Royal visit perpetuating deference to unaccountable power

 

Most Canadians quietly accept the legitimacy of unaccountable public and private power

As Victoria Day memories fade, monarchists may already be rehearsing their bow and curtsy routines for the May 26-27 visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla.

These visitations inspire me to question both the value and purpose of royalty. I feel no personal loyalty to these wealthy strangers whose unrestrained forbearers cruelly oppressed the ancestors of many Canadians, including mine. Nevertheless, Canada’s government and many institutions remain smitten by the monarchy and ignore its dark history.

Charles’ visit reminds me that most Canadians quietly accept the legitimacy of unaccountable public and private power. Such deference continues to facilitate military violence perpetrated to protect and expand the profitability of transnational corporations while countless lives and even cultures are destroyed.

This deference helps explain the lingering presence of archaic royal figures whose public roles are often falsely defended as merely ceremonial rather than ideological. Therefore, some background on the current king is vital.

King Charles and his wealthy family still receive generous public subsidies. This support, officially justified by the royals’ popularity as a lucrative tourist attraction, creates the impression that the royal family has become a commercial enterprise with strong links to the state. Instead, this tourist enterprise is just the latest manifestation of British royalty’s transactional relationship with the government.

It is implausible that British royalty acquired their ancient wealth and possessions through conventional business practices rather than economic and military coercion. Why seek lawful transactions when your military power silences or crushes opposition to your goals?

Like many wealthy men, Charles diverts a portion of his inherited income to charitable causes like scholarships and youth programs. This minor largesse is meagre reparation for centuries of royal profiteering at the expense of peoples unable to resist British domination.  (more...)

Royal visit perpetuating deference to unaccountable power