. These are vast areas of the country, stolen over the centuries by people with might on their side. And while it's nice to know that the hospitality industry is getting a boost from the celebrations, I feel more depressed by the plastic bunting and balloons that are going to be joining landfill on Monday. 

David Allen Green's Law and Policy blog has this most thought provoking post today concerning the jubilee and the role of the monarchy in our society, making his usual well argued case for careful consideration before taking action. I can't make a strong case for a republic. She is a symbol of the power of the status quo; it's always been like this so lets just leave well alone. I simply abhor the blinkered patriotism that the royal family engender, and mix in a bit of anointment by the almighty, and there is nothing to particularly make me grateful for the presence of this little old lady, one of the richest women in the world, who has nodded and smiled her way across the planet and back again, but who, when it comes down to it, is just a human being like the rest of us. 

Stay safe. Be kind. Consider the alternatives.