The political divisions between the right and left groups and the supporters and opponents of Brexit will increase after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Will Britain enter a period of temporary chaos after the death of Queen Elizabeth II?
Left and right political wings
Today “left-wing” and “right-wing” refer to liberals and conservatives, respectively. But they originally referred to the physical seating arrangements of politicians during the French Revolution. The split dates to the summer of 1789. Members of the French National Assembly met to begin drafting a constitution. The representatives were deeply divided over the issue of how much authority King Louis XVI should have. The anti-royalist revolutionaries seated themselves to the presiding officer’s left. The more conservative, aristocratic supporters of the monarchy gathered to the right.
By the mid-19th century, “left” and “right” had entered the French vernacular as shorthand for opposing political ideologies. Political parties even began self-identifying as “center-left,” “center-right,” “extreme left” and “extreme right.” France’s “left” and “right” labels filtered out to the rest of the world during the 1800s. But they weren’t common in English-speaking countries until the early 20th century (History Stories). Therefore, in the UK, “right-wing” refers to the conservatives, and “left-wing” refers to the opposition.
Charles’ vs Queen’s popularity for left and right wings
The Queen was famous across the political divide. On the contrary, opinion-splitting Charles poses questions for the monarchy’s future. MPs of all political persuasions publicly celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. But support for Charles seems more divided. Elizabeth II received near-universal support from voters across the spectrum of left and right wings. She even received a high positivity rating from Labour supporters, who are less likely to be pro-Royal overall. But Charles, who becomes King after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, does not enjoy universal respect. Charles draws significantly more support from Conservative voters (Politics Home). Therefore, Charles may not be very popular among left-wing political parties.
Through tragedy and tumult, Queen Elizabeth II was a model of constancy. Her death will have significant repercussions for the monarchy and the future of the United Kingdom (Foreign Policy). The country’s stability has significantly to the Queen’s presence at its heart (WSWS). Charles has often struggled to contain his passion for his work. He has been expressing his hopes and fears during speeches over the years. King Charles has often sounded more like a campaigner than a constitutional monarch-in-waiting. That prompted accusations that he was threatening the independence and impartiality of the monarchy (CNN). Therefore, Charles does not have popularity among all parties. Moreover, he is a threat to the independence and impartiality of the monarchy. Thus he may not be able to bring about stability in the country.
Queen’s view of Europe
As Le Monde says, the Queen seemed to recognize the existence of a link between peace and building up Europe. This is evident in her long-standing pro-European convictions, which allowed her to be perfectly consistent in a most heated debate. As early as 1948, during a visit to Paris, the princess spoke of “a lesson to be drawn from the history of our two peoples.” In “a world so tragically shaken,” she said in French, “those who want to will find [in this history] the promise of a better future for Europe”.
In 1972, she described Europe as a “great enterprise” that would bring about “the alliance of our national geniuses.” In 1992, Elizabeth was more precise shortly after the Maastricht Treaty signing. She said, “In a world of instability (…), the European Community is a model of peace and progress.”
Queen’s view of Brexit
According to Foreign Policy, both sides of the Brexit debate sought desperately to claim that the Queen favoured their view on staying in or leaving the European Union. However, Elizabeth was ambiguous on the point.
“As we look for new answers in the modern age,” she said in 2019 when the exit details were a subject of much debate. Queen said: “I, for one, prefer the tried and tested recipes, like speaking well of each other and respecting different points of view, coming together to seek out the common ground, and never losing sight of the bigger picture.”
Vigorous deconstruction of the remarks followed. However, neither faction could convincingly claim her support. She hated the nationwide rancour and division the issue had caused.
In the same line, Le Monde says, the Queen spoke less frequently on Brexit. She avoided the topic as it stirred up British political life. In the run-up to the 2016 referendum, each side of the debate waited for a “little word” from the Queen that could make the difference. Three months before the vote, a headline in the tabloid The Sun announced, “The Queen Backs Brexit“. They told it based on old, controversial statements. However, Buckingham rejected the “unfounded claims.”
Final remark
Above the political clashes, the Queen stood not for what the nation fought over but for what it agreed upon. She wanted to understand the lives and struggles of her people. This is what Keir Starmer, Leader of the UK Labour Party, says about the Queen (Labor website). The question now is what the death of Queen Elizabeth II means for the British monarchy. Subjects that have been politely put off for years. This has been out of personal respect for Elizabeth. Such matters will now be reopened (Foreign Policy). Therefore, some suggest the British monarchy may lose relevancy and appeal after the death of Queen Elizabeth II (TRTWorld).
To sum up, Queen Elizabeth II played a crucial role in uniting political wings in the UK throughout her reign. Britain may enter a period of temporary chaos after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
