.IChotiner speaks to DEHEdgerton and NesrineMalik about the Queen’s death, and whether the U.K. focusses too much on its imperial past—or not enough.
recently that the ascension of a new monarch offered the chance for a more unvarnished and honest appraisal of British history and society.
But it’s kind of a tricky framing, because it’s quite easy to distract from the essential point, which is that Britain perceives itself in terms of its history, its empire, and its colonial legacy. It doesn’t define itself in terms of the two decades from the nineteen-fifties to the seventies. It doesn’t even define itself in the past two decades, which is where I would actually argue a lot of the social and political developments have happened.
The Remainers and the left projected an imperial dimension onto that rhetoric. That just shows a lack of imagination and lack of understanding of the direction that politics has taken. It’s routine now to blame things on imperialism: the decline of the British economy, the nature of the British state, the nature of the British civil service, Brexit. It’s just routine.
This is all extremely abstract, and you would have every right, David, to come back at me and say, “Give me a specific example where someone said, ‘I’m going to make this reckless decision, because I believe that the British are imbued with exceptional power because of empire.’ ” But that’s not how politics works, right? Politics happens via the absorption of values, via the dissemination of superiority rhetoric, and via powerful imagery and characters that are vivid and present in our lives.
Where the monarchy is important is that it does infantilize, to use that word Nesrine used earlier, the discourse of politicians, intellectuals, and journalists, and indeed does hide the nature of British power. One way it does that is by imbuing it with all sorts of nostalgic references. We saw a stunning example of it today when the speaker of the House of Commons called the Queen’s funeral “the most important event the world will ever see.” That is just obviously, totally ridiculous.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The Meaning Behind Queen Elizabeth II’s Imperial State Crown, Scepter and OrbThe death of Queen Elizabeth II has seen many customs and traditions revisited.
Read more »
Prince George, Princess Charlotte join William and Kate at Queen Elizabeth II's funeralWatch live coverage of the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II - now underway at Westminster Abbey in London.
Read more »
Is This Queen Elizabeth II on Her Coronation Day in 1953?Princess Elizabeth became queen at age 25, after the death of her father, King George VI.
Read more »
Here’s What Happens to Queen Elizabeth II’s Jewels After Her Death - E! OnlineFollowing Queen Elizabeth II's death at the age of 96, the monarch's priceless jewels will likely be given to members of the royal family, including Queen Consort Camilla and Kate Middleton.
Read more »
Support for Scotland Leaving United Kingdom Falls After Queen’s DeathSupport for Scotland leaving the United Kingdom has fallen significantly in the wake of the Queen’s death, with overall support for the monarchy rising in other parts of the British Commonwealth.
Read more »