I just don’t know how I feel. I’ve known a whole range of emotions as I reflect on the Queen’s death. It does feel like the end of an era and not just the death of a monarch. The media talks about a smooth transition but I’m not so sure.
My sense is that we are more confident looking back then we are looking forward. We do nostalgia, together with pomp and ceremony very well here in Britain. Here we are in 2022 thrown back on ceremonies and conventions that date back to the 15th century and that somehow we assume conveys the impression of stability, of continuity. The passing of the crown, from Queen to King is seen to be a seamless process conveying continuity but the reality is that there is a great discontinuity and instability within contemporary society.
When the tears have been wiped away, the flowers faded and crowds disperse, when the great wave of sentiment has passed, we will need to face the reality of a very conflicted society. A society that is facing a very uncertain future which exposes the vulnerable state of the nations, which is anything but stable. The United Kingdom, seemingly now united in grief, (as any republican or anti-monarchy dissident voices are silent or silenced), is far from united. Politically, the centre ground is weak and as the government moves further to the Right, so voices, with industrial action and planned strikes, orchestrated by those on the Left, illustrates a divided society. Levelling up is a myth, another chapter in the book of lies and propaganda that beguiled people with empty and unfulfilled promises in relation to Brexit and so many other fairy tale pledges. Great Britain is grating and facing innumerable problems as we move into what could be a very long dark winter of discontent.
This extended period of mourning is being grossly hyped by the media. As one commentator put it, “pageantry we do very well, almost as well as we do hypocrisy”. The same newspapers and media outlets that hounded the Royal family and made life difficult for the Queen, are now heralding her wonderful life and achievements and celebrating Charles III’s accession to the crown.
The second Elizabethan era is over. The death of Queen Elizabeth II marks the end of a long and dutiful reign. The country has changed substantially during her reign and her successor, King Charles III takes over at a time of great uncertainty, the monarch of a country that is far from stable. The times they are a changing.
