The Queen Does Not Inspire; That’s a Feature Not a Bug

Can’t republicans do better than this?

If keeping quiet and cutting ribbons is all we can expect of our head of state then perhaps we can agree she’s done well — but surely we can expect more.

As a national figurehead and leading public figure the queen has utterly failed to do anything of note or worth. After 60 years who can quote a famous speech or point to a moment of crisis or celebration when the queen offered leadership and inspiration?

For all the failures of the monarchy — in principle, practice and in political terms — the queen and the institution offer little in return but an empty chair where an inspiring national figure could have stood. 

That said, I rather agree with Freddy Gray that there is a danger of overkill this weekend and that the Windsors should remember that you can have too much of a good thing and that, like so much else, PR-stunts are vulnerable to the law of diminishing returns.