The Queen’s Speech
Michael Bartlet considers an ancient ritual, and the programme of government, from a Quaker perspective
The ‘Queen’s Speech’ is a marriage of twenty – first century machine politics and medieval pageantry. It is read by the monarch but she has no say over its content. The ‘dignified’ and ‘efficient’ parts of the constitution unite in televised spectacle. The sword of state precedes the monarch in its own horse-drawn carriage. The yeoman of the guard inspects the cellars of the houses of parliament for gunpowder. The queen, wearing her imperial crown, addresses her lords, bishops and commons to announce political policy that has been forged in a hard-headed agreement between coalition partners, who stood against each other on opposing agendas.
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