She did have a job to do. As the Head of State, she had to convey an important message on behalf of the UK and in doing so, heal some very old wounds. It may never have been on the cards for her to outright apologise for the past injustices suffered by the Irish at the hands of the British, but the visit was clearly planned to convey regret for the past and hope for the future. She played her part well and the message was clearly well-received by the Irish people.
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| Atoning for the past - a wreath and a bow for the rebels |
Maybe the message worked well precisely because she has directly suffered due to the conflict. Maybe she is just good at this sort of thing. Whilst I don't think that this offers any support for the post, I do take my hat off to the post holder. I cannot imagine Prince Charles being able to pull this off in the same way and I do believe that the main thing keeping the monarchy afloat is the personal appeal of Elizabeth II. Still, credit where credit's due. Well done Lizzie!
She may well have done whatever ceremonial bollox she was supposed to have done well; how difficult can it be to lay a damned wreath and not quite apologise for hundreds of years of cruelty, theft and murder in the name of the crown.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine what our ancestors would think after having been burnt out of their hovels, raped and murdered... that one day the richest woman in the world would mumble a few 'regrets' and make it all ok again? I don't think so. Lets start with reparations. The apologies can follow when the 32 counties are united and the wealth returned with interest.
Forgive and forget is a hollow thing to suggest when you're the one (i.e. the british crown) who ended up with all the loot.
Or she could have done the real-world alternative - absolutely nothing. Business as usual. No humiliating bow in front of a memorial to those that would have had her and her family dead - and that did get her uncle. Given that I ain't getting no invite to the table, I'll take the crumbs instead.
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