Well, here we are then, Charles the heir apparent is about to be crowned king. His inherence was guaranteed by a pre-democratic medieval system, touched up here and there with the obvious benefits of a ‘constitutional monarchy’ set-up.
Apparently as citizens in a parliamentary democracy and liberal market economy, we agreed to, and pay for, this continuing monarchy. Power + legitimacy = authority. Does this still apply in the UK?
What of his subjects? What state are they in as part of his inheritance? How legitimate is his claim to be Head of State? People and politics thrive on symbols, so is the potent symbol of a very disunited kingdom helpful? Talking of symbols, what about the archaic honours system. Of course we should devise a community based way to thank people for their special efforts, but is continuing to give awards that have British Empire in the title appropriate? The current and ongoing issues with institutional racism emphasise the need for change.
We live in a society where hierarchies based on wealth, greed, money oriented celebrity, inheritance in many forms, and the continued privileges that come with all this are not only still tolerated, but bizarrely have virtue attached to them!
The ‘enough is enough’ campaign has emphasised that he, Charles, inherits a broken society, where a number of key issues dominate the headlines; falling living standards, more working people forced to rely on food banks to feed themselves and their children, taxes benefitting the richest in society, the gap between the richest and the poorest increasing by the day. There is also an alarming increase in poor mental health as stress level and anxieties increase. In short, a society more unfair and less socially just than at any time in the last four decades or so. Over a decade of punitive austerity policies have taken their toll.
The lack of ‘affordable’ housing, and the lack of a political will at Westminster to do anything about this, is a festering sore, a blot on our green and pleasant land. In Devon, Children’s Services, like so many other services are in disarray, increasingly looking to charities, charitable causes and volunteers to keep them afloat. Many young people are dependent on their already over-stretched parents. Journal readers will have regularly read, and written about these issues in the paper.
Most of the ‘welfare state’ that I grew up with as a child has gone; sold off, out-sourced, underfunded, and with a reckless disregard for the adequate training of the next generation of practitioners to deliver the services that are left.
I merely point this out at a time when many people seem happy about spending even more money on a costly tradition.
Charles, as a major landowner, has passed on one of his money making assets, The Duchy of Cornwall to his son, the new heir apparent. Will we see William
do the decent thing and give The Duchy to the people of Cornwall as a goodwill, new era gesture?
Which finally brings me to the Crown Estate, that shadowy collection of lands and property which Charles has just inherited as monarch, the ‘sovereign’s public estate.’ All of this is valued at around £25 billion, with a net income of about £300 million. But the Crown estate is neither government owned, or part of the monarch’s private estate. but administered by the Crown Estate Commissioners. As a citizen you have a duty to know about these people.
As with many other people in these dark times I will not be celebrating the status quo. Instead I will continue to support a different and hard-fought-for tradition, electing people to serve, and meet the needs of the citizens of this benighted land. This is currently a far from perfect system, but at least is a resource for hope in the belief that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
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