A good friend and fellow plastic modeler (which is how we know each other) who is a “well-sourced” journalist over there and who over the years has demonstrated he really is “plugged in,” notified me around 0700 Pacific time this morning that Queen Elizabeth was actually dead.
We have enjoyed watching many a show about Elizabeth and have always admired her character, courage and commitment. But for the life of me, I just don't understand the point of a monarchy that is purely ceremonial. I guess that's because I find "ceremony" to be a waste of precious human consciousness and resources. Ye gads. Pomp, circumstance and fancy coaches make me crazy.
That being said, she was quite a woman and it's too bad there isn't another one to succeed her. Most men have not done so well in these roles. May she rest in peace.
As my UK friend explained to me, there is value in having a "head of state" who is not there because of "pushing policies" that by their nature have supporters and opponents. It allows the state to have a personal continuity and connection to the citizens that remains regardless of the tempers of the times. I think I agree with him, looking at our history of political leaders who are simultaneously head of state and where that leads.
There are certainly features and defects in each system. I get how important someone of Elizabeth's integrity - just her reassuring presence during tough times - would be a powerful stabilizing factor.
But what if she had been as stupid, malevolent and selfish as so many monarchs of the past have been?
I feel for Charles. Talk about "tough acts to follow". But he has been in training all his life. I would hope he might actually dip his toes into a stronger leadership position on issues that will affect the planet. Good luck to him. And William.
Well, he is strong on environment, which is good. One hopes he has read thoroughly about the failures of his namesake heirs. There's a reason there hasn't been a Charles since 340 years.
I've always sort of liked Charles II for being such an unapologetic bad boy. his whole deal was something like "why be a king if I can't rock and roll?" and I've always found the question pretty hard to answer, aside from the fact that he lived before the discovery of penicillin, the lack of which probably resulted in some very uncomfortable days for him.
Any guy that will process used frying oil into fuel for his Jaguar can't be all bad. He's generally been in the background but, as you say, he's had a lot of training.
In a parliamentary system it seems necessary that someone is there to pull the plug on a government should said government refuse to step down when the “constitution” requires. After all, the executive and legislative powers are combined into one body and there must be occasional temptations to just forego those silly elections.
I also recall that the British monarch can serve as a bit of a tie breaker in close elections. Wasn’t it in 2010 that elections resulted in a hung parliament and the leaders of the major parties were not able to muster the votes to form a government? Negotiations went on for quite awhile until speculation started that the Queen just might pick one. That possibility seemed to have focused the politicians’ minds sufficiently so that a Conservstive-Liberal coalition was formed shortly after that speculation started.
Wasn’t the Fixed Parliaments Act repealed? Anyway, I think it’s true that 5 years is the norm in their unwritten constitution. What always stumped me was how the “constitution” is enforced when executive and legislative power are combined in Parliament. What would happen if they caught GQP Disease and a party just decided they wouldn’t ask the monarch to dissolve Parliament. Anyway, I’m veering off course here.
Condolences to the Royal Family and the UK people.
it's funny, Tom, but during the last few months, it occurred to me (at least half-seriously) that since we don't have anything as sensible as a parliamentary system here, the Presidency has taken over a lot of the ceremonial bullshit that people seem to enjoy (I don't, at all, but that's just me). plus there's the whole issue of our Constitution being created in the then-welcome absence of political parties; in their presence, the system that Constitution created is a recipe for gridlock. the head of the government here must therefore (as you've already stated) push a policy agenda. so what we have is a mess. and, in response to that (and because it causes most people I say it to to blanch and look at me like I'm nuts, and I sorta dig shit like that), this king or queen thing just seems like it's worth a mention...and I'll finish exactly the way you just did...look at our current history.... SOMETHING's gotta be better than THIS.
and I sure wish that media would stop pushing this ridiculous mythology about Edward VIII's abdication being about "the woman he loved." who is well-served by this continuing line of bullshit?
is it possible that I just sorta answered my own question by asking it?
Someone made a very important point on BBC this morning while they were getting the public ready to hear the news that the Queen had really already died!
