There's this country in the HBO series Westworld, the name is "United Republic of England and Wales" (U.R.E.W.). What happened prior to the story in the show's lore was that Scotland became independent, Northern Ireland was unified with the Republic, and the monarchy was abolished.
Sounds like it can happen, and the current conditions are making it more probable.
Post-Brexit United Kingdom is pestered by numerous issues. Just within the Royal Family was the feud between the couple Harry and Meghan and the rest of the family (Her Late Majesty excluded), and the government was marred by scandals, like the Partygate involving Boris Johnson and some Conservative Party officials, the reports of bullying and "manhandling" in Parliament to defeat a bill seeking to ban hydraulic fracturing (or fracking), and the economic and political mismanagement of his successor Liz Truss, whose her early days of premiership was compared to the "shelf-life of a lettuce" and was subsequently made jokes after a successful challenge by the tabloid the Daily Star between her and the plant. These were amidst the COVID pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the resulting inflation and cost of living crisis; her plans of tax cuts had to be abandoned as these pulled the pound sterling down.
With the Queen gone and the government in disarray, the system is being questioned: the Union's constituent countries, particularly Scotland and Ireland, would see debates on the future of the Union after Her Late Majesty's demise; republican movements in the Commonwealth realms, such as Australia and Jamaica, begin to garner more support; and support for a kingdom is decreasing from around 70% in mid-2010s to around 60% this decade. The demise of Elizabeth II was a chance for British republicans to amplify their movement (The Guardian article is a good take on this whole issue). I then wrote a piece calling on the authorities to handle the country's issues properly in order to at least delay the dissolution, although I do not oppose the prospect of a "U.R.E.W.".
And likely the sentiment of Britons is proximate, that the administration answer the economic crises that are directly affecting them. Inflation stood at 10% in July 2022, the highest in 40 years, while wages sharply dipped by 4.5% in April the same year. Earlier, according to a Food Foundation survey, around one million answered they experienced not eating for a day, while a charity released a survey finding 9% of responding parents having children hurting themselves due to these conditions. Workers especially in the railway industry and the National Health Service (NHS) then staged strikes as protest to the difficulty to make ends meet.
Boris resigned, Liz resigned, it's now Rishi Sunak's turn, but the same horrors keep going, in both monarchy and government. Last year, Lady Susan Hussey, a Lady of the Household, stepped down from her royal duties after a racism incident against Ngozi Fulani, the head of a domestic abuse charity. Racism is also present, institutionally in the Metropolitan Police, according to an independent report released in March 2023. Home secretary Suella Braveman insists on keeping asylum seekers, refugees and migrants out, preferring to have them sent to Rwanda (which is not a nice place); such plan is similar to Australia sending them to concentration camps in Nauru (read more) and Papua New Guinea's Manus Island. It's not all about racism: Sunak's then-deputy, Dominic Raab, resigned after an inquiry holding him liable for bullying his own personnel.
Charles is now King, to be crowned on Saturday, 6th of May 2023. It's a new era for the country, a shaky era, and challenges are getting worse. Popularity of the monarchy is decreasing, as a May 2023 YouGov poll finds support returning to low levels and a significant generational divide. Reforms in the system are becoming inevitable, and the current circumstances are hastening the urge to shift. In a matter of time, we might find the "U.R.E.W." the new superpower; Scotland has broken up, Northern Ireland is with its neighbour, and the Royal Family no longer influences the government, and only the authorities will have themselves to blame. Since the UK is democratic, I'll add those who elect them to the players responsible for this debacle. Tell me if Britons deserve to lose jobs, go hungry and freeze in death. Of course I'll receive a no, because they don't deserve the current crisis.
Article posted on 05 May 2023, 16:17 (UTC +08:00).
No comments:
Post a Comment