Queen Elizabeth II
During the whole of our lives Annie and I have had a single and, until now, enduring constant - that of Queen Elizabeth on the throne. As times have become increasingly uncertain this constancy has been there but, as with many aspects of life, its loss now brings the role of the monarchy into focus. Although not an ardent royalist I can see that the concept of the monarchy to provide stability and to control governmental excess is a good one. (For similar reasons I do not advocate abolition of the House of Lords; reform maybe, but only for the purpose of strengthened scrutiny of proposed legislation). However there have recently been notable events which demonstrate the inability of the monarchy to act in any meaningful way. Whilst providing a figurehead to people in the UK , the commonwealth and many parts of the world the role has otherwise been reduced to nothing more than ceremonial. Throughout her reign the Queen acted with immense dedication and dignity. Her loss has clearly been felt around the world and her legacy, I hope, will lead to a serious review of how we ensure continuity, scrutiny and accountability in our democracy. With this in mind I was interested to read the address given to the general committee of the Ocean Cruising Club by the Commodore, Simon Currin, that is pertinent and I reproduce it below. "As sailors there are some constants in our lives that help us navigate distant shores. Predictable and dependable everyday occurrences that guide us. The movements of the moon, the arc of the sun and stars. The needle that always points north.
For 70 years we have had another constant to guide us. A beacon that, for many of us, we thought would never fade and could not imagine life without.
Today we mourn the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II whose influence and example was known and loved throughout Great Britain, the Commonwealth and touched all corners of the earth.
Today the new King will formally become our new Constant in a frightening world of war, economic chaos, climate change, poisoned seas and outrageous politics.
I would like us all to pause for a few moments to reflect on the passing of HM and the service she gave during her long reign.
SILENCE
We are lucky that our new Head of State is already so familiar with much that is wrong with our World and let’s hope that King Charles will be able to use his knowledge, experience and his new office to help mend the wounds that we are inflicting on our precious planet.
God bless the King."  |