In this episode, I talk about the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the monarchy, and the changing of the guard. I also talk about why I think monarchy is outmoded and almost deceptive in many ways.
00:00:00.000Well, anyway, uh, I was just going to talk a little bit about the, uh, the queen and then, um, we can discuss some other things, um, as you guys will.
00:00:13.820Um, but yeah, I mean, I, I guess I had some residual, almost like conservative instincts about the queen dying and being sad.
00:00:26.780Um, you know, I think that's normal and I think I maybe had some kind of reactionary instincts of like, you know, monarchy is great and all of that kind of stuff.
00:00:40.620Um, I don't think she's, I think Queen Elizabeth II was a good person and so on. I actually think King Charles, I guess he's going to be Charles III.
00:00:51.100Um, I think he might very well be an interesting leader. Um, he, he has been forthright on some important issues.
00:01:03.320I actually have this nice book that he wrote or probably commissioned. Um, but it is about like, you know, human centric living and architecture and stuff like that.
00:01:18.180So he, he cares about environmental issues. He, um, has attempted, you know, kind of failed to a degree, but, you know, attempted, um, architectural and residential projects, um, that are more traditional and human centric and so on.
00:01:39.400Um, and, uh, I think that is, uh, I think that is, uh, all a good thing. So I, I do admire Charles and, uh, probably less so Elizabeth II.
00:01:50.680She's, she's kind of been there, but been in the background, almost like a bit like wallpaper.
00:01:57.220Um, I have not heard, um, I don't, I mean, I am not a royal watcher or a royal historian, so anyone can add in anything.
00:02:07.680I don't think I've really heard any, read anything that is a serious analysis of her ideology or anything like that.
00:02:18.240Um, uh, I, I think it is interesting to look at monarchy. I mean, obviously after the glorious revolution, the monarch is not sovereign.
00:02:27.940Although I did hear that for a, I believe this is how it went. So for a period of one hour, um, there was no prime minister and Charles was king.
00:02:40.500So he, he had his moment when there was no leader of parliament. So he could have just, he had absolute authority and could have done anything, but nothing happened.
00:02:53.140Um, I think it is worthwhile pointing out that, you know, England, uh, or, you know, England, Scotland, Wales, they have a monarch, um, a country like, let's say Germany doesn't, and they've both found their way to the same place.
00:03:18.560Not that England and Germany are identical or anything like that.
00:03:23.140Um, but, um, they kind of found, each of them found their own path towards the same destination.
00:03:32.140And, you know, I understand history and we're not living in like a sovereign monarchial situation.
00:03:40.100Um, but, uh, uh, parliament again is the sovereign body and not the people in England.
00:03:46.000Um, but nevertheless, it does kind of leave me with a sense of uselessness in some ways of the monarch.
00:03:57.440And I guess what I was thinking of today was the idea that they're, they're kind of like symbolic structures that are very important, but are, are also outmoded and not irrelevant.
00:04:16.880Cause I think they are irrelevant, but, um, um, they're outmoded and they're almost deceptive in a way.
00:04:24.100So everyone who visits London at some point in their life have, has gone to see the changing of the guard.
00:04:33.120And I would imagine that everyone who is involved in this group, uh, to some extent or another has some kind of, you know, residual, maybe even childish, you know, reverence for monarchy.
00:04:48.780And so, and it kind of gives us a glimpse to the past.
00:04:52.120And, and I think that the king or the queen of the king can kind of symbolize the nation in some way or symbolize the continuance of history, et cetera, obviously different.
00:05:06.060There've been major different, um, families that have occupied the throne.
00:05:10.580The Windsor family is a German entity, but anyway, you get my point.
00:05:15.440Um, you can kind of see a little glimpse of Elizabeth the first, you can see a glimpse of, um, the middle ages.
00:05:23.300And, um, but I, I sometimes think these, these symbolic orders are in, in many ways deceptive and that there's other, there are other more primary symbolic orders that overwhelm these things.
00:05:43.180To the point that they really are tourist attractions or museums, uh, or something like that.
00:05:51.460And, uh, I think that's really the proper way to look at these things.
00:05:56.180I mean, Charles had an hour of time to seize absolute power and, you know, save England.
00:06:04.960I don't know what he would do, um, kick all the immigrants out and reestablish family unit or something like this.
00:06:15.380Um, but he didn't and nor in a way should he have, nor would any rational person think he would.
00:06:23.940Um, it's a kind of false, deceptive, you know, symbolic order.
00:06:30.800And in that sense, it, it is kind of a, a lie.
00:06:35.160And, um, so I don't know, I, I don't have any, I don't have any of the like American animosity towards royal houses or monarchy in general or anything like that.
00:06:49.620Um, uh, where, you know, it's, it's some kind of inherent disgrace that, you know, even if the king doesn't have really, any really, any real power, he kind of symbolically conveys that power to his parliament.
00:07:03.500Um, despite that reality that we should just get rid of the monarchy, it's, it's a symbol of something bad.
00:07:13.820Um, I, I don't have any of those instincts or emotions, but I, I do see the, the institution as effectively a lie, a kind of hollow symbol in a way, or, or a deceptive symbol.
00:07:32.180Um, the king doesn't have authority and he ultimately isn't impactful in the ideological direction of the British Isles and thus having him around.
00:07:50.840And it, it, it, it, it's a night, it's a quaint, it's a quaint, it's a quaint, it's a quaint vestige of the past, it's furniture, but I think it ultimately is a lie and thus probably shouldn't exist.
00:08:02.800I think might very well do more harm than good.
00:08:06.800It, it gives a kind of lie to the fact that there's, you know, there's another England is still around and still, it still holds sway.
00:08:20.780And, uh, I generally think that, uh, lies, at least of this nature, aren't good.