I live in the UK. Once upon a time, it was an empire. Many countries bowed to the royals and in their name, many people did some awful things. The East India Company comes to mind firstly. A barbaric and beyond evil company who butchered their way through the world. They sold people as if their were nothing but a commodity. The whole affair was one of barbarianism and blood, all in the name of ‘The Empire.’ It should go without saying people are not a commodity, they should not be bought and sold. But yet they were. Only when it became ‘cool’ and ‘trendy’ to denounce slavery did the ‘Great British Empire’ do so. Completely ignoring the lives they ruined and all of the profit made from the suffering of others. Empire is a thing of greed. One ruling class taking everything they can, regardless of who gets hurt in the process.
I was speaking to a friend about empire recently and we got to talking on what remains. We are both of that age in which we grew up in the ruins of the empire. The first thing that came to mind is of course the royal family. The ruling class. The elite. Born to rule. in present day they hold very little power and exist more as figureheads. A show to be marveled at. Thousands of people come the UK each year to stare in wonder at the palace. To watch the changing of the guard. To buy a range of novelty gifts with the royals faces on. Outside of the obvious economic draw, what is the point? Do we actually need the royals? We would still have the palace. We would still be able to show changing of the guards. We would still be able to sell novelty plates and key chains and mugs. I view the royal family as nothing more than a spectacle. A selling point. But who’s winning?
Did you know that according to the BBC1, the royals cost the tax payer £510m a year. We pay for their lives. We pay for them. They hold little benefit to the working people. They do not care for the working class. They are so far removed from it, why would they care? Maybe I am cynical, but I for one do not see the point in a figure head monarchy.
The empire they once ruled over is no more. the commonwealth is shrinking more and more each year. The small island that once ruled over the world now holds power over 14 territories outside of its bounds. The empire has collapsed. The ruins show us many things. The idea of patriotism above all is one of those things. People who are sound loud and proud of what has come before do not stop to consider the harm that has been caused in its name. The idea of empire shapes the mental image of the UK. However, it is a faded image. The UK is no long a powerful nation, it is a nation seemingly at war with itself. The right fighting with the left. Grifters like Farage and Robinson running riot blaming anyone they dislike for the problems we have. Blaming immigrants for problems they did not cause. If you do not match the mental image of empire, you do not fit in. That is the legacy of the empire. Hatred, populism, greed.
The ‘Great British Empire’ was never great. It is a good thing it is gone. To idolize the past, to rewrite the atrocities, to view it for rose tinned glasses. It misses the forest for the trees. The Great British Empire was a horror factory. It destroyed anything and everything it touched. It ruined countless lives, and those who sat at the top were the only ones who ever reaped the benefits. I am glad the empire is gone. We just need to stop idolizing it, and move on.
Manic Writer 