About episodes

Even the most convinced Republican has to admit that the death of Queen Elizabeth and the succession of King Charles was a memorable event. And, since it gave Brit one ceremonial finger and she grabbed both of his hands, so it would take quite some time. Nice, isn’t it, all that symbolism? Except that Charles might lose the remnants of the British Empire, which Elizabeth managed to frantically defend.

Farewells have already begun in the region and the Commonwealth. Elizabeth lost 17 Commonwealth countries leaving the monarchy, the last of which was Barbados. There are 14 remaining, three of which, Jamaica, Belize and Antigua, have concrete plans for say goodbye to the royal family. But also large countries, such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, have had enough of a London head of state, represented by a governor-general. What kept all those nations in the kingdom for decades was Elizabeth’s popularity. That didn’t mean they were against Charles, but it wasn’t the special sympathy his mother enjoyed. And the time was drawing near to sever ties with London. Is it important? Not really, and certainly not for us, for example.

In Scotland, a bit of the opposite is happening, and that’s probably about us. England and Scotland are separate countries, which merged in 1707 into what has since been called Great Britain. From the start there was resistance, which resulted in protests and rebellions, partly because Scotland did not have its own parliament. In modern times there were referendums, in 1979 and in 1997, which did not lead to independence, but in 1999 the Scottish Parliament was established. Another independence referendum was held in 2014, again without success, and another popular vote will be held next October.

What is clear, and even more so now, is the Scots’ close ties to the royal family. This gives, as the Washington Post wrote, a contradictory images. Of course it is possible that Scotland really wanted independence, but wanted to maintain the monarchy. The royal castle of Balmoral, which Elizabeth loved, and Charles, with its frock – all befitting of the Scots. So they wanted some kind of Commonwealth construction. But they have become increasingly alienated from British politics, especially since Brexit, and the desire to return to the EU is considerable. Scotland may have to go through an application procedure for this, with dire consequences. The British Empire would then cease to exist, but that’s the British problem. EU enlargement, on the other hand, is a Brussels problem, and therefore a Dutch problem as well. Whiskey without import duty – good prospects.