Is the Jubilee over yet?

For the republican minority this Jubilee has been a lot less fun than the last one, where at least you had some bete noir punk rockers storming up the Thames. This time round we had a Dunkirkesque flotilla which, for all the raptures that the BBC commentators were in, did look a little thin to those not already inclined to wave a little flag at the little boats.

There were a few plucky protesters at the London Assembly building from the organisation Republic who were all very well behaved without a burning Union Jack or guillotine in sight despite the fact that half of them were barred from getting to the protest and everyone who did get to the allocated spot had any unapproved materials taken off them and had all their names given over in case of trouble.

The difficulty with the protest, of course, was it did tend to feel more like a protest against anyone celebrating rather than a protest about our outdated, elitist and oligarchic institutions. Republicans are not, by nature, opposed to boating per se but the nature of the day did give it that feel.

While down there I gave my thoughts to the ever excellent Pod Delusion which, regardless of my bit, is worth a listen.

Could not get in

While those who were able to get passed the police into “More London” may well have had a good time there were thousands of people who had turned up to see the show and were bemused to discover that it was nigh on impossible to get near the river if you hadn’t pitched up incredibly early. One woman I spoke to was taking her family home again to watch it on the telly telling me “they want you to turn out and support the Queen, but really it’s all for the elites.”

Rather than make a smart alick remark about the way Royalty does tend to be about elites I had a really interesting conversation with her, and we drew parallels between the jubilee flotilla and the Olympics where “they are happening here, but we’re not invited.”

Certainly we were being turned away on the basis that More London was full despite the fact that we could see a huge amount of space, and many royalists, boat lovers and would-be Oliver Crowells alike had to leave disappointed.

What’s it all about?

Well, if you’re from the US it all looked utterly bemusing, which it did over here too to many too. But while for one group of citizens the whole thing is defined by jobless volunteers being forced to sleep under bridges the other set of subjects enjoyed seeing the spectacle of an old man stand for quite a long time or neighbourhood BBQs, the vast majority of which did not result in drunken brawls.

I was impressed by the approach of Green MSP Patrick Harvie, over on the chilly side of Hadrian’s Wall, who managed to put a very reasonable amendment to a Monarch worshipping motion in the Scottish Parliament. Patrick said “Our intention wasn’t to rain on her majesty’s parade but rather to spark debate about the sort of head of state Scotland should have in the future. Sticking to the hereditary principle in the twenty-first century is bound to seem bizarre to many Scots and it’s a shame that won’t be reflected.”

He continued “The other parties can doff their caps to royalty if they want. Greens are much more likely to break out bunting and cake for the low paid public sector workers and local activists who bring our communities together.”

For me that sums it up. If we’re going to have a day congratulating long public service then fire fighters, nurses and teachers can get to the front of my queue. It’s a shame we don’t have a few more Harvie’s knocking about, just to put the sensible case for egalite.