Letter from Mark Langabeer, Hastings and Rye Labour Member
The death of the reigning Monarch has witnessed a barrage of propaganda in support for the monarchy as an institution. Although in my view, we have not seen the level of grief expressed at the death of Diana, the Queen was respected by many of her ‘subjects’ and for many on the left, this level of support for the monarchy is a paradox. It is a relic of feudalism and the wealth held by the royals is nothing less than an obscenity. The state funeral will have cost us an arm and a leg for starters.
The aim of all this propaganda is to present a ‘unified’ society, where everyone’s interests are supposedly the same. The establishment preserves this expensive anachronism, because it serves to protect the wealth and privileges of those that own the large companies and financial institutions.
Some argue that the Royals are politically neutral and to garner public support, the views of the reigning monarch are kept secret, but when society enters a deep crisis, that veneer of neutrality will soon disappear. Doing the rounds on Facebook, I found a picture of the Queen giving a Nazi salute, albeit that she was only seven at the time and not responsible for her actions. Her mother was saluting beside her and that was wholly in accord with the outlook of the British Establishment in the early 1930s.The Nazis were perceived as a bulwark against Bolshevism.
Elizabeth’s reign has largely been in an era of rising living standards and freedom for most British people, except those in the forces, from major wars. It has been a period of relative social peace, and that is also the reason why the forces of genuine socialism have been reduced to a minority. However, that has changed in recent times.
The long, slow, inglorious decline of British capitalism relative to all of its rivals during the reign on the Queen is now having its affect. Living standards are falling and this will change the outlook of working people. The rail unions suspended industrial action until after the funeral, no doubt because the leadership felt that they would be attacked by the Tory press. There may also have been some pressure from their members. Whatever the reason, the effect is a win for the establishments in distracting attention from issues that really matter. It will not have a lasting impact, however. As one great socialist said, “life teaches”.
