Royal wedding

hc — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:49:29 +0000

For several hours tonight I watched on TV the lead-up to and then the marriage between Prince William and Catherine Middleton in London. I enjoyed it immensely – the pageantry, ceremony and good vibes. As an avowed atheist I even (hypocritically) enjoyed the religious ceremony accompanying the wedding. Some media commentators claim 2 billion people watched it around the world. I have always opposed Australia becoming a republic because (a) I am proud of Australia’s British origins and (b) despite its imperfections many of the alternative cultural offerings provided around the world look distinctly second-rate to me by comparison. I am happy to have other cultures develop in Australia but I’d prefer to remain a liberal, open, democratic country with a civilised legal system of the type Britain has left us with. The scenes of public theatre and romantic drama from London intensified that conviction. God save the Queen! What a thrill it was to watch the future British monarch marry such a gorgeous bride. Sincere best wishes to them both.

Clive gets gong

hc — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:14:02 +0000

Republican Clive Hamilton gets Queen’s birthday gong.

Harry Clarke » monarchy

Royal wedding

Clive gets gong