Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee

It has been 60 years since the Queen became the monarch of the United Kingdom and the British Empire (now the Commonwealth Realms). She is the second longest reigning monarch in British history and the 56^th longest reigning monarch of all time (with verifiable dates). A lot has changed over the past 60 years, the Empire is long gone and a referendum in Jamaica will likely see it become a republic, whittling down the Commonwealth Realms to just 15 nations. To mark her Diamond Jubilee, celebrations were held all across the Commonwealth with the biggest celebration taking place in London. Here the Thames River saw the largest flotilla of boats since the 17^th century and the Queen also attended a concert. Last month she also became the first monarch to attend a meeting of the cabinet since 1781 and had 169,000 km² of land in British Antarctic Territory named Queen Elizabeth Land in her honour.

Although the monarchy will certainly remain in the UK as long as the Queen remains on the throne, when she dies its future will become uncertain. Will we still have a monarchy in 2112? Only time will tell.

The Queen Attending the Flotilla
source: mirror.co.uk

The Merits of House of Lords Reform

The United Kingdom is one of only a few states in which the upper house has more members than the lower house. Currently there are 765 members of the House of Lords whilst there are 650 members of the House of Commons.

Current reform proposed by the coalition government would call for 80% of the members to be elected to a reduced chamber of 450 members. These members would now be salaried (lords currently only get allowances) and would be called Senators rather than being called Lords. They would also be elected on 15 year terms on a system of proportional representation.

There are a number of troubles with reforming the House of Lords, many MPs fear that since an elected House of Lords (or a Senate as it would then be called) would try to challenge the supremacy of the House of Commons. This could be disastrous for our democracy, many MPs point to America where power is spread amongst three federal institutions (presidency, House of Representatives and the Senate) and the legislative movement has ground to almost a complete halt.  

Personally I agree with the idea of House of Lords reform as the upper house does have some power. Yet I do want to maintain supremacy of the House of Commons to keep legislation moving fast. I also believe that they should still be called Lords, we are the only country with a “House of Lords” and I think it would be a good way to maintain tradition whilst moving to more democracy. I also agree that 80% should be elected whilst the remaining 20% are appointed, this would again maintain some tradition but moving towards greater democracy.

Once the reforms above have been implemented, constitutional reform should stop, we should remain a monarchy with a House of Lords and House of Commons. Our system works well and we shouldn’t try to change something too much that is working perfectly fine. There is wisdom in the saying “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it.”

A Symbol of Reconciliation

Today was a historic day in Northern Irish politics. Martin McGuinness, ex-commander of the IRA, shook hands with Queen Elizabeth II.

Even a few years ago this event could not have happened, but ever since 1998 relationships have become amicable and tensions seriously reduced. The visit by the Queen to the Republic of Ireland in 2011 (the first since 1911) and her visit to the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin, where she laid a wreath in memory of those who fought against the British for Irish Independence, helped to further cool relations between Republicans and the Monarchy.

The public, including hard-line Republicans and hard-line Loyalists, seem to be largely delighted with the handshake. Both sides recognise that normality may finally have come to Northern Ireland after almost 100 years of violence and trouble.

The Queen and Martin McGuinness shaking hands

Yet there is still work to be done, Northern Ireland is far from perfect, to move forward Northern Ireland needs investment and new infrastructure. In moving forward the past should be left behind, but not forgotten, so we can build a better, brighter future for Northern Ireland.

Diamond Jubilee Fervour

The jubilee is finally over after four days of practically continuous celebration, and what a weekend it was!

On Saturday it began with the Queen attending the Epsom Derby, it was relatively low-key compared to some of the more extravagant events to come. On Sunday the largest flotilla on the River Thames since the 1600s took place, it was phenomenal to watch all the boats row past and how happy the Queen looked. On Monday, unfortunately, the Duke of Edinburgh had to be admitted to hospital due to a bladder infection. The highlight of Monday was most certainly the Jubilee Concert at which big names such as Elton John, Paul McCartney and Gary Barlow were playing. A song specially written for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee was also played. On the Tuesday the Queen was at St. Paul's Cathedral for a service commemorating her 60 years on the throne.

So what does the Jubilee tell the world about the UK? Well, firstly that the Monarchy is here to stay, recently getting an 80% approval rating! Phenomenal! It also tells the world that the stiff upper lip is back, despite the harsh austerity and falling living standards, we can still put on a great show and enjoy ourselves!

Here are some pictures of the jubilee:

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at Epsom

The Jubilee Concert

One of the thousand boats involved in the river pageant

A street party in England

The Diamond Jubilee has Begun!

Jubilee celebrations have begun!

Today marks the beginning of the celebration of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, the four days of partying across the country mark 60 years on the throne for her majesty. Today across the country, from London in England to Hillsborough in Northern Ireland and Perth in Scotland celebrations began as a nation still in love with the monarchy took to the streets to display its gratitude to the Queen.

The celebrations were marked with 41 gun salutes across the country marking the beginning of the fabulous weekend. Probably the biggest celebration will occur tomorrow when over1000 boats sail down the Thames on a scale not seen since the 1600s. The flotilla will be a glorious spectacle to watch and would be fantastic to participate in.

At this time of celebration polls on the popularity of the monarchy have risen to 80%, this has not been seen in a very long length of time. The continued popularity of the monarchy is astounding, there has never been anyone or anything that has managed to maintain popularity for so long. Despite republicans attempting to gain more ground, they have not succeeded, for the British people recognise that there is no real reason to change the monarchy as it is part of a culture and change would only be for idealistic reasons. Long live the Queen!

The Royal Wedding

Contrary to what I’ve been posting there was some happy news in 2011! The Royal Wedding attracted an estimated audience of 2 billion people. It was a national holiday in the UK and it gave the British a reason to celebrate and throw a world class party. The Americans have always had a strange relationship with the British monarchy, although they are completely republican (not the party but the political system) they really love the monarchy in the UK. Especially the Royal Weddings, with people gathering in town squares to watch the pictures being broadcast from Westminster Cathedral in London.

The future of the monarchy is in peril, with anti-monarchists growing in numbers it may not last to the next century. Jamaica will likely become a Republic in 2012 and Australia will probably be next, yet with the fresh face of Catherine Middleton in the mix, will she allow the monarchy to continue?

The newly-weds first (married) kiss