I have written a number of articles delineating my moral, political and social disdain for royalty and all of its fairy-tale appurtenances.
I have never been shy about expressing unqualified schadenfreude every time scandal exposed its inherent fallacies and forced monarchists to reconcile the institutionalized affront royal families pose to the universal truth that all people are created equal. And, as a constitutional subject of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, I have been particularly critical of the antics of the British Royal family who provide enough tabloid fodder to sustain unrelenting snicker and contempt.
The genius . . . springs from every class and from every part of the land. You cannot tell where you will not find a wonder. The hero, the fighter, the poet, the master of science, the organizer, the engineer, the administrator, or the jurist – he may spring into fame. Equal opportunity for free institution and equal laws. [Winston Churchill’s unwitting argument against the British Monarchy and its anachronistic Honors System]
Therefore, in accordance with my yeoman oblige, I am keen to comment on the scandal now rocking the superficial foundations of royal households all over Great Britain and, moreover, which threatens to bring down the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair.
It stems from the fact that Blair’s personal friend and his Party’s chief fundraiser, Lord Levy, has ensnared the government in a “cash-for-honors” scheme. It makes the cash-for-access scheme notorious Republican fundraiser Jack Abramoff perpetrated seem dignified and honorable by comparison.
Lord Levy (a.k.a. Lord Cashpoint) was arrested on Wednesday and interrogated about his involvement in the generally accepted British practice of pawning life peerages in the House of Lords for generous contributions to party campaign slush funds.
Of course, British political intrigue is every bit as Machiavellian as that of the Italians. Therefore, an operative for Deputy PM Gordon Brown – hoping to hasten Blair’s “long overdue” resignation – probably leaked Scotland Yard’s intent to summon the prime minister himself for interrogation on this matter.
But, as one can appreciate, Blair is not waiting around for the Chief Inspector to come knocking. In fact, he’s enlisted a number of high-profile spinmeisters to disabuse Scotland Yard of any notion of questioning his political integrity.
It hardly inspires confidence in the probity of his public service, however, when Blair’s most notable defender is former Home Secretary David Blunkett. After all, Blunkett’s notorious sexual dalliances constituted such betrayals of the public trust that he was forced to resign from Blair’s cabinet on two separate occasions. Nonetheless, Blair’s supporters categorically deny any wrongdoing and insist that assertions to the contrary are consistent only with a well-orchestrated campaign to smear and “destabilize” the prime minister. (A vast right-wing conspiracy… perhaps?)
But of the 48 individuals already caught in the crosshairs of Scotland Yard’s sights on Blair, Sir Gulam Noon may prove the most compelling witness for the police. Because he not only made no secret of his royal ambition to be upgraded from Knight to Lord, but Sir Gulam was equally unabashed in tendering his “loan” of £250,000 to Lord Levy for this royal upgrade.
And, this nexus between his payment and Blair’s subsequent recommendation that he be thusly upgraded may prove the damning stain that all the denials and spin in the world cannot whitewash. Moreover, it does not bode well for Blair (and all British subjects who made it onto the royal Honors List during his premiership) that the Labor-dominated Public Administration Select Committee handed down a royal indictment just yesterday, charging that
peerages are handed out for cash rather than worthiness.
Of course, this unseemly practice did not begin with the Blair government. Therefore, even the most devoted monarchists must now question the worth and propriety of the Queen continuing to confer honors (on the occasion of her birthday in early June and at the New Year) of such evidently dubious merit.
Accordingly, I encourage citizens throughout the Caribbean Commonwealth to prevail upon our national leaders to stop recommending our citizens for these farcical investitures, if not to perfect our sovereignty (as mostly independent republics) then as a matter of national pride.
Indeed, HRH Prince Charles is fond of issuing decrees for buildings he deems eyesores on the skyline of London, which need to be demolished. But I humbly submit that royalty is an eyesore on the landscape of humanity, which needs to be abolished!