A significant part of the inhabitants of those countries that still recognize the British monarch as their official main one are republican, that is, they want to abandon the monarchy (link). Judging by the results of the polls (red columns in the title picture), there are twice as many Republicans in Canada than monarchists (47% vs. 23%), the same in the Solomon Islands (59% vs. 43%) and in the Bahamas (51% vs. 27% ). Things are a little better in Australia, where there are not much more Republicans (42% versus 35%). In general, if a referendum on the preservation of the monarchy were held today, then of the large overseas possessions, Britain would have only New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
In 2021, even under Queen Elizabeth, despite her relatively high rating, Barbados abandoned the monarchy (link). They say the Chinese made the Barbadians an offer too good to refuse. With Britain, Barbados lowered the level of ties so that it would not be prevented from trading with China. And now Chinese diplomats are actively working with the Solomon Islands and New Guinea…
- The situation for the newly crowned British King Charles III is indeed extremely disappointing. The popularity of the monarchy in Britain and its former colonies is now at its lowest point in many decades (link):
The long-awaited coronation of Charles III took place in London — the last month the British press has in every possible way fueled interest in this event, but in the light of current problems, this turned out to be not so easy.
The fact is that ordinary Britons are now concerned about completely different things — food prices continue to rise, it is becoming increasingly difficult to pay loans and mortgages, and the wave of bankruptcies and rising unemployment are only gaining momentum. Over the past two years, the fall in living standards in Britain has become a record — this has already led to numerous rallies and strikes, and the magnificent coronation ceremony could only increase dissatisfaction with the authorities and add fuel to the fire.
And so it happened, because yesterday’s event was the most expensive in the history of the royal family — the cost of it reached 100 million pounds, while a third of this money was spent on security. Recently, London has ceased to be a quiet and calm city, so the number of policemen on its streets had to be sharply increased to protect dear guests.
But this still did not save from various unpleasant incidents — such an important day for Charles III began with rallies of British Republicans advocating the rejection of the monarchy. And if earlier the supporters of the republic were considered some kind of marginal minority, now this movement is supported by about 30% of the inhabitants of Britain. This is largely due to the personality of the ruling monarch — unlike his mother, he does not have such authority, and a series of corruption and family scandals did not add to his popularity.
What kind of popularity of the king can we talk about when, in the conditions of the economic crisis, he does not even think about giving up «pocket expenses» from the country’s budget — so last year their amount was 107 million pounds. At the same time, the royal family’s own income continues to grow — it owns huge land assets, which it rents out very profitably. For example, recently Charles III leased part of his land for the construction of new wind farms, for which he will receive about a billion pounds annually.
So the annoyance of ordinary Britons is understandable, but even greater dissatisfaction with royalty is brewing in the far corners of the once mighty British Empire. Moreover, just before the coronation, some of the members of the Commonwealth demanded from the newly minted monarch an apology for the genocide to which their countries were subjected:
In a letter released May 4, organizations from Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines called the British monarch «immediately begin discussions on reparations, the repatriation of remains and the return of cultural artifacts».
In Canada, which has been loyal to the British crown for a long time, the vast majority of residents are now in favor of the elimination of the monarchy, and in Quebec there was even a rally with the slogans “Down with the King!” A similar situation is observed in Australia, which, after the death of Elizabeth II, was swept by a whole wave of anti-British protests with defiant burning of English flags.
The Caribbean countries went even further — this is how Barbados became a republic and got out of British rule in 2021, joining the Chinese One Belt, One Road project. Now Antigua and Barbuda and Jamaica want to follow his example, which announced the preparation of the relevant referendums — their residents do not see the point in submitting to the British crown, while the Chinese are ready to invest billions of dollars in their countries.
Perhaps, earlier I would have been satisfied with what is happening. The media still work according to the rules of Anglo-Saxon journalism, according to which all news worthy of the main page are of only two types: either bad, or about the English royal family. And since I don’t want to read any gossip or gossip about the family of island degenerates, the content of the media did not suit me categorically.
Now, however, I don’t care anymore. On the main CNN, ten out of ten news are about the coronation, as if the US is still a British colony? And don’t care. Every year I read less and less the Western press and its Russian counterparts, which also write about the British royal family ridiculously often. The old media is dying. Whatever comes to replace them, the new formats will no longer have a painful attachment to the British.
- In the School of Capitalism, I write about expensive gifts and the reasons why they often go sideways. Quoting from the beginning of the post (link):
Pirate and adventurer Walter Raleigh brought potatoes and tobacco to England from the New World. It is said that when Mr. Raleigh lit a pipe on his estate, a servant doused him with a bucket of water, as he thought that the owner was on fire. Also quite remarkable is the story of the queen and the cloak.
Elizabeth I was walking somewhere in the company of her courtiers when a vast puddle blocked the path of the procession. The queen did not want to step into a puddle, and she stopped, wondering what to do next. Then Walter Raleigh, then a poor young man, stepped forward and threw his luxurious cloak under the queen’s feet so that the royal person could pass in comfort without getting her feet dirty. The kind Queen Bess appreciated Mr. Raleigh’s wide gesture, and he soon became her favorite, and later one of the richest people in England.
In this example, we can observe that an expensive gift — a cloak thrown into a puddle — would not be entirely correct to call it a gift …
Der Friedensstifter 