Sir, – There has been much praise in your paper over the last few days for the recently deceased British head of state Queen Elizabeth. Much of this praise focuses on her sense of duty and her preservation of the British monarchy.
One wonders how praiseworthy it is to preserve an institution which is characterised by obscene unearned wealth, massive privilege, special tax breaks, nauseating deference, silly titles and even sillier uniforms.
All for a small group of people chosen simply by virtue of their birth who are all now rotated upwards in a self-perpetuating process. Like bald men fighting over a comb, they dispute the minutiae of titles and hierarchy.
Their sense of values are best illustrated by the importance to them of their very young children acquiring titles such as prince and princess.
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Much is made of their sense of “duty” but then there are many people in the world who would be more than happy to perform the same “duties” for a minuscule amount of the attendant lifestyle.
One wonders how a modern European state could accept this feudal anachronism. Queen Elizabeth’s supreme achievement over 70 years was to get so many people in Britain and around the world, and even here in Ireland, to buy into this Ruritanian pantomime. – Yours, etc,
PAUL MacCARTHY,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – The idea of reviewing the British honours system could be considered along with an Irish celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s work. The Order of St Patrick ended with Irish independence in 1922. For King Charles to grant a return of the Order, along with President Michael D Higgins, would help recognise those who work for the good of this island and honour all their examples in conciliation. – Yours, etc,
IAN ELLIOTT,
Belfast.
Sir, – Derek Henry Carr writes that the death of Queen Elizabeth II should be taken by the British as an opportunity to to abolish the monarchy , an institution he regards as an anachronism (Letters, September 12th).
He seems not to have noticed that most of us in the United Kingdom support our monarchy: support which has been made very clear since last Thursday’s sad news.
His assertion that the institution is anachronistic is simplistic at best.
Our system has medieval roots but modern constitutional monarchy in Britain and elsewhere in Europe is a development which is contemporaneous with the development of democratic republics; the one form of government is no more an anachronism than the other. – Yours, etc,
CDC ARMSTRONG,
Belfast.