Twelve Tory quotes in support of our monarchy
by Paul Goodman
For obvious reasons, we interrupt our normal service today for something completely different.
So here are the quotes. As it happens, not all of them come from Conservatives. Indeed