I had initially sent this as a private message/via my own social media to some, but it is an opinion I am comfortable sharing thus here is something I wrote...FWIW, 'Bubbsy' was my cat, and boy, he was a lot fudging more than that. I am heartbroken...
I will tread carefully.
The disgrace and disgust of our imperialist past is not only undeniable but must be acknowledged, taught and used as a catalyst for action. Ditto those of Belgium, Holland, Italy, Spain, etc...my mother was Irish. 100%, none of this 'twice removed' stuff, she was from Dublin. My father was Iranian, none of this 'twice removed' stuff, he was from Tehran. I was born and raised in London. We were a household which actively discussed politics and history. We stood for what we believed. We went on marches and did our best not to just be 'armchair liberals'. Ignorance of bloody pasts was not an option in our family...
...but the only way anyone can process or start to understand what the Queen's death means to many people, is to understand the importance of symbolism and ritual. You're welcome to look underneath that carpet and see the death, the suffering, the dirt and rotting food, but it might make a lot more sense right now to also see what millions of other people see, if only to understand why they simply won't either hear you or process what you're saying for approximately the next 10-12 days. That's important to remember; they can't hear you....
...I think the death of the Queen is actually somewhat of a funeral for any notion (however weak, however false) of what Britain was. The imperfections are quite obviously numerous, and the whole notion of a Royal Family is certainly now simply one of 'business' and 'commerce'. Yet it is undeniable that the Queen, 70 years serving, was a figurehead, a consistent and metronomic presence whose presence embraced all that Britain presented itself to be. Let's face it, the Queen, afternoon tea, scones, clotted cream & jam, crustless cucumber sandwiches, TEA, laugh as you fudging wish, those are cornerstones of the packaged and sold 'Britishness', and it is important to view these tourist cliches outside the bloody history of colonialism if you want to even stand a chance of understanding what this death actually symbolizes (accurately or not), and to maybe one day being able to convince people there's another potential path...
...I believe the British people are already in a depressive fog from all which the covid19 situation brought, from all that Brexit has brought, from the woeful poverty millions are in and millions more are on the precipice of, from the proliferation of multi-millionaires and corporations who do not give a brick about the continuing divides. These are ugly days, overseen by populists or outright my tits unqualified to lead a queue at your local Sainsburys, let alone a country in need of universally compassionate and effective leadership more than ever...
...like it or not -and as is the way with the foghorn of the internet, many have 'proudly' stated they don't- the Queen was a comfort to many millions of people. Now, you can start screaming from your keyboard at Alice from Chichester or Dave from Dartford about Britain's disgraceful colonial past (again, nobody should remain ignorant of that), however it might be worth considering that Alice and Dave will likely look back blankly, say they don't hate anyone, and tell you they're just sad that the Queen (you know, the monarch who hung out with Paddington Bear and delivered a speech every Christmas which basically told the nation she admired them, to be strong and be compassionate) is dead...
...personally? I think the level of mourning is bizarre. I admired her as a woman born into a position she didn't request, who did her duty for 70 years, and who stood up to Thatcher. Besides, on the day she passed, I lost my King (Bubbsy) and that has both broken MY heart and taken MY attentions and emotions...
...I will say I just didn't understand the level of mourning (no football? WHY?!!!), until I realized (just an hour ago) that perhaps the Queens' death represents the official 'end' of a 'safer' Britain for many millions. Regardless of your opinions and whether you agree with monarchies or not, this is (I believe) a salient fact. Look, and sorry to hammer home the horror, but Liz Truss is Prime Minister, Charles is about to be King, the economy is stuck in a brick-filled u-bend, poverty is climbing rapidly for many as wealth explodes for a privileged few, and divide and conquerism is rife as prejudices 'enjoy' a revival in public expression. Not a good prognosis is it?...
...I think millions are scared, and their fears are justified.
The coming week+ will see a lot of overwrought emotions expressed from all via 'the information highway' and the tangible tarmac of British streets. Royalists and anti-Royalists, grief-jackers and the genuinely scared, decent human beings and bona-fide tossers.
There are important discussions to be had about several institutions, how they currently or why they even exist. No-one should avoid those in even the medium-term. We should not duck them, and if ever there was a moment to engage in difficult discussions about horrendous, filthy pasts and the deep roots which enable them to exist in relative silence, then the coming months will surely be the right time...
...but perhaps, just perhaps, everyone can agree to take an amnesty for a week or so. Personally? I won't be engaging in round-the-clock observation. However maybe, just maybe, it would be the DECENT thing to let this process, whether grieving for the death of the Queen or fearing what happens next, play itself out until after the funeral.
Believe me, the discussions will be had, and perhaps with an observed 'truce-breathing space' everyone's hearing and comprehension will be better when it comes to creating the effective changes which are necessary...
