Dianna Edwards and Writing
  • About me
  • Short stories
    • Death in the Desert
    • Secrets
    • Airport Drama
    • Acacia
    • Two Chooks in December
    • A Darned Surprise
    • The Sunset Mermaid
    • Friend or Foe?
    • At Rainbow's End
    • Sisterly Love
    • Good Times to Come
    • Being Famous
    • Something Special for Dinner
    • Walter's Secret
    • The Visitor
  • Children's stories
    • The Red Silk Kite
    • The Singing Tree
    • Beatrice Barnfeather
    • Garth's bath
    • Little Dog Tambo
    • Flowers For a Special Day
  • Non Fiction
    • Letter to a Soldier
    • The Body
    • Autumn Saturday
    • A Year With Billy
    • Lunch
    • Harry's Story
    • 2007 bushfires
    • My Father's Kite
    • Death of a Chook
    • Gentle Heartache
    • Shopping with Sisters
    • When I am Old
    • Matilda
    • Fragments
  • Blog

BLOG

September 23rd, 2022

23/9/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Oh, dear…so much going on since Queen Elizabeth died.
A weird sort of reverse snobbery appeared on some social media, with people boasting, “well I am not going to watch even a minute of the funeral” sort of comment.
That’s okay, no one HAD to watch. A shame really as it was an historical occasion, never to be seen again. Whether or not you ‘fancy’ the royal family, the pageantry on show, after a 70-year reign by a British monarch, was amazing.
The sight of a gun carriage, adorned coffin atop, pulled by 142 young Royal Navy sailors had to be seen to be believed.
The funeral service in Westminster Abbey was almost low-key, with hymns and bible readings familiar to any ‘ordinary’ folk who have ever visited a mainstream church service in the past couple of decades. (Apart, of course from the choral anthems, which soared into the cathedral rafters!)
The procession that followed was more than two times longer than the service and was perhaps the more spectacular.
Afterwards came complaints concerning the cost of such a day. A cost that many Brits thought was excessive and wasteful, considering the state of the country’s finances.
Agreeing with this, I thought that the royal family could have dipped into their billions and paid for the whole thing – even if only to help their image.
The week-long ‘mourning’ stirred up many an anti-monarchy protest, exacerbated here, in Australia, by the ‘day of mourning’ holiday on Thursday.
Protests emanating from First Nations people are understandable and may open up a more general appreciation of the coming referendum to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the Australian Constitution.
So that’s a plus, I suppose.
Although I watched and enjoyed the Queen’s funeral out of interest and a sort of respect for ‘our’ very old and seemingly dedicated monarch, I do have some misgivings about the monarchy.
Having lived through the 1975 debacle, where an Australian PM was sacked, I hold extreme negative feelings towards actions taken by the Queen and Prince (now King) Charles, with their unnecessary involvement with the execrable John Kerr. A blot on our history, as seen in the recently exposed ‘Palace Letters’.
The other very negative view of the monarchy is the appalling deception and subsequent treatment of the young Diana Spencer. What a cruel act used to secure an ‘appropriate’ partner for a philandering and selfish future king.
And now, here we are: the Queen has gone and we are left with a royal family of fractured and, at times, quite nasty (witness treatment of Meghan Markle) group of people who own a £16.5 billion portfolio of real estate.
Do we really need them? 
 
 

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author notes

    I choose to comment on social issues and write creatively on a variety of subjects -  for a variety of audiences.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012

    Categories

    All
    Childhood
    House
    Kindness
    On Death
    Social Comment
    Writing

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • About me
  • Short stories
    • Death in the Desert
    • Secrets
    • Airport Drama
    • Acacia
    • Two Chooks in December
    • A Darned Surprise
    • The Sunset Mermaid
    • Friend or Foe?
    • At Rainbow's End
    • Sisterly Love
    • Good Times to Come
    • Being Famous
    • Something Special for Dinner
    • Walter's Secret
    • The Visitor
  • Children's stories
    • The Red Silk Kite
    • The Singing Tree
    • Beatrice Barnfeather
    • Garth's bath
    • Little Dog Tambo
    • Flowers For a Special Day
  • Non Fiction
    • Letter to a Soldier
    • The Body
    • Autumn Saturday
    • A Year With Billy
    • Lunch
    • Harry's Story
    • 2007 bushfires
    • My Father's Kite
    • Death of a Chook
    • Gentle Heartache
    • Shopping with Sisters
    • When I am Old
    • Matilda
    • Fragments
  • Blog