The huge, and I mean HUGE news is that while William and Kate have invited all the dictators of the world to their wedding (the Crown Prince of Bahrain, King Mswati III of Swaziland, Saudi tyrants and Robert Mugabe's personal ambassador to London), they have deliberately excluded two Labour former PMs (whilst inviting former Tory PMs).
We've had a ton of excuses come out from the palace - that this isn't a state wedding (ah, so the ambassador from Mugabe is William's personal friend, is he? Shades of Edward VIII). And the whole business of "knights of the garter" (how does that apply to Guy Ritchie)?
What is clear is that the Royal Family is breaking with over a century of tradition where the head of state stays neutral, and is deliberately picking a fight with a major political party.
It changes the constitution more than any referendum to change the voting system.
Blair's exclusion is particularly interesting as the only reason we have a monarchy at the moment is because Blair used his political capital to rescue them in 1997. At the time, many of us Labourites shook our heads and wondered at him. Republicanism was riding high, the Labour party was riding high, and Blair was at his zenith. If he'd have withdrawn his support from the House of Windsor, they'd have collapsed.
Looking back, he is probably wondering why he bothered to help them.
One thing is clear - a future Labour PM will view the monarchy as a biased institution that is opposed to our party and our Labour voters i.e. our enemy. When the next royal crisis comes - and it will come - it is unlikely that the next Labour PM will do a Blair. We're more likely to do a Baldwin.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
'Blair's exclusion is particularly interesting as the only reason we have a monarchy at the moment is because Blair used his political capital to rescue them in 1997.'
Labour saved the monarchy and the world ,that's a new one!
What garbage and you know it,Blair used the Royal family for Blair and nobody else.
He had no right to barge into their private grief,fortunately he was told where to go when he tried the same grandstanding with the Queen Mother's funeral he was told to take a hike.
Clearly Cherie Blair dislikes the Royal family so thev'e done her a favour.
Anyway Labour are well represented with Red and Mr & Mrs Bercow.
While the wedding itself is of no interest to me it was pretty stupid to snub Blair and Brown yet invite Major and Thatcher (knights of the Garter or no).... not to mention a bunch of assorted despots.
I doubt that it will be forgotten
Peter Hain whinging that the BBC are now snubbing the Labour party and Tuscan Polly also wetting herself.
Anyway Cherie Blair must be happy that she wasn't invited and the public relieved that they didn't have to see the vulgarian.
Is the huge, I mean HUGE news that two former Prime Minsisters were not invited? Really. Are you that self absorbed? I presume you would be claiming along with Peter Hain and sundary other Labour MPs that the big story of the wedding day was not the dress, but that the BBC didn't focus the coverage around Ed Milliband!
Labour really is disappearing up its own fundiment. Calm down dears, you aren't that important anymore. Carry on and the whole country will see you as humourless geeks. They don't get elected btw.
Devon Chap - of course it's HUGE. No point having a monarchy that views half the country with disdain - they either behave in an unbiased way, or they need to go.
I think they have decided they don't wish to be unbiased, so they need to go.
You will no doubt have noted the excerpts from Alastair Campbell's diaries detailing Prince Charles unconstitutional behaviour, and reports in the press about him pestering the coalition on policies that have financial advantage to himself (like off-shore wind farms).
It's an echo of Edward VIII. His interference was minor in comparison to Chuck's, but they prompted Ramsey MacDonald (who was head of the privy council) to write, "These escapades should be limited. They are an invasion into the field of politics & should be watched constitutionally."
When the crisis came, Baldwin met with Atlee and Sinclair (liberal leader) and it was unanimous that he had to go. And it wasn't about Mrs Simpson.
The constitution hasn't changed since then. Exactly the same principles apply.
Post a Comment