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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Why the queen who lost the British Empire is still revered -- Elizabeth II lucky she’s not locked in the Tower of London

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Why the queen who lost the British Empire is still revered -- Elizabeth II lucky she’s not locked in the Tower of London

Posted on Monday, June 04, 2012 at 08:09 AM

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Queen Elizabeth II celebrating her Jubilee

If the Queen of England were an elected position, Elizabeth II would have been forced out long ago,
Her sixty-year reign has coincided with the total loss of the British Empire and a deeply reduced place for Britain in the world.

Just consider 1953, the year she came to the throne.

It was still the aftermath of the Second World War and Britain was first among all countries in Europe.

The detested Germans were defeated and partitioned and their economy and country seemingly in ruins.

Fast forward 60 years and the Germans are running Europe again and Britain is back to being sick man of Europe along with Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Ireland of course.

They hardly have a voice in European affairs which are now basically overseen by France and Germany.

Back in 1953 the new Queen oversaw an empire that governed vast tracts of land in Africa, Asia, Europe and elsewhere on the globe.

During her reign the British were reduced to fighting Argentina over an utterly nondescript island called Malvinas/Falklands and playing second fiddle to American forces just about everywhere.

The decline and fall of the British Empire under Elizabeth in another era would have resulted in a trial and the Tower of London for a goodly spell methinks.

Indeed, like the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, there would have been cries of “Off with her head.”

(Many of her predecessors were topped for far less. See Anne Boleyn etc.)

Instead, she is becoming more beloved as she gets older; the sheer longevity of the woman and her ability to carry out her duties at the age of 86 is impressive even to the most avid Republican.

But she must wake up and wonder sometimes where it all went wrong, She came into office as a hugely significant figure on the world stage, with giants like Churchill in her government.

Now it’s the nondescript David Cameron she meets and now the monarchy may even lose Australia and Canada at some point in the near future – not to mention Northern Ireland given the shifting demographics there.

She has become a symbolic figure, which she always was to some extent, but she no longer wields true power.

Unlike the fall of the Roman Empire, it was not the Barbarians at the gate, rather it was the enemy within, as the British simply lost out to Germany in Europe and the US in the world in terms of the scope of their power and influence in the post industrial revolution age.

Rule Britannia, indeed, but nowadays only on a small sliver of the earth, unlike when Elizabeth came to reign in 1953.

Royalty’s new reality was summed up wonderfully by the Guardian editorial writer describing the celebration on The Thames on Sunday as a flotilla of ships and boats honored the Queen;
“Sunday was a day for dressing up. But it was hard to watch the royal men in their sometimes preposterously over decorated uniforms — lord high admirals of ever-declining fleets, commanders of air forces whose future effectiveness hangs in the balance, fighters of wars about which middle Britain has deeply mixed feelings — and take any of it too seriously.”

Indeed.

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102 Comments

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Bythebay | Jun 27, 2012, 12:32 PM EDT

seanomelb, the bottom line is Australia did NOT vote for independence, you're still an Australian Brit, part of the British Commonwealth.

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Bythebay | Jun 27, 2012, 12:31 PM EDT

Another reason the Queen is revered is because today she showed her bravery and class by shaking hands with Martin McGuinness.

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Bythebay | Jun 27, 2012, 12:26 PM EDT

NYCsheridan, it doesn't affect you in the Bronx. Go back to your drink.

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Realist | Jun 17, 2012, 07:49 AM EDT

NYCsheridan: So, you believe the Scots are going to vote themselves out of the U.K.? Based on what precisely? All the opinion polls so far or some school-boy hatred for the British you've been nursing? "another piece of Empire gone"? What "empire"? Sorry to intrude on your little wet dream but your post is almost as ridiculous and transparent as this poor excuse for an 'article' lol.

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NYCsheridan | Jun 16, 2012, 04:02 PM EDT

Bythebay, unlike those Scots, eh? Another piece of the Empire gone, how will the Queen live without her beloved Northern Castles? Pity, that.

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NYCsheridan | Jun 16, 2012, 04:00 PM EDT

There is a thing called Parliament, and it runs Britain, last I checked. To blame the Queen for the failure of England in the last 50 years seems rather odd.

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Cranleigh | Jun 16, 2012, 01:38 PM EDT

Niall, will you keep some of that good stuff you're on for me? Britain never fully recovered from WWI, let alone WWII. First among all countries in Europe? Maybe in rationing cards. The truth is Britain has led the world in decline since 1940 and it has done it rather well, without massive civil disorder, sovereign default or hyperinflation. One can only hope the US can manage the same over the next fifty years. BTW, Liz is a figurehead and had nothing to do with running the country.

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seanomelb | Jun 13, 2012, 07:27 PM EDT

Preaching to the ignorant is difficult

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Aughavey | Jun 13, 2012, 08:23 AM EDT

dev - you seem to be confusing an absolute monarchy with a constitutional monarchy and then comparing the monarch to an elected head of state like the US President. The US President is in fact more like the UK, Canadian, Australian eleted Prime Minister all of whom wield the power not the queen in a constitutional monarchy.

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seanomelb | Jun 12, 2012, 07:13 PM EDT

To dev4 the Irish never had the guts to pursue a 32 county republic. Nor does Ireland have a bicameral system elected by the people(the senate for instance).

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dev4 | Jun 12, 2012, 11:22 AM EDT

canada and Australia never had the guts to elect their own leaders.raised to kiss a

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peterson | Jun 11, 2012, 08:52 PM EDT

Get over it Niall !! She is a real Lady !!

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Sparklet | Jun 10, 2012, 03:03 PM EDT

Oldboreen - what did Portia say? I can't find a post. She's usually worth a laugh or two ;) Isn't she the one who thinks the Queen of England is in cahoots with the Pope?

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seanomelb | Jun 09, 2012, 06:55 PM EDT

Parliament forced William to accept or otherwise be beheaded.

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Kilsally | Jun 09, 2012, 01:59 PM EDT

What a silly article with serious ignorance of UK constitutional issues - the UK is a constitutional monarchy. Power was transferred from the Monarchy to Parliament centuries ago - the 1688 Bill of Rights introduced by William of Orange being one such mile stone. The Monarchy is not some unelected President as you seem to imply. The `loss of Empire` was well beyond the Monarchy and the responsibility of Parliament. Think you will find she is Queen of the United Kingdom & many Commonwealth nations, not England. Times change, armed forces needs have changed hugely

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