Britain is celebrating its Queen’s Platinum Jubilee; that is, Elizabeth II being on their throne for 70 continuous years. In the history of the WORLD, only four other monarchs have lasted that long – the most famous being France’s Louis XIV. He, however, was only 5 when he became king, while Elizabeth was almost 26 at her coronation on Feb 6, 1952!! There’s something to be said for longevity!!
While Louis outlived his son and grandson, Elizabeth’s firstborn, Charles, has gotten quite long-in-the-tooth waiting to succeed his mother. But imagine Elizabeth becoming Queen when we hadn’t even gotten the universal franchise!! So, the PPP hadn’t even won the 1953 elections. And then Churchill would’ve had to consult her when his Government decided to oust the PPP Government after a mere 133 days!! Did she have the confidence to question the old ultra-Imperialist?? Your Eyewitness doesn’t think so!!
But why does he think the Monarchy’s on its way out?? After all, for decades, the Royals have been muddling on in true British style!! But maybe that’s why, isn’t it? They still represent traditional British values, like “muddling through”! Or do they?? Elizabeth’s uncle, Edward, had to abdicate to allow her dad to become King – because he (Edward) wanted to marry a divorcee – and an American one at that!!
Couldn’t have that, could they?? But here it is, Charles had divorced Diana and eventually married a divorcee, and the (English) heavens didn’t fall!! But that – and the soap opera lifestyle of the rest of the Royal Family – have certainly dulled the Royal aura!! Then also there’s the continued shrinking of the British Empire, on which Elizabeth could’ve boasted “the sun never set”. From the globe being literally pink with their colonies, to today it’s not even freckled!! The unkindest cut must’ve been wee Barbados dumping the Queen after almost 400 years of proudly being called “Little England”!!
Sadly, while her Uncle Mountbatten had started the ball rolling by partitioning India and “granting” the two rumps independence in 1947, it was Elizabeth who had to preside over the retreat of the pink tide on the globe, starting with Ghana in 1957!! She dropped by to visit us just before we got independence in 1966 – and oh, what a grand occasion it was. Last chance for the soi-disant “Freedom Fighter Burnham to fulfill his secret wish to play the Englishman!!
While there was an attempt to keep the old colonial ties in a “Commonwealth”, today that’s just a name. But, in the end, it’s her subjects in the United Kingdom who’ll decide on the fate of the Monarchy.
Significantly, it’s not “United”, and most don’t want it to be a “kingdom”.
…fossil pretend?
Ah, what a brave new world COP 26 was gonna unleash. Fossil fuel was out, and renewables were gonna be the thing. But as old Robert Burns pointed out some time ago, the best plans o’ mice and men oft go awry!! And Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine has certainly made the plans on oil and gas go awry!! To deter Putin, the West has imposed oil sanctions (well, slowly!) but Russia’s starting to play hard ball: you don’t pay in Rubles, you get nothing!! Your Eyewitness thinks we call that capitalism!!
The problem is everyone thought that oil is fungible – maybe so…but they forgot that all oil isn’t identical!! And since Europe and much of the (rich) temperate zone is hooked on diesel for heating, where are they gonna get heavier oil to mix with the light from Saudi and the US to deliver diesel?? So, in the meantime, India’s picking up discounted Russian crude, refining it, and then re-exporting to Europe.
Who remembers their commitment to renewables?!!
…the TT ploy
Your Eyewitness returns to Rowley’s offer to refine our oil at their mothballed Petrotrin Refinery. As he’d pointed out, apart from being all rusted, that was configured for TT’s heavy oil!!
No, thanks!!
