A major event broke the headlines: Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, had a medical emergency. British radio and television shifted coverage to her condition. Hours later, the newly installed prime minister, Liz Truss, announced the demise of the Queen. The world mourns with the Royal Family today, and key leaders like the Archbishop of Canterbury, the President of the United States, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations took note of her being dedicated to public service and a woman of dignity.
She was a unifying force for the shaky United Kingdom facing dire challenges especially today, as the waning COVID-19 pandemic, the waxing dangers from Vladimir Putin and his allies, the subsequent economic and energy crises, the rising mistrust from the masses, and threats of secession and break-up all happen simultaneously. As the rest of the Royal Family comes under fire, commentaries about a grim post-Elizabethan future appear. Some believe the longest-reigning British monarch would be the country's last, although her son Charles III has succeeded; others suggest the UK would cease to exist as United.
Truss' tenure was just two days old when reports of The Late Queen's condition erupted. A new PM was needed as the former's predecessor, Boris Johnson, became under scrutiny for participating in lockdown parties. The ruling Conservative Party was shaken after, and public confidence was reduced. Johnson left to Truss the same challenges he faced, and the likelihood of regaining the lost confidence from the populace remains low; having a less-popular King may just aggravate these problems for the government and put the existence of the system into public questioning.
But while this system goes more and more unstable and infighting is ensued, it also has to manage the bigger and more immediate concerns which are closer to the masses. The country recently suffered from a historic heat wave, prices are running high and energy supplies low, workers are striking more frequently and massively, and the nation's opponents do not back down from threatening and imperiling security. The current conditions would be perfect for the Kingdom's fall.
To help prevent or stall this major disaster from happening, government officials, with the participation of the Royal Family, have to prioritise the most critical things and perform the following:
- set ego and vested interests aside, practise humility and compassion, and stop making work as a matter so personal;
- listen to opponents in the system (opposition, officials of constituent countries, etc.); in the first place, the UK practises a democratic system;
- work on the immediate demands of workers, entrepreneurs, investors and all other stakeholders; prioritise their welfare, as the nation is founded on them; and
- cooperate with key allies despite stark differences in interests. The British system has to be reminded that it faces a more bold axis of opponents like Putin and Xi Jinping.
In turn, the citizenry and allies of the UK should have arms wide open to work with the authorities. Surely the opposition is itching to become the government, and it has valid reasons; the secessionists also want to handle matters on their own, and I understand the right to self-determination (I will discuss it further this month). Unfortunately, the nation's messed-up system is further messed up by the demise of Her Late Majesty, a beacon of the Kingdom's hope, and working on selfish ambitions would only make UK's opponents more confident in performing their crimes against humanity and later be victorious.
I hate the concept of superpowers, but the United Kingdom is one, and as a superpower, the entire world is in its hands. Don't British politicians dare to continue their dirty politics and the Royal Family its off behaviour, lest not only the nation crumble but the humankind suffer and evil reign.
Article posted on 09 September 2022, 17:41 (UTC +08:00).
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