It was this: the word "duty" is usually associated with Elizabeth, and rightly so as she was a woman of long duty. The commentator suggested another word, " humility". By that he meant that she understood the symbolic nature of her role and kept to it. She did not conflate the role with her self and kept her private self as private as possible. She did not act out in public or take on airs but did her work, day after day. In tfg, we had the opposite model-- a leader who conflated the state and his role with his incredibly dysfunctional self.
I am not a monarchist but I will miss this Queen, who has been there for all but 7 years of my life. I do think ,though, that with the end of this Second Elizabethan Era and the final royal link to WWII, the UK is on the cusp of big change in the royal sphere. It will be interesting to watch. Lots of ritual to go through before we get there though! And I join you in sincerely hoping that Charles, as King, will be influential in the urgent work of saving the planet! May Elizabeth rest in peace.
He can appear out of touch and foolish even , hence all the jokes about him talking to plants, yet for all its apparent privileges, his life has not been an easy one. The public school he was sent to was probably even tougher and more brutal than mine, and that’s saying something. But he’s extremely well read, unlike his father, grandfather or great grandfather, and has strong opinions on the environment and what architects like to call the “built environment”, and his Prince’s Trust has helped countless thousands of young people into qualifications and work. In short, he’s a bit of a Green, which is just fine by me. And although his role theoretically prevented him from doing so, he was never afraid as Prince of Wales, the heir apparent, to make his feelings known about the issues he cared about. Being king will make this much harder, though, and it will be interesting to see how he copes with being reined in.
I just finished writing about my own encounter with Elizabeth II in 1967 for my paper- I was five, standing along the road when her motorcade passed about eight feet away and she waved.
I got teary upon seeing the announcement on my phone— I have a deep admiration for her perseverance, her sense of duty and apparently with trusted friends she could be quite funny with imitations of people. I also love her for her obvious love of animals which we share. I think it’s quite hard for us pragmatic Americans to get the monarchy— however, I’m one who love traditions and so I respect their way. It’s worked for Great Britain for such a very long time.
Elizabeth may have been the first qualified mechanic to become British monarch. The parents didn't want her to join the forces, but she persisted and wrung from them their slow leave by laboursome petition and joined the Army, where she trained as a mechanic who could also drive all the vehicles she worked on. Moreoever, she enjoyed wielding the spanner as a royal, rather a rude, mechanical.
Britain was the first modern state to conscript women, who played critical roles throughout the war, but even if she didn't exactly set an "example" there, she demonstrated early that sense of duty that would inform the long course of her reign.
As Shakespeare might have put it: Take a soldier. Take a Queen.
Thanks for this report, TC. It is true that often times, the "highborn" are simply people with some very common interests. I love that story. Aviation is truly a great equalizer.
Thank you. Queen Elizabeth is a very, very special woman and queen. Your essay was personal and just what I wanted to read. She always has such a practical light emanating from herself.
I was a wee lad of about six living In Edinburgh while my dad worked for USIS when Elizabeth was crowned Queen. Everyone decorated their homes. She was the first Queen Elizabeth of Scotland ER I. She was the second Elizabeth Queen of England ER II. The Scots fought over this. They blew up new Post Boxes that had the ER II symbol. I recall our decorations listed no numeral. I will miss her. She was a grounding person during
You were on it, TC! Ahead of the curve. We just found a Reuters announcement online. Otherwise, none of our outlets were reporting her passing. I'm feeling a bit sad. She was a visual governmental presence my entire life.
I’m glad you were the one to break the news to me, TC - with your wonderful personal story. Of course, I’m so naïve I believed the earlier WaPo reports that her doctors were concerned about her and the family was gathering. Her reign is over. God Save the Queen. We move forward with Charles. God Save the King. ❤️🤍💙🇬🇧
I am visiting friends in Endfield, part of Greater London. Dining at a restaurant when the Queen’s passing was announced, the matre d as the room for 5 minutes of silence! Respect! A nation that respects a leader! Refreshing!
What a storied past you have lived. Hobnobbing with the bloody Prince himself. Who would've known, Just came across announcement before I started the ironing. No starch. 😉
I'm not a fan of "royalty" in any form, or the invented privileges that come with it, but I do like your writing. Elizabeth is gone, and maybe she was good, but she was born into an evil social structure.
