I need to comment on the death of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. I am a supporter of the Monarchy and value the existence of a traditional institution that, in being outside of political competition, choice, and contention, can serve as a symbol of national unity and community. Cue criticisms of how this is a myth and how the Monarchy, in fact, serves a political function. I am aware of this. My argument back is that not everything is to be brought into the realm of political controversy and contention and that there is great value in an enabling, unifying tradition. As modern institutions continue to eat themselves, there is value in a long, conservative institution, tradition, and culture and the stability, continuity, and familiarity it brings in times in which everything has been rendered contentious, malleable, and subject to change. It is impossible to live in the midst of an endless revolution that is incapable of fulfilment.
But it is really time to put these arguments to one side and express commiseration at the death of Prince Philip. It is as simple as that. Or it ought to be. Reading responses on social media to the death of the Duke of Edinburgh I am left wondering where basic decency left an awful lot of people, and when it may return. It is perplexing to see this collapse of human standards in this, the most materially privileged society in history. I select this article from the Socialist Workers Party as one of many examples. There is no basic human empathy, no commiseration, only the destruction and dehumanisation of someone not even cold in the grave. That indicates a society that is in deep trouble. In the culture wars, the inhuman are taking over, destroying an older – and more decent, more humane – set of standards.
Is this how the SWP think socialism will triumph? It presents a highly selective chronology of Prince Philip’s life to portray him in the worst possible light. It’s a cheap tactic, the kind of thing that puts politics in the bad odour it is in with most people. It incites and radicalises activists and party cadre, of course, inflames and outrages in the cause of making recruits. But it is infantile and is incapable of constituting a serious politics capable of securing its ends. In implying that Prince Philip was a Nazi – his sisters, it claims, married Nazis - it misses out the war years and his distinguished naval record fighting the Nazis. Grown up stuff, then, which is a whole lot more than most of this crowd have ever managed. They are big on anti-racist, anti-Nazi slogans, and on accusing one and all who disagree with them – which is most people - of racism. They are not merely useless when it comes to actually constituting an effective public, they are counter-productive. A rag-tag-and-bobtail engaged in permanent protest, dividing people, inciting fear and hatred, and feeding off the divisions. Truth be told, that is how politics of all kinds operates these days.
I know the Socialist Workers Party – family members were members of the party for years, and I also knew many members, who would take me to their meetings and ask me to join. What really hacks me off about all these vicious mouthed socialists pouring scorn and vitriol is that their proletarian "up the workers" voice is fake to the core - they have zero connection with working class communities and would sell nearly all of their newspapers to students, whom they seek to radicalize at a young age. They are parasites on crisis and concern. People like this make it well-nigh impossible for people like me to make the case for socialism. They seek to mould people to their image of the working class as class conscious revolutionary proletarians. Anyone with organic roots in the working class could tell you in an instant that this is an idealised image drawn from socialist manifestos. Working class people are actually concerned with mundane things like family, community, tradition, local culture, even faith, all of the things that the Left disdain and seek to deconstruct and destroy. There is no mystery why socialism in this form is always short of numbers. For all of the slogans concerning democracy and ‘the people,’ the activists impress only themselves and turn off everyone else.
It has been depressing day on anti-social media, confirming to me what a cess pit it is. There are an awful lot of nasty, peevish people in the world. Not in the world at large, I hasten to add, but in the activists’ world of politics. And it is far from being socialists and leftists. I found words along the lines above from liberals, greens, and humanists, even a couple of philosophers with high standing reputations. And this all on my own friends page! I despair of this crowd, I really do. This is the alternative to the status quo? It comes as a relief to learn that most people are wise enough to give them a wide berth. Their lack of self-awareness is staggering. They talk big on democracy as against monarchy, and fail completely to see that they don’t have ‘the people’ with them. In fact, the great public are constantly against them. It never seems to strike them that the reasons they are not striking a popular chord has nothing to do with ‘false consciousness’ and everything to do with being plain wrong.
They are political naifs, waxing lyrical about the elective principle and arguing for democracy, as if they ever command anything that looks remotely like a majority at any election. In recent years, they have been getting hammered election after election, commanding the support of the tiniest number of people. It's the same mentality that is at work behind the demand for citizen assemblies, people who seek to bypass elected chambers on account of the fact every time they stand for election they receive next to no votes. They know it, and yet still claim to speak for the people and democracy. It is an infantilism in politics and will prove lethal for socialism – for the very reason it puts ‘ordinary’ people off in droves. Rootless and fruitless, they attract next to no interest in the working class. I should know. From within a solid working class community, I warned years ago that the Red Walls will fall. Once that loyalty and solidarity dissolves, it will not be reconstituted. Return will come only by way of desperation at the political alternatives.
If this is socialism, then I am a monarchist. And if it comes to democracy, I will guarantee that more people will be on my side than on the side of such peevish, hate-filled, inhuman bigots who put resentment and retribution in place of reconciliation.
It is all politics now, everything is political and no one exists as a basic human being, only as a political being with a political identity. In this highly politicized world, anyone who isn’t for ‘us’ is against us and to be condemned as such – vilified, demonized, and dehumanized.
