Positivism, smiles and thanksgiving were just three of the encouraging characteristics which marked the four days of the Jubilee celebration of the continuing 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II. These days were dominated by an absorption in the Queen’s achievements and values which underpinned them. The Jubilee was an outstanding success. It served as a timely reminder of the specialness of the UK and its people: unity, mutual respect, diversity and a host of great competences were exhibited. Hard not to feel a sense of privilege and pride in British things, in a healthy sense not arrogance or dreams of Empire? For these days there was no place in the media for the rather spiteful and hypercritical sentiments which so often dominate and depress, but rather the broadcasters and journalists engaged in the positive spirit which prevailed at each event. A lesson for tomorrow?
ORGANISATION, DISCIPLINE, EXECUTION
The big events of the Jubilee were executed smartly and with excellence at the fore. Whoever organised the Concert and the Pageant deserve special recognition: no doubt it was teams of people, and the outcomes were a triumph of collaboration.
But the big opening event, the Trooping of the Colour by the 1st Battalion Irish Guards, on the Queen’s official birthday, 2 June, epitomised, as the Trooping always does, quintessentially British skill at military pageantry, admired world-wide.
The sheer precision and discipline of some 1200 officers and soldiers, hundreds of musicians and some 240 horses weaving patterns, often at speed in perfect time, across Horseguards’ parade were mesmerising. World class. The event oozed history and pride in the UK’s past and present, so often today under attack by people who would undo the glue of UK society. It sent a message of permanence, continuity and competence.
Such organisation and execution were mirrored too in the People’s Pageant: thousands of talented enthusiasts took part, representing the nations of the Commonwealth and every local creed and colour domestically. Freedom of expression shone throughout, and the participants threw themselves in with gusto, seeming to so enjoy themselves, all watched by a crowd appreciating this real “Royal variety performance”. It could never have happened without meticulous preparation, commitment and organisation.
CREATIVITY, TECHNOLOGY, ART, DESIGN and SIMPLICITY SPELT CONFIDENCE
Daily the UK is fed a diet of what is wrong, who is at fault, and a seemingly inbuilt DNA to find a negative and suffering, which of course will always be part of life, but as if someone should be removing all difficulties. The Jubilee presented another side of the coin. And the Concert on Saturday was a celebration exuding energy, fun and creative talent which must have lit up the evening of those billions watching across the globe. The assembly of musical talent was impressive, perhaps with one or two oldies a bit past it but who in fairness were a part of the Queen’s musical life. Not all will have been to everybody’s taste, but there were inspired performances. And as a spectacle it must have caught imaginations universally.
The festival of lighting was ingenious. With Buckingham Palace as the canvas, the continuous roll-out of themes with images projected on the building meant it was hard to look away. Climate change and the preservation of the Planet was the subject Prince William addressed with balance but also concern: the backdrop of vegetation and natural life images spread across Buckingham Palace was stunning and enriched the words. Creativity, technology and again precise execution were on display.
The Pageant, the finale on the Sunday, with costumes, constructions and choreography, ran through the periods of the 70-year reign, from post 2nd World War Britain to the digital age. What a period of upheaval and wonder to have lived through, a tribute to the ability of the Queen to adapt, not always with ease, to changes.The Pageant personified technological excellence, artistic imagination, design and diversity which, it is easy to forget, are hallmarks of British ability. There was nothing naff about the Pageant, which involved participants of all ages. Carnival floats of the local fete can be naff. The Pageant’s simplicity was perhaps reminiscent of the cultural exhibition which opened the 2012 London Olympics. It was about people acting, singing, dancing, sharing and interacting to create a unity of enjoyment and togetherness. One lady, not from the UK, in the observing crowd when asked what this all meant to her replied “everything being so joyful and everything England stands for …. England will prevail”. This not being about nationalism illustrates the appeal of the UK as a light which should be nurtured and developed, not beaten into oblivion as some might endeavour.
FUN, COMMUNITY, DIVERSITY AND TOGETHERNESS – AND THE MEDIA HELPED
Across the UK street parties, picnics in parks and village hall gatherings shared a lunchtime in the tens of thousands involving millions of people, from every home nation and all colours and creeds again. The “longest” lunch was perhaps the length of Morecambe seafront. Within communities people who perhaps had never met together gathered with a common purpose. While celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s record reign, and with universal respect, the enjoyment was palpable across every age group, which these days seems rare.
The combination of these parties with the Pageant and the Concert and all other remembrances involved every sector of society, and all religions. The leaders of Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Jews all declared their admiration and thanks. Television footage and media photos, as well as commentaries, all positively evidenced the diversity of common ground within the UK. Inaya Folarin Iman, journalist, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph “The Jubilee answers Britain’s anti-racist critics”. It proved that the vociferous minority who would reset Britain and British history, obsessed with past faults, are simply wrong when they cite systemic racism. There are so many failings, true of all societies, and they are to be learnt from not expunged. The Jubilee reinforced the potential of smiles and togetherness, and resultant hope which has always been fundamental to the Queen’s messaging.
The Queen has demonstrated a stoic determination and resilience at times in her reign, not all plain sailing, an object lesson for all people. Her humour brought simple delight as she publicly shared tea and marmalade sandwiches with Paddington bear. Self-deprecation, laughter and humility were all exhibited in the Jubilee celebrations.
Throughout the four days, all formal media was committed to the positive oasis in the midst of various turmoils, such as the Ukraine and other wars, which the Jubilee provided. The current hatreds and spite of politics today and personal smear seemed suspended for four days. The positive involvement of the media reinforced the national mood of optimism. It would be nice if that could remain.
The Jubilee served as a timely reminder that merely living in the UK is a piece of good fortune.
