It would be a pity if debate about the future of the monarchy were to overshadow New Zealand's welcome to the Queen in this 50th jubilee of her coronation. That distraction seems unlikely, despite the Council of Trade Unions' graceless call for such a debate yesterday. A Television One News/Colmar Brunton poll found a clear majority, 58 per cent, of New Zealanders still preferred the monarchy to a republic, which is much the same as a survey at the time of her last visit seven years ago.
But it would be idle to expect this royal visit will bring well-wishers out in droves as did previous visits. For one thing, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have a quieter itinerary this time in recognition of their advancing years. Their appearances over the five days will be confined largely to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch before they go on to Australia for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
It was the postponement of that meeting after the events of September 11 that caused the royal visit to be rescheduled from October to a much sunnier time of year, and the jubilee year to boot.
The golden jubilee has not started auspiciously. Even the United Kingdom reportedly is struggling to muster enthusiasm, and the death of Princess Margaret has not helped. But there is much to celebrate.
Queen Elizabeth has performed her role so faultlessly that it is inclined to go unnoticed and unremarked. To make scarcely an unwise utterance during 50 years under the most intense public spotlight is a stupendous achievement in itself. The Queen, by all accounts, is an intelligent woman who for half a century has had a privileged insight to British politics, through her weekly meetings with the Prime Minister, and to international events. There can be few public figures in the world who have had a longer association with events and trends.
Yet it is hard to recall a public word from the Queen which could be construed as overstepping her constitutional role. That role is to keep strictly out of contentious politics, expressing the unity and continuity of the state. This is not the time to argue whether an elected head of state could do the same for five years, let alone 50. It simply deserves recognition that this figurehead has done so impeccably since coming to the throne comparatively young at a time when Britain was a declining power and her empire was disintegrating.
The Queen presided over the transition to a Commonwealth of diverse nations that somehow hung together through disputes over South African apartheid and lesser breaches of its code. Those member countries that retain the Queen as their head of state each have their own regard for her dignity and commitment. Even as Australia debated republicanism there was reluctance to change during the life of the present Queen.
If she has made any mistake in public life it may be, some say, in permitting so much attention to focus on her young family.
The royal family became the popular face of the monarchy as her children were growing up, and a photogenic example to societies in which family life was under strain. Sadly, the adult family has fallen well below the ideal and the monarchy might not long survive the Queen.
But that is for the future. While the Queen is here she should know she is warmly regarded, and that the heritage she represents is part of our fabric. Indeed, the Treaty made in the name of her forebear, Queen Victoria, has become so central to national affairs that it poses a challenge to any attempt to do away with constitutional monarchy here. Queen Victoria, the last English monarch to reign for 50 years, had a memorable jubilee. Queen Elizabeth deserves no less.
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