R.I.P. Monarchy: Is The Republic of Great Britain Upon Us?
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Life after Queen Elizabeth in the United Kingdom
What took place on the 8th of September 2022 was without question a Black Swan event.
Those who left the shores of the United Kingdom on the 5th of September would have done so with Her Majesty as the reigning monarch and Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, prime minister.
But within 72 hours, seismic changes had taken place.
Not only did we have to contend with an unelected premier in Liz Truss but also with the sudden illness and death of Her Majesty, the Queen, thus bringing about a degree of confusion within the ranks of the establishment.
Confusion, I hear you ask?
Yes.
A great number of us will have read the elaborate preparations which have been put in place for the day of Her Majesty’s passing but nothing prepares you for the actual event itself.
When the now deceased Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in 1952, a vast majority of the public saw it as an act of God and very, very few dared to question the usefulness of a constitutional monarchy.
Great Britain, these days, isn’t much of a christian country nor a deferential one for that matter.
The natives care very little for religion and church attendance has declined precipitously.
And much more importantly, we have had major constitutional changes, such as the devolution of power to Scotland and Wales, which took place on Blair’s watch in 1997 and we also cannot forget the good Friday agreement, which instituted a power sharing arrangement between the protestants and the Catholics in Northern Ireland in 1998.
And when we add Brexit to the mix, which has created whole new sets of problems and laid bare the vulnerabilities of the Union, it is fair to state that Great Britain of 2022 is barely recognizable from the one that Elizabeth II inherited, all those years ago.
These changes along with the increasing detachment from organized religion does put the role of King of the Union and head of the church under intense scrutiny.
