We Don't Do Revolution In The United Kingdom
As Modern As Tomorrow But With A Lot of Time For Yesterday
I never thought I would change my mind about the idea of a constitutional monarchy. A republic always seemed a much fairer and more just system to me. Born in England, I am proud to be English. After spending over 25 years in the USA, I am pleased that my children and grandchildren are American citizens and not subjects. And yet the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and my return to the UK after four completely insane years of Donald Trump have made me reconsider my previous beliefs.
Let me be honest right upfront. Over my adult lifetime, I have never been particularly fond of a monarchy. As an academic and historian, I found the whole idea unfair and unjust. When I say unfair, what I mean is the idea that one person or family can be so privileged while multi-millions more are not so. Remember, the land was not freely offered to a guy who called himself King. Kingships were a creation. Think about that idea for a few seconds . . . Monarchy tied with divinity was invented to obtain power and privilege. Just because over a thousand years we are now at a point when today's UK population sees a lovely dedicated old lady doesn't mean it's fair. Tony Benn described my lifelong concerns succinctly.
Okay, I've got that off my chest! So what happened to change my mind?
As King Charles III addressed Parliament this morning for the first time, I saw a very different person than the buffoon I had viewed him as over my lifetime. In fact, since his ascension to the throne, he even looked different. Indeed, his demeanor and communication were different. When asked to describe Charles III and his upcoming reign, commentator Gyles Brandreth noted that Charles III was "As modern as tomorrow but with a lot of time for yesterday." This description touched me because I thought it also described myself. It also described many of my academic colleagues. It then occurred to me that it represented my country of birth to a tee. It describes many British people too.
It began to occur to me this morning that the idea of a constitutional monarchy in the UK works because it is "as modern as tomorrow but with a lot of time for yesterday." It seems the "lot of time for yesterday" has become the safety valve within our system of government.
It may be no coincidence that many successful democracies worldwide are constitutional monarchies. The Monarchy in the UK legitimizes the government and is a barrier to the idea of a future civil war. As chief political commentator Paul Waugh reminds us, "A constitutional monarch is an utterly modern bulwark against the excesses of populism. In an era of demagoguery and authoritarianism, our quirky compromise of a constitution offers a beacon of hope."
I'm now focusing on the constitutional monarch as a 'servant' and not just the 'ruler' of the nation. It still irks me somewhat that it took hundreds of years of cruelty and killing to get to this point; however, we all know the past is not easily changed while the future can be. Having a remnant of the distant past as 'rulers' is a small price. At least we do not have to deal with President Bolsonaro from Brazil, Prime Minister Orbán from Hungary, President Trump from the USA, President Putin from Russia, and Kim Jong-Un from North Korea. Boris Johnson tried but failed.
My time living in the USA, particularly in rabid right-wing republican states, was always unsettling, having lived in northern England where socially based politics was paramount for most of my life. When the TV and media personality Donald Trump was elected president of the USA, unsettled became freaked out almost immediately. For me, it was difficult to understand why the well-educated population of the USA would believe a single word that this maniac was saying. But . . . they did, and still do. Like many dictators thriving in the world, Trump made me realize that without safety valves, we are dust. The Americans always thought they had 'checks and balances' built within the treasured constitution. They soon found out they did not. If a man like Trump intends to ignore them, he ignores them. No one, not a single soul, can speak on behalf of the people and nation to counteract this kind of ignorance and selfish brutality. King Charles III is our balance.
That brings me back to the UK, where I now reside. With the changing of the guard, the Queen is dead; long live the King. So, for the first time in 70 years, we see how and why constitutional Monarchy works in the United Kingdom.
The constitutional Monarchy will endure because it is a historic, quirky compromise of "principle and pragmatism. It also captures something distinct about the British psyche and something that all politicians strive for yet struggle to achieve: continuity and change." In other words, as Gyles Brandreth noted, "As modern as tomorrow but with a lot of time for yesterday."
"In an age of coarse populism and authoritarianism across the globe, when a US president can reject the fundamental principle of "loser's consent" that is essential for a smooth transition of power, freedom, and democracy are under pressure as never before. As odd as it sounds, our curious mix of Parliament and royalty may be a guarantor of both." (Waugh, edited by author)
The Great British Monarchy symbolized the smooth transition of our government when Queen Elizabeth II died; King Charles III immediately took the throne of the United Kingdom without any pomp or ceremony. The pageantry, ritual, and ancient traditions will follow almost organically through the coming weeks, months, and years. Until next time.
We Don't Do Revolution In The United Kingdom Because . . . "We Are As Modern As Tomorrow But With A Lot Of Time For Yesterday"
© Stephen G. Arrowsmith 2022
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