Monarchy Is No Way to Run a Democracy in 2023
Being a dual national of Canada and the UK, I am double-cursed by the monarchy, that dog of entitlement that dines off the myth that some branches of democracy are best handled by those who inherit power rather than earn it.
Constitutional monarchy normalises paternalism, colonialism, racism, and obedience to our betters and creates the illusion that inequality is the order of things. A royal family exists for the benefit of the 1% because it emits a divine aura to untaxed extreme wealth. It should be no surprise then why popular culture produced in entertainment platforms owned by the 1% creates our informed consent that monarchy is necessary to preserve democracy because, without them, a wannabe Trump or Putin would be standing before Parliament's dispatch box. Boris Johnson in Britain or Canada's conservative party are proof monarchy protects us from nothing. It simply gives fascism table manners.
This cult of monarchy is cultivated by the business and corporate news media classes to preserve the status quo where democracy- is considered vibrant if citizens can choose between the political equivalents of Coke and Pepsi with cream soda as the dark horse option.
F Scott Fitzgerald was not wrong when he wrote, "The rich are different from you or me." Where we see exploitation they see an opportunity to keep their place at the top and ours below them. Democracy to them is not about sharing the wealth but keeping the pyramid of power intact with a few at the top and the masses below. Monarchy does that best because it has made inherited wealth and position seem like an aspect of merit.
In May, a 74-year-old man who once lamented he wasn't his lover's tampon will emerge from a gilded gold carriage in front of Westminster Abby, which is the resting ground for many of the Empire's most illustrious slave owners. Wearing an ermine cloak like a world heavyweight champion, Charles will be ushered inside by a blaze of trumpets following prayers of thanks to God, an archbishop who was an executive for BP will anoint him King with holy oils dispensed from a silver spoon.
It is a hundred-million-pound spectacle of wealth and privilege. It is as gauche, ostentatious and anti-democratic as Donald Trump descending a gold staircase at Trump Towers New York in 2015 to announce his candidacy for President. But it will be seen differently by the news media who report on anything that preserves the status quo with the obsequiousness of North Korean "journalists" talking about the doings of the "Dear Leader."
It's the 21st century and one in four children are food insecure in Britain, and millions of Canadians rely upon food banks to supplement their diets owing to an eternal cost-of-living crisis created by Western food Oligarchs who made £20 billion in profits during 2022.
Last century, for the price of fewer billionaires, poverty would have been a museum display. That hope died on the wings of neoliberalism embraced by the politicians from the centre, the right and, after a while, by much of the conventional left, who all realised living a life of entitlements is all that it's cracked up to be.
In consolation, the ordinary of Britain- and the Commonwealth received each Christmas an "I feel you" message from the Queen- while the governments; who represented her eliminated or privatised much of their social service networks.
The NHS is on the ropes in Britain, as is public healthcare in Canada. Medical services are on the verge of privatisation because our system of government, headed by a constitutional monarch, favours the greed of the wealthy over the needs of the many.
The housing crisis is as dire in 2023 as in 1937 when Charles's Grandfather, ascended the throne. Millions who are in work struggle to feed themselves and make rent each month, whilst the vulnerable in need of benefits know their life span will be shorter than their parents because capitalism has no need for them.
Yet, in May, the people are asked to celebrate the triumph and tradition of our democracy which is based upon the principle that one family hand-picked by god is our constitutional Head of State.
It is 2023; there should be no coronations, and no pomp, no circumstance to deceive us into thinking that inequality has a touch of the majestic about it. Parliaments must be elected, through proportional representation, and the second chamber of sober thought; chosen similarly rather than appointed for favours done to enhance the status quo of entitlements for the 1% and constrained wages for everyone else. Democracy, if it is not dead already, is gasping its lasts unless we can make those changes. But remember don't look for those who benefit from the current system to help us because they are in too deep to ever change their ways.
As always, thank you for reading because I really need your help this month. Your subscriptions to Harry’s Last Stand keep the legacy of Harry Leslie Smith alive and me housed. This month is proving to be real scramble to get next months together. So if you can join with a paid subscription which is just 3.50 a month or a yearly subscription or a gift subscription. I promise the content is good, relevant and thoughtful. Take Care, John
Excellent, article John you so often capture my thoughts and pin them down in writing so eloquently. Thank you
Being ‘in too deep’ and captive to their circus is becoming a minority state of affairs. It appears to me, if the discussion on PR is to go public and then succeed, it must recognise the democratic rights of the electorate’s interests. Democracy has been abducted to conserve corporate credence, but even those who are betting on it know the fascist markets media is a program of ecocide.