We have enjoyed watching many a show about Elizabeth and have always admired her character, courage and commitment. But for the life of me, I just don't understand the point of a monarchy that is purely ceremonial. I guess that's because I find "ceremony" to be a waste of precious human consciousness and resources. Ye gads. Pomp, circumstance and fancy coaches make me crazy.
That being said, she was quite a woman and it's too bad there isn't another one to succeed her. Most men have not done so well in these roles. May she rest in peace.
As my UK friend explained to me, there is value in having a "head of state" who is not there because of "pushing policies" that by their nature have supporters and opponents. It allows the state to have a personal continuity and connection to the citizens that remains regardless of the tempers of the times. I think I agree with him, looking at our history of political leaders who are simultaneously head of state and where that leads.
There are certainly features and defects in each system. I get how important someone of Elizabeth's integrity - just her reassuring presence during tough times - would be a powerful stabilizing factor.
But what if she had been as stupid, malevolent and selfish as so many monarchs of the past have been?
I feel for Charles. Talk about "tough acts to follow". But he has been in training all his life. I would hope he might actually dip his toes into a stronger leadership position on issues that will affect the planet. Good luck to him. And William.
Well, he is strong on environment, which is good. One hopes he has read thoroughly about the failures of his namesake heirs. There's a reason there hasn't been a Charles since 340 years.
I've always sort of liked Charles II for being such an unapologetic bad boy. his whole deal was something like "why be a king if I can't rock and roll?" and I've always found the question pretty hard to answer, aside from the fact that he lived before the discovery of penicillin, the lack of which probably resulted in some very uncomfortable days for him.
and he was also great for comedy....
just saying.
Any guy that will process used frying oil into fuel for his Jaguar can't be all bad. He's generally been in the background but, as you say, he's had a lot of training.
In a parliamentary system it seems necessary that someone is there to pull the plug on a government should said government refuse to step down when the “constitution” requires. After all, the executive and legislative powers are combined into one body and there must be occasional temptations to just forego those silly elections.
I also recall that the British monarch can serve as a bit of a tie breaker in close elections. Wasn’t it in 2010 that elections resulted in a hung parliament and the leaders of the major parties were not able to muster the votes to form a government? Negotiations went on for quite awhile until speculation started that the Queen just might pick one. That possibility seemed to have focused the politicians’ minds sufficiently so that a Conservstive-Liberal coalition was formed shortly after that speculation started.
At a minimum, elections in Britain have to be held every five years, whether the government in power likes it or not, so there is a "plug" to pull.
Wasn’t the Fixed Parliaments Act repealed? Anyway, I think it’s true that 5 years is the norm in their unwritten constitution. What always stumped me was how the “constitution” is enforced when executive and legislative power are combined in Parliament. What would happen if they caught GQP Disease and a party just decided they wouldn’t ask the monarch to dissolve Parliament. Anyway, I’m veering off course here.
Condolences to the Royal Family and the UK people.
it's funny, Tom, but during the last few months, it occurred to me (at least half-seriously) that since we don't have anything as sensible as a parliamentary system here, the Presidency has taken over a lot of the ceremonial bullshit that people seem to enjoy (I don't, at all, but that's just me). plus there's the whole issue of our Constitution being created in the then-welcome absence of political parties; in their presence, the system that Constitution created is a recipe for gridlock. the head of the government here must therefore (as you've already stated) push a policy agenda. so what we have is a mess. and, in response to that (and because it causes most people I say it to to blanch and look at me like I'm nuts, and I sorta dig shit like that), this king or queen thing just seems like it's worth a mention...and I'll finish exactly the way you just did...look at our current history.... SOMETHING's gotta be better than THIS.
and I sure wish that media would stop pushing this ridiculous mythology about Edward VIII's abdication being about "the woman he loved." who is well-served by this continuing line of bullshit?
is it possible that I just sorta answered my own question by asking it?
Someone made a very important point on BBC this morning while they were getting the public ready to hear the news that the Queen had really already died!
It was this: the word "duty" is usually associated with Elizabeth, and rightly so as she was a woman of long duty. The commentator suggested another word, " humility". By that he meant that she understood the symbolic nature of her role and kept to it. She did not conflate the role with her self and kept her private self as private as possible. She did not act out in public or take on airs but did her work, day after day. In tfg, we had the opposite model-- a leader who conflated the state and his role with his incredibly dysfunctional self.
I am not a monarchist but I will miss this Queen, who has been there for all but 7 years of my life. I do think ,though, that with the end of this Second Elizabethan Era and the final royal link to WWII, the UK is on the cusp of big change in the royal sphere. It will be interesting to watch. Lots of ritual to go through before we get there though! And I join you in sincerely hoping that Charles, as King, will be influential in the urgent work of saving the planet! May Elizabeth rest in peace.
My UK friend said this of Charles:
He can appear out of touch and foolish even , hence all the jokes about him talking to plants, yet for all its apparent privileges, his life has not been an easy one. The public school he was sent to was probably even tougher and more brutal than mine, and that’s saying something. But he’s extremely well read, unlike his father, grandfather or great grandfather, and has strong opinions on the environment and what architects like to call the “built environment”, and his Prince’s Trust has helped countless thousands of young people into qualifications and work. In short, he’s a bit of a Green, which is just fine by me. And although his role theoretically prevented him from doing so, he was never afraid as Prince of Wales, the heir apparent, to make his feelings known about the issues he cared about. Being king will make this much harder, though, and it will be interesting to see how he copes with being reined in.
I just finished writing about my own encounter with Elizabeth II in 1967 for my paper- I was five, standing along the road when her motorcade passed about eight feet away and she waved.
I got teary upon seeing the announcement on my phone— I have a deep admiration for her perseverance, her sense of duty and apparently with trusted friends she could be quite funny with imitations of people. I also love her for her obvious love of animals which we share. I think it’s quite hard for us pragmatic Americans to get the monarchy— however, I’m one who love traditions and so I respect their way. It’s worked for Great Britain for such a very long time.
Great story about Charles.
Elizabeth may have been the first qualified mechanic to become British monarch. The parents didn't want her to join the forces, but she persisted and wrung from them their slow leave by laboursome petition and joined the Army, where she trained as a mechanic who could also drive all the vehicles she worked on. Moreoever, she enjoyed wielding the spanner as a royal, rather a rude, mechanical.
Britain was the first modern state to conscript women, who played critical roles throughout the war, but even if she didn't exactly set an "example" there, she demonstrated early that sense of duty that would inform the long course of her reign.
As Shakespeare might have put it: Take a soldier. Take a Queen.
Thanks for this report, TC. It is true that often times, the "highborn" are simply people with some very common interests. I love that story. Aviation is truly a great equalizer.
Thank you. Queen Elizabeth is a very, very special woman and queen. Your essay was personal and just what I wanted to read. She always has such a practical light emanating from herself.
Godspeed Elizabeth. 👸🏻
I was a wee lad of about six living In Edinburgh while my dad worked for USIS when Elizabeth was crowned Queen. Everyone decorated their homes. She was the first Queen Elizabeth of Scotland ER I. She was the second Elizabeth Queen of England ER II. The Scots fought over this. They blew up new Post Boxes that had the ER II symbol. I recall our decorations listed no numeral. I will miss her. She was a grounding person during
She was a grounding presence in a chaotic world.
You were on it, TC! Ahead of the curve. We just found a Reuters announcement online. Otherwise, none of our outlets were reporting her passing. I'm feeling a bit sad. She was a visual governmental presence my entire life.
I’m glad you were the one to break the news to me, TC - with your wonderful personal story. Of course, I’m so naïve I believed the earlier WaPo reports that her doctors were concerned about her and the family was gathering. Her reign is over. God Save the Queen. We move forward with Charles. God Save the King. ❤️🤍💙🇬🇧
I am visiting friends in Endfield, part of Greater London. Dining at a restaurant when the Queen’s passing was announced, the matre d as the room for 5 minutes of silence! Respect! A nation that respects a leader! Refreshing!
What a storied past you have lived. Hobnobbing with the bloody Prince himself. Who would've known, Just came across announcement before I started the ironing. No starch. 😉
I'm not a fan of "royalty" in any form, or the invented privileges that come with it, but I do like your writing. Elizabeth is gone, and maybe she was good, but she was born into an evil social structure.