Many moons ago, I used to think that a good argument against
the monarchy and the associated hangers on was that they were the rich, whose
lives had nothing in common with the masses of ordinary people, and they were
the gilded edge of privilege and class oppression. True, that was not exactly a
Leninist polemic, but I thought then that it might have some resonance. Among
the people with whom I conversed on this topic, in the bottom 0-40% of the
income/wealth distribution, the answer, however, was that the Queen (and the
Queen Mother) was not like the rest, and that they, at least, stood for the
country (in some undefined fashion). They represented ‘us’. This idea was
widespread, even among children.
I see little to challenge the validity of that observation
today. Things are, if anything, worse. While the notion that Britain awaited
the latest Royal Birth is media hyperbole that echoed in an empty, ‘awaiting’
street peopled by summer news-starved journalists, not the adoring masses, it is
a sure bet that the birth will be welcomed by masses of people. There is simply
no political class antagonism in Britain to offset a natural empathy with a new
mother and baby, still less anything that sees a clash between the national
foundation of the extended royals and popular interests. Newspaper front pages today
are not a conspiracy to deceive; they reflect a political reality. In case you
have doubts, search for any news of dissenting voices. If there are such, then
millions will trample the treachery to the national psyche. At least we had the
Sex Pistols in 1977.