As for Prince Philip, I shall pay my own tribute.
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, passed away at Windsor Castle today, Friday 9 April, 2021 at the age of 99. He was, arguably, the greatest consort in the history of the British monarchy. The Queen described Prince Philip as her "strength and stay" during her record-breaking reign.
The palace said in a statement: "It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
"His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle."
The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.
The Duke was last seen in public in July 2020, when, despite his advanced years, he returned, briefly, to royal duties to hand over his role as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles.
The Duke left strict isolation at Windsor Castle to be honoured by one of his oldest military ties after 67 years of service, accepting thanks and touching good wishes of “fair winds and following seas”.
He was also pictured later than month at Princess Beatrice's wedding, being photographed alongside the Queen for his 99th birthday in June.
The last official photograph was released last November, when the Duke was pictured sitting alongside the Queen at Windsor Castle, both admiring a homemade card made by their great grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, ahead of their 73rd wedding anniversary.
Since March 2020, the Duke had been living in strict isolation at Windsor, as a lockdown precaution against Covid-19. This allowed the Duke and Her Majesty to spend those last few months together in each other’s company.
Whilst a royal ceremonial funeral with full military honours would have been expected to take place in 10 days' time, coronavirus restrictions will undoubtedly alter those arrangements.
The Duke specified that he wanted a "low key" funeral at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, where he will also be interred.
His death comes after years of remarkable stamina, in which the Duke undertook more public engagements than much younger senior Royals. In 2016, for instance, the Duke carried out official meetings and visits on 110 days in the year. He remained patron or president of around 800 organisations and continued to take an active interest in his Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.
At the time of his 90th birthday, he had declared that he intended to cut back on his public duties, but remained a stalwart presence at a range of engagements throughout Britain.
In May 2017, the Palace announced that the Duke would be stepping back from official duties from the autumn. He hoped to remain engaged with his favourite causes, free from the pressure of regular public appearances. After a series of public appearances, in which he appeared to be in fine fettle (Trooping the Colour and Royal Ascot), he was hospitalised again for two nights in June. Aides declared him to be in “good spirits.”
Thanks to healthy eating and a regimen of daily exercise he learned in the military, the Duke retained his lean figure throughout his life. Following a successful hip replacement operation and a rumoured broken rib in 2018, he celebrated the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel in May, clearly delighted at his grandson’s happiness, welcoming and optimistic for the future.
When asked about his reputation for not suffering fools gladly, he once grinned broadly and replied: “I have suffered fools with patience”.
There are many tributes being paid. Her Majesty’s own tribute came in a speech celebrating their golden wedding anniversary in 1997, where the Queen described her husband as "someone who doesn't take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I and his whole family, in this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim or we shall ever know.”
On Christmas Day 2017, shortly after his retirement, Her Majesty paid further tribute to his “support and unique sense of humour”.
The death of the Duke of Edinburgh has brought the return of an almost forgotten ‘normalcy’ to the world. The diet of constant, incessant social media commentary on everything in the lockdowns has taken away the time and space for reflection. High speed opinion on contentious issues – and a public life reduced to endless contention - exhausts compassion and turns people against one another. Now, if only for a few days, we can pause and take stock of where we are and who we still are, beyond controversies over malleable, pliable, manipulable identities. For those who have been unable to mourn deaths in their own family, this may be the pathway to join with in a more public sense of loss. Here is the opportunity to restore national unity and community, bringing closure at many different levels. But I doubt it. There are people with a vested interest in opening and widening divisions and undermining unity, as part of a strategy of restructuring power in their favour.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said today:
"I join with the rest of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in mourning the loss of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, and give thanks to God for his extraordinary life of dedicated service. Prince Philip continually demonstrated his unfailing support and unstinting loyalty to Her Majesty The Queen for 73 years.
"He consistently put the interests of others ahead of his own and, in so doing, provided an outstanding example of Christian service. During his naval career, in which he served with distinction in the Second World War, he won the respect of his peers as an outstanding officer.
"On the occasions when I met him, I was always struck by his obvious joy at life, his enquiring mind and his ability to communicate to people from every background and walk of life. He was a master at putting people at their ease and making them feel special.
"The legacy he leaves is enormous. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, which he founded in 1956, has inspired generations of young people to help others and instilled in them a vision for citizenship and a desire to serve their communities. His work with countless charities and organisations reflected his wide- ranging, global interests in topics including wildlife, sport, design, engineering and inter-faith dialogue.
"In his powerful advocacy for conservation his was a prophetic voice for over half a century, as he brought people from around the world to a new concern and commitment to action for the future of our planet.
"As we recover and rebuild after the terrible trial of the coronavirus pandemic, we will need fortitude and a deep sense of commitment to serving others. Throughout his life Prince Philip displayed those qualities in abundance, and I pray that we can take inspiration from his example.
"I also join many people in giving thanks for the marriage of Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip, and for their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Theirs was a marriage grounded in friendship and mutual respect and sustained by shared faith in Christ.
"I pray that God will comfort Her Majesty and the rest of the Royal Family at this time. May His Royal Highness rest in peace and rise in glory."
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