If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
On June 2, 2012, the world celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, and her 60 years of outstanding service as Head of State to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Her firstborn son, Charles, The Prince of Wales, also celebrated a noteworthy occasion.
Now that the dust has settled and the rain has stopped, let's look at the past few days that have been such a boon to the Far Eastern makers of red, blue and white cheap plastic fluttering tat. There must have been container ships full of the stuff, advancing across the high seas since the turn of the year.
Judging from the media coverage of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations you'd think that the entire British population are ardent monarchists. Critical, dissenting voices were mostly ignored and sidelined. Journalistic balance and impartiality was supplanted in favour of fawning sycophancy towards the royals.
How have we become a nation that presumes doing 'work experience' alongside the river Thames in the pouring rain for an event that happens once in a blue blooded moon will in any way lead to a valuable career?
It was a busy weekend in London, what with the diamond jubilee going on. Thousands of royalists turned out to celebrate the Queen's big weekend of pomp, pageantry and patriotism despite the downfall.
Wow, what a fun packed weekend of festivities that was. We had some boats, in the loose sense of the word, a big Buckingham knees up organised by soon to be Lord our saviour Gary of Barlow and a little service at her local place of worship St Pauls.
Personally, I view the Royal Family much as a football-sceptic must view the hype and fervour generated by England going to a World Cup. I take minimal interest in it, do not fully understand what the fuss is about, would rather my nation devoted itself to more important matters, and will probably only tune in if it went to penalties. Which it has not done since 1649.
Wow! What a weekend for London! I've never seen it so busy! It was like a sea of Union Jacks everywhere and all I could see were people in red, white and blue! it's nice to see the country come together for things like this...
The celebrations from the Jubilee weekend are still fresh in our minds and will live on in our memories and affections for years to come. Buckingham Palace and the Royal Household put on a jolly good show for not just the British public but for the wider world to show that we Brits know how to celebrate in style.
Why is it that all this Union Jack-waving during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee doesn't mean squat at the British cinema box office?
Today's public has access to their Queen unlike any other. She is a brand, and so the jubilee is the perfect opportunity to showcase some of the great work that our 'company' produces. For such a tiny island, the United Kingdom's track record in science and medicine is outstanding.
Though I've lived in the American Midwest for almost 11 years, I am still surprised by how batty many Americans are when it comes to the Royal Family.
"Even the most ardent republicans respect the Queen". And with that statement so ends the debate. Ardent or otherwise, it is tough enough to get a discussion about ending the monarchy going, let alone begin a process that would actually bring about its demise. Conservatives, lower and upper-case c, appear to have this one sewn up as most of Great Britain celebrates her diamond jubilee, during which affection for the person will overwhelm any doubts about the institution. Not only is 'respect for the Queen' the default position in the media and politics, but in a recession the idea of something as unsettling as ending the monarchy can be dismissed as a waste of money and a priority of abyssal insignificance. However, in the long term it is anything but.
Whether I'll be able to sneak some bunting into my suitcase and find a Bulgarian telly to watch it on remains to be seen - so you must all promise to eat extra party rings on my behalf, ok? And dress a gerbil in a Union Jack onesie, or something.
Whether you're into the Royal family or not, four days straight off work is reason enough to celebrate in my book.
On 23 May, HRH Queen Elizabeth, hosted a party to launch the Diamond Jubilee, intended to be "the most glittering arts event in the history of London" (this turned out to be an understatement), and I was part of the GLITTERATI!!!
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