Britain is celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. But the
occasion calls for celebration as well as reflection, for Britain is currently
undergoing a moment unprecedented in its history.
اضافة اعلان
Apart from the
pandemic, the consequences of the Ukraine crisis and Brexit combined have exacted
a serious impact on the British economy: there exist deep challenges that
Britain (and the UK as a whole) cannot but confront in the immediate future.
The first
challenge relates to the institution at the core of the Jubilee celebrations:
the monarchy. Queen Elizabeth has been a symbol of solidity and continuity in a
country that witnessed acute changes in the past seven decades. Yet the
monarchy was not immune from change.
Many
commentators focus on the scandals. Some repeatedly talk about the Princess
Diana effect: the bridge she created between the royalty and the middle and
lower segments of the British society — which indeed has had a major impact on
how the family has come to see its positioning in society.
But the change
has been much deeper. Perhaps as a result of the explosion of communications,
and the major weakening of controlled mass media in favor of niche fragmented
social media, the royalty has come under glaring light and scrutiny. The
exposure revealed what typically (a few decades ago) would have been hidden.
The important change, however, was that the exposure stripped the institution
of the monarchy of the mystique that had surrounded it for centuries.
Queen
Elizabeth’s intuitive wisdom has proven extremely valuable in retaining immense
respect for herself and a warm place in the hearts of the vast majority of
Britons. Yet herein lies the major challenge facing the next British monarch:
how to retain for the monarchy traces of that mystique that has been gradually
diluted, at a time when the ways that had built and sustained that mystique
have almost disappeared.
The second
challenge concerns another major institution, the Church. The Anglican Church
is arguably one of the most progressive religious institutions in the world.
Its ability to evolve its theology to suit modern times, and particularly
modern Britain’s ultra-liberal values, has demonstrated creativity and
flexibility.
However, this
flexibility has strongly antagonized some social groups — which are
demographically old and increasingly small, but that are economically powerful.
Importantly, this flexibility has diluted the Church’s traditionally prime
position in the Anglican world.
The third
challenge lies in Britain’s global position. With its special relationship with
the US, Britain is fully aligned with America in its unfolding strategic
confrontation with China. But whereas this alignment with America was largely
cost-free in the past decade, it will now entail serious costs as both the US
and China are acting increasingly assertively vis a vis the other. The cost
will not only be in terms of trade with China, but also in terms of the
military, political, and economic burdens that come with challenging a dragon.
The dragon’s
memories of Britain are particularly problematic. Whether because of trade
capitulations in the 19 century, the Opium war that followed that, or what
China conceives to be the breaking of its Mandate of Heaven (China’s view of
itself as an elevated, almost celestial civilization), China sees the British
empire as the prime player that had started what China calls its age of
humiliation. This might seem like old history — but history is key to
understanding China, and that history puts Britain under the dragon’s gaze.
Self-doubt is the last thing Britain needs after she had decided to be on her own, out and away from the EU. Internally, self-doubt could encourage voices in Scotland and Ireland that are raising questions about the rationale of their existence within the UK.
The fourth
challenge facing Britain stems from its socio-economic success in the past four
decades. Irrespective of the views about the policies of Margret Thatcher and
New Labor (under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown), the fact is that Britain in that
period has enjoyed an upward economic trajectory. Quality of life across most
of the UK has risen in the past 40 years. Britain has moved from being a
country with repeated financial crises (that once led her to resort to the
International Monetary Fund) to one of the most powerful, successful, and
crucially competitive economies in the world.
Importantly, the British economy competes at the
forefront of the industries that are shaping the future, such as
bio-engineering, advanced physics, and artificial intelligence. Britain has
also successfully leveraged on the preeminence of the English language globally
to have a share of the international information and entertainment market,
which is disproportionate to the size of the British economy.
Yet, that
success has generated a corresponding set of problems. We are increasingly
seeing both decadence in certain parts of Britain compared to rising dependency
on the state in many other parts. There are shocking levels of underdevelopment
in different regions, which relate to major inequality between the south-east
and pockets of richness in the midlands versus the rest of the country.
Notably, the major differences and inequality contribute to an increasingly
notable sense of distrust that goes beyond a select of politicians.
This leads us to
the fifth challenge. Britain has, for over four centuries (since the reign of
Elizabeth I), always operated in the world from a standpoint of extreme
confidence, almost a conviction that Britain will always ultimately prevail.
The traditional subtlety of the English upper classes and Victorian mannerisms
have usually veiled that deep-seated conviction. But observers of Britain, and
particularly of England, know that the belief in British values, institutions,
the system of government, quality of governance, and way of living, have, over
centuries, endowed Britain with the ability to take on mighty challenges and
pursue grand objectives.
The challenge here is that all of these factors have
been dealt repeated blows in the past two decades. Britain-watchers now look
with bewilderment at several elements and features of British politics. Yet,
the key point here is not what outsiders think. It is that distrust, combined
with a sense of skepticism and self-doubt, that are all increasingly
discernible in Britain, and within the institutions that have for centuries
formed the backbone of British power.
Self-doubt is
the last thing Britain needs after she had decided to be on her own, out and
away from the EU. Internally, self-doubt could encourage voices in Scotland and
northern Ireland that are raising questions about the rationale of their
existence within the UK.
History teaches
that no one must underestimate Britain. She is the inheritor of arguably the
most remarkable empire in human history.
However, as
Britain rightly celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee this year,
lovers of Britain ought to highlight the serious challenges that the country
must confront, such that the future becomes just as worthy of celebration as
the past.
This article was previously published on Al-Ahram
online.
Read more Opinion and Analysis
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
