‘Jubilee pageantry cannot repair UK’s sinking reputation after Brexit’

ENJOYING THE MOMENT: The Queen, with, from left, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Prince Charles; Prince Louis; Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; and Princess Charlotte, as the Red Arrows fly over Buckingham Palace for the Platinum Jubilee

The Accidental Diplomat, a column by Paul Knott

Post-Brexit Britain and the Jubilee

Living on the continent as I do, people back home sometimes ask me what Europeans think of Britain these days. The bad news for the UK is that they mostly do not think of it at all – even in Jubilee week.

In the eyes of many in Europe, post-Brexit Britain has marginalised itself and become less relevant. The facts of geography ensure Britain remains part of Europe. But on the important issues facing the continent, its views are now well down the list of those taken into account. That is quite a comedown for a small island with a world-conquering history, which was long used to having an outsized influence on the international events that impact its security and prosperity.

What passes for the good news is that there is very little anger in Europe towards Britain, despite the disruption Brexit caused and the endless stream of insults thrown across the Channel by recent British governments. When Europeans do pay attention to Britain, the general tone now is one of puzzlement and sorrow about what is happening to a place many of them have always liked and respected.

CELEBRATION: A Platinum Jubilee street party in Victoria Avenue, Hull

In this sense, the long-standing, positive stereotypes about Britain as a sensible and honest place with a strong sense of fairness now work against it. Certainly, they have increased Europeans’ astonishment at Britain selecting such an obviously disreputable individual as Boris Johnson as its leader.

This bafflement is widely shared across the political spectrum. Not everyone in Europe loves the EU either. But even some of the sceptical minority are bemused as to why Britain left without a workable plan for what happened next. Or why it is now trashing its reputation by trying to rip up agreements it has only just signed.

This is particularly true in Switzerland, where I live. For its own unique, historic and cultural reasons, mountainous Switzerland has an isolationist streak. It has always been reluctant to participate in international organisations and has never joined the EU (although its equally strong pragmatic instincts, particularly where money and its economy are concerned, mean that it is included in many of the EU’s main initiatives, such as freedom of movement and close trading arrangements). But as a nation that never lacks a detailed plan and respect for the rules to implement it, even the standalone Swiss are surprised by Britain’s reckless turn.

MULTITUDE: A sea of people on The Mall

Thankfully, on a personal level, most Europeans are more than capable of putting politics aside and distinguishing between the actions of governments and the individual people they meet. Britons are still as warmly received as anyone else. Many aspects of British culture, particularly music and sport, continue to be popular across the continent and probably always will be.

This interest in Britishness sometimes includes the Royal Family. Although several other European countries, such as Belgium, Sweden and Spain, still have their royals too, none maintain the full-on pomp and pageantry of the British monarchy. This spectacle and the soap opera that surrounds the members of the House of Windsor make it a subject of fascination for a few folks.

Now that the Jubilee is upon us, there has also been an uptick in the previously minimal coverage by the European media. Most of this has focused soberly on the Queen’s longevity, and the remarkable size and cost of the celebrations. Some European commentators have speculated on whether this will be the last British royal event on this scale, noting that her designated successor is less popular with the public.

Union Flags in Victoria Avenue

Europe, after all, is a continent in which most countries chose long ago to eliminate their monarchies, or at least limit them to being low key and modestly funded constitutional conveniences. Whilst it is hard to imagine Prince Charles and Camilla tootling around town on bicycles like their Danish counterparts, these European observers may be right in foreseeing a decline in status for the British monarchy once the Queen departs the scene. This would be in keeping with the trajectory the whole country is currently on in the eyes of much of the world.

The Jubilee is prompting a brief boost in the attention Europeans are paying to Britain. But it will exert no lasting influence.  Strikingly, almost no-one in Europe thinks Britain’s monarchy and current political system offer an example to follow. A generally higher sense than in Britain of the dangers and undesirability of extreme socio-economic inequality may well be one reason for this. It is certainly difficult to picture many, if any, other European countries spending so much money on an event like the Jubilee at a time when food bank use and child poverty is exploding.

Consequently, some Europeans will watch the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations with interest, but not even the keenest fans would dream of paying to have something similar themselves.