By Ray Rivers
April 29th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
It’s a Coronation – Does Anyone Care?
King Charles Philip Arthur George III
There is not much promotion that I’ve seen over King Charles’ upcoming coronation. And it’s only a few days away, yet I can’t seem to find anyone keen to join me to watch and celebrate the event.
This disinterest may have something to do with Charles himself. Those of us who cared about Diana have never forgiven him for casting her aside and for what followed – her tragic and untimely death. The highly successful Netflix series, the Crown, also may have tempered our love of the royals as it demystified their lives. Though clearly privileged, they were portrayed as pretty ordinary folks in many ways, with flaws and warts just like the rest of us.
Princess Anne was something of a spoilt brat. Sexual exploitation had stained Prince Andrew thanks to his seedy association with Jefrey Epstein. Then, there was this royal passion for things Nazi, including the former King Edward apparently designated to be Hitler’s puppet in London. And Prince Phillip also had a softness for the fascists.
That makes some sense since a monarchy traditionally is just another authoritarian system of governance. It is leadership gained by breeding rather than by popular vote. So today a growing number of Brits, mostly younger ones, would like to ditch the royals. Over 40%, would prefer an elected head of state instead of an inherited, according to one survey.
Weighs tonnes; is heated and air conditioned.
Older Brits on the other hand seem content with the status quo, so this may just be an age thing. After all, Charles is no spring chicken, and despite his longstanding concern for the environment, doesn’t seem to relate well to the younger generations, even in that regard. Ageism is a reality in politics these days. One only has to consider the mixed reception Joe Biden is receiving in his bid for another presidential campaign, despite a very impressive record of public achievements during his first term.
The monarchy serves a useful role as head of state, not only in the UK but also through its representatives in Canada and other commonwealth nations. And here in the colonies the Governor General, like Supreme Court judges and senators, is appointed – making them more like public servants than politicians. These appointees owe their loyalty to the government of the day and the rule of law. When Stephen Harper wanted to avoid losing a non-confidence vote in 2008 he went to the Governor General for permission to prorogue and she did what she was told.
Democracy is under attack, more today than at any time since the second world war. We need look no further than the Jan 6th attempted insurrection at the US Capitol building, an act precipitated by the ‘big lie’ that Trump was cheated out of the presidency. For that, some would blame social media and cable news channels, like Fox, for the misinformation and outright lies that makes us wonder what exactly we should believe – if anything at all.
There has also been a growing trend for opposition politicians to engage in hate mongering and character assassination. If you say a lie enough times, folks may start to believe it. Once upon a time there was some semblance of accountability for one’s actions in the political theatre. Yet Donald Trump’s popularity seems to be rising, hand-in-glove as his criminal behaviour is uncovered and he faces a growing number of criminal court cases.
Indeed we see the same phenomenon happening back here in the great white north. Instead of being evicted from his party’s caucus for embracing and supporting the insurrectionist criminals (truckers) in Ottawa back in February last year, Pierre Poilievre was rewarded. He was promoted to become leader of Canada’s official opposition party for his supporting role in shutting down the nation’s capital.
Trucks parked on the streets of Ottawa during a long civic disruption.
Voter turnout in last year’s municipal elections was one of the lowest ever, as two thirds of voters stayed home. Being effectively disenfranchised, there is little reason to leave your TV sets and run to the polling station to cast a ballot in an election which more and more means less and less. Premier Ford slashed representation for Toronto residents by half as one of his first acts.
Ranked ballots to ensure that only the most popular candidate would win were banned. Ford has overruled the municipalities and conservation authorities taking away their power to manage local development decisions. He made it harder and moire expensive for individuals and councils to challenge his development decrees. And then he became just another a lying politician, raising questions of corruption, by breaking his promise to protect the provincial greenbelt from more urban sprawl.
Alberta has just passed it’s own sovereignty legislation, a declaration of war on the federal government and on Canada’s efforts to rein in its carbon footprint. It is a cheap stunt by politicians more concerned with the politics of division than the reality of what is happening to our planet. Alberta’s ongoing anti-Canada monologue has become more of a threat to Canadian unity than Quebec’s attempts at independence ever were. At least Quebecers had legitimate complaints about their linguistic and cultural rights in this country.
We are in troubled times – a nation divided by the very political leaders who should be uniting us. Is it any wonder that voters are disillusioned? And if we can’t be positive about our local or federal/provincial governance, why should we even give a hoot about what is going on in London this coming weekend?
My parents were not of British stock but they purchased a brand new TV just to watch Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. And we would crowd around that set to watch her annual Christmas address every year. We went to see Charles and Diana when they came to Vancouver in the ’80’s and like many Canadians wept when the Princess senselessly died in that car accident.
The Crown that will be used at the Coronation on May 6th
I don’t consider myself a royalist. In fact, I am rather indifferent about the Crown. But I still plan to watch King Charles and the spectacle of the formal coronation on Saturday May 6th, even if I have to watch it alone.
It’s a great excuse for a spring-time party. And, it may be the last coronation I ever get to watch, even if the British public doesn’t replace that inbred crowd with an elected president as their head of state.
Related news story:
How Ontario plans to celebrate the Coronation
Background:
Canada is a Constitutional Monarchy with a Parliamentary Democracy – we are stuck with a King
About those Royal Carriages – How many are there.
Well, I’m a staunch Monarchist, and not ashamed to admit it. My parents were born in the U.K., and I have ancestral connections to the Royal Family going back to 1100 A.D. I’ll be up at 4:00 a.m. to watch the Coronation in its entirety. I will be proudly flying my Union Jack, and my lawn will be decorated with mini flags. I only hope Amazon gets their act together and delivers my Coronation bunting in time.
If it weren’t for the British monarchy this country would have been absorbed by the United States long ago. Our parliamentary traditions, our independence, and indeed, most of our major political institutions in this country, are based on the British system of government.
And for all those who claim the British monarchy is a drain on the national economy, or irrelevant, they might want to remember that the Prince of Wales Trust, established by King Charles in 1976, has been at the forefront of some of the most significant environmental, charitable and historical preservation initiatives in the last fifty years. It also provides significant financial support across the U.K. for Persons with Disabilities.
Charles has lost the moral authority to rule/ count. Too bad he didn’t have the humility, wisdom & grace to cede the crown to his son, William, who might have been able to rejuvenated to monarchy.
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Does anyone care? I think we should, for a variety of reasons. Similar to Ray I am not a Royalist but will likely tune in. Maybe its a generational thing.