UK Coronation - NOT amateur radio

Although definitely not a strong royalist (I think a symbolic monarchy is better than an elected president - who would we choose?), like millions I shall probably be watching the UK coronation on TV. 

Basically, I am against wealth and privilege simply as a result of who your parents were. Much wealth came from the slave trade centuries back, which I find abhorrent. That is history. What matters is how we are today.

Overall, I favour a much slimmed down monarchy much closer to the people. Those that work for the UK get the royal purse. Hangers on do not.  There is no doubt our history and traditions are worth millions in tourism and help stability.

UPDATE 0841z:  Our church bells are ringing.

UPDATE 1400z:  A good service and parade that passed (thank goodness) without incident. It rained....again! Why does it always seem to rain on Coronations?! I am old enough to remember the last coronation in 1953 and crowding around a tiny, snowy, picture on a black and white TV in a neighbour's house.

Zadoc the priest

Getting ready - NOT amateur radio

Our grandson has rung in 109 towers now including this one at Isleham where they seem prepared for the coronation next weekend. 

In general, the whole preparation for the coronation feels very low key. I am old enough to remember the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II!! I guess we were still getting over WW2 and this was a bit of light relief. 

I remember going to watch the coronation on a neighbour's tiny TV screen in black and white. We did not have a TV until 1957 and that was just one channel and back and white. At the time we thought it was amazing. Before then, we used to watch a snowy TV picture whilst sitting on the floor a a local radio/TV shop. At that time we were about 150km from the nearest TV transmitter.

Low key? - NOT amateur radio

On Saturday week, our new King Charles III is crowned. At the moment things feel very muted. For example, John Lewis in Cambridge, a major department store nationally, has nothing for the coronation, that I could see, on display. I guess they are worried about excess stock on their hands in hard times. This small display was at the back of a pub in Ely yesterday.

It is a very long time since Queen Elizabeth II was crowned and this was shortly after WW2 when there was a national support for the monarchy. These days, many younger people are not in favour of a monarchy and do not like wealth and privilege just because people inherited it. The problem is who would be president? 

Personally, I think (just) I am in favour of a symbolic monarchy as long as it is considerably slimmed down.