What if, instead of debating whether partisans will put the country’s interests ahead of their own or find reasons to move beyond the gridlock in which they have mired Congress, Washington surmounted the political system and put someone above it? Someone who, like a living Statue of Liberty, symbolizes the nation and represents not one ideology but the American people.
In other words, what if America had a queen?
As Britain celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, it’s also grappling with a host of thorny issues. Consider: The country is in a double-dip recession, with unemployment at 8.2 percent and joblessness among youth around 20 percent. Its continental neighbors — to which it is shackled through the European Union — teeter on the verge of fiscal collapse. Prime Minister David Cameron is dealing with government workers striking over pension cuts — tens of thousands joined protests last month and more strikes are planned this summer — as Cameron himself seeks to survive a lobbying scandal and to avoid further embarrassment over ties to the phone-hacking inquiry that has rocked Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
Yet there are some things Britons are not arguing about.
You can see a unifying force in the flags, banners and ribbons festooning storefronts, boats and homes from the quiet of the Cotswolds to the tourist-packed streets of London. (The Daily Mail reported Friday that Britons in Randwick set a world record for “the longest line of continuous bunting after stringing up 14,583 triangular flags for four unbroken miles.”) Or in the bottled water advertised as “queentisentially British.” Street parties to celebrate Elizabeth’s 60-year reign are planned across the nation this weekend — which the government has decreed a holiday — along with an official concert, a service of thanksgiving and a thousand-boat flotilla up the Thames. For the concert marking her Golden Jubilee, 10 years ago, Queen guitarist Brian May belted out the national anthem, “God Save the Queen,” from the roof of Buckingham Palace.
Elizabeth is now Britain’s second-longest-reigning monarch, behind only her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. She was 25 when she ascended the throne and has been served by 12 prime ministers.
Having a head of state who is above politics is key to the British system. It is the queen who opens Parliament with an address — written by elected officials — that outlines the legislative agenda for the year. It is the queen who appears on currency; the military branches are her services; taxes are levied and laws are carried out in her name.
She engages in none of the compromise that is crucial to holding together Cameron’s coalition government, negotiates none of the tightrope-walking that is necessary to maintaining Britain’s association with the European Union as citizens question its value.
None of this is to say that Americans should try to import the very institution we rejected centuries ago. It’s not surprising that, at a moment of national celebration, the monarchy would be popular. (That’s why many Brits saw an economic boon in Kate and William’s wedding last April.) But the strength of the royals’ popularity, at a time of fiscal misery and political discontent, is striking. The Guardian newspaper reported last week that 69 percent of Britons say their country would be worse off without the monarchy; only 22 percent said it would be better off. The favorable sentiment persisted regardless of geography, age or political beliefs. Recently, the BBC found that 73 percent of respondents favor Elizabeth remaining the head of the Church of England.
National symbols that rise above politics, such as an Olympic team — and London will host this summer’s Games — contribute to such positive sentiments. Amid the fluttering Union Jacks, there is an appreciation here of the queen as an enduring representative of Britain. This sort of transforming, unifying spirit seems to occur in the United States only after tragedy.
The sun, of course, has set on the British Empire, leaving the monarch with largely ceremonial powers. But the grace with which she has wielded them over the decades has inspired a national pride in her institution. Amid our partisan gridlock, Americans might consider what, if anything, could transcend our politics.
Autumn Brewington is the editor of The Washington Post’s op-ed page.
69% of Guardian surveyed Brits aren’t as smart as their accents might lead one to believe. Who knew?
The inability to pick up the football and throw a forward pass should have been a tipoff.
I thought America had its queen… or does Rupaul not count?
This country could certainly use a few drag queens in office! :)
Don’t tell Michelle that she’s not the queen. Barack thinks he’s the king.
Maybe if nasty Republicans treated the President with respect we’d have that strong “national symbol.”
Maybe if the President treated America with respect, we’d have a great nation once more.
What a disgusting and hateful thing to say. You have no respect. We are and will continue to be the greatest nation. How unfortunate that you have such little pride and faith in this country.
I have the utmost respect for the office of the President, not the person holding that office. As for the person of the President, I would take a bullet for him or her regardless of part if the need arose, because of the office and the power and importance that it holds.
I have unending pride in America and all that it stands for. What bothers me is the damage the progressive agenda being pushed by the far left is doing to this nation. We are slowly becoming a nation of government dependents, and we keep electing those that will serve our selfish desires while sending this country closer and closer to the abyss of bankruptcy. Far too many Americans have their hands out instead of their hands working.
The split between the haves and have-nots has grown thanks to the class warfare campaign of the left, lead by the President, himself. The war on women, continued racism, murder of the innocent unborn, and attempts to legalize immorality are all coming from the left. And they are all ripping at the moral fabric of America.
Anyone that supports the progressive movement is supporting anti-American policies.
You’re anti-American. It isn’t racist to denounce racism. It isn’t a war on women to advocate for equal rights. It isn’t murder to be pro-choice. It isn’t immoral to treat others equally.
You have no sound logic or reasoning so you have to resort to lies and distortion in order to demonize the people you disagree with. That isn’t an American trait. It’s repulsive.
You can say you’re a proud American and that you respect the office of the President, but I doubt many people would believe you even for a second. Your words show your true nature.
It is obvious there is no middle ground with you, so take your spite and venom somewhere else.
Dude, you just accused the President of all these awful things and said he doesn’t deserve your respect. You want a middle ground? That’s so fake of you to say. You’re the one spewing the venom, my apologizies for calling it out for what it is.
We tryed the queen thing!
She went rogue and ” Drew Crosshairs” on all the competition!
Whether a national symbol or not, being the leader of a nation by virtue of who your mom slept with is wrong. There was a good reason we rejected the idea of a monarchy over two centuries ago.
I agree that the USA needs symbols that will rise above partisan politics, but if you look back through history, partisan bickering is not worse now than it has been at times past. We tend to view the past through rose colored glasses. In the 1850’s one Senator beat another almost to death with a cane, because he disliked a speech. A representative from Maine (Cilley) was killed in a duel by another rep when he criticized a newspaper article. There are examples all through history if you care to look.
People have passionately argued both sides of issues that seem to be trivial in hindsight, just as many of the issues we argue now will seem trivial in 50 years.
Above all, we are Americans. That fact should always transcend our political differences. I have served in the military with Democrats, Republicans, and people who really couldn’t care less. None of that ever mattered to us, we served together as one.
Just remember who we are, and that politicians, regardless of party, are given to wild hyperbole, because simply stating, “I might do marginally better than the other guy” doesn’t drive voters to the polls.