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Op-ed in the Times of London 15th September
_{Let's hope the the darkest hour comes before the dawn}

The loss of Prince Harold and now HM The Queen contribute to the deep sense of gloom, felt even before these events for our nation. With victory in India and Burma, Britain should be on a high, but the cost in treasure and blood of that war cannot be made up for with parades or medals. Inflation, fuel costs, a continuing housing crises and proposed strikes continue this sense of darkness.

We are utterly spent.

When The Queen was born, the British Empire still held sway over more than a quarter of the globe. The sun never set, the Navy ruled the waves. As she passes, the last vestiges of that Empire continue to consider their relationship with Britain, Fiji just the latest and almost certainly going to declare independence after the upcoming election. Globalisation, geography and decline mean that the generational memory of commonwealth continues to wane.

What the ordinary Briton got from that Imperial toil has never been clear; some nice buildings, trinkets in museums, a railway network that has not been maintained since by the looks of it, some nice statues?

We are also, of course, still expected three generations since to reckon with the excesses and sins of our ruling class. These are undeniable facts, the record is clear. Although why other Empires don’t seem to be held to the same level of scrutiny will always be an unanswered question.

As the queen’s death was announced, rainbows hung over both Windsor and Buckingham Palace. Let’s hope they herald better days ahead.