Will the queen apologize for the old empire?
. | 29.05.2002 10:09
Britain's Queen urged to say sorry for Empire
By Reuters
LONDON - Britain's Queen Elizabeth should embark on a world tour to apologize for the "past sins of the British Empire", a left-wing think-tank aid on Tuesday.
London-based policy body, Demos, said the tour would help modernize the British monarchy and reinvent the Commonwealth group of 54 nations.
"This could begin with a world tour to apologize for the past sins of Empire as a first step to making the Commonwealth more effective and relevant," Demos director Tom Bentley and head of strategy James Wilsdon said in a joint statement.
Critics of the British Empire, which at its peak in 1918 covered a quarter of the world's population and area, say its huge wealth was built on oppression and exploitation.
Demos also urged the Queen to "quit while you're ahead, ma'am," suggesting she hand over the throne before her 80th birthday in four years.
Other suggested reforms included sending future princes and princesses to state-run schools and using royal land to ease Britain's housing shortage.
In a foreword to a collection of essays called "Monarchies: What are Kings and Queens For?", Demos said the royal family's recent bid to modernize had been little more than a public relations exercise.
Demos, set up in 1993 with the aim of influencing government policy and public opinion, said the Queen had stifled debate on the future of the monarchy.
"There is something absurd about someone declaring that they intend to keep going forever," Bentley and Wilsdon said. "Britain is in danger of replacing its monarchy with [a] gerontocracy."
The Queen used a speech in April to send a clear message that she had no plans to step aside for her 53-year-old son Charles, the heir to the throne.
Public support for the royal family appears to be on a high, as many Britons prepare to celebrate the Queen Elizabeth's 50 years on the throne.
Britons were touched by the royal family's display of grief after the deaths this year of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, the Queen's younger sister.
In two recent newspaper polls, just over half of those questioned believed Queen Elizabeth should continue to rule until her death.
http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=169636&contrassID=1&subContrassID=8&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y
By Reuters
LONDON - Britain's Queen Elizabeth should embark on a world tour to apologize for the "past sins of the British Empire", a left-wing think-tank aid on Tuesday.
London-based policy body, Demos, said the tour would help modernize the British monarchy and reinvent the Commonwealth group of 54 nations.
"This could begin with a world tour to apologize for the past sins of Empire as a first step to making the Commonwealth more effective and relevant," Demos director Tom Bentley and head of strategy James Wilsdon said in a joint statement.
Critics of the British Empire, which at its peak in 1918 covered a quarter of the world's population and area, say its huge wealth was built on oppression and exploitation.
Demos also urged the Queen to "quit while you're ahead, ma'am," suggesting she hand over the throne before her 80th birthday in four years.
Other suggested reforms included sending future princes and princesses to state-run schools and using royal land to ease Britain's housing shortage.
In a foreword to a collection of essays called "Monarchies: What are Kings and Queens For?", Demos said the royal family's recent bid to modernize had been little more than a public relations exercise.
Demos, set up in 1993 with the aim of influencing government policy and public opinion, said the Queen had stifled debate on the future of the monarchy.
"There is something absurd about someone declaring that they intend to keep going forever," Bentley and Wilsdon said. "Britain is in danger of replacing its monarchy with [a] gerontocracy."
The Queen used a speech in April to send a clear message that she had no plans to step aside for her 53-year-old son Charles, the heir to the throne.
Public support for the royal family appears to be on a high, as many Britons prepare to celebrate the Queen Elizabeth's 50 years on the throne.
Britons were touched by the royal family's display of grief after the deaths this year of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, the Queen's younger sister.
In two recent newspaper polls, just over half of those questioned believed Queen Elizabeth should continue to rule until her death.
http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=169636&contrassID=1&subContrassID=8&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y
.
Comments
Display the following 10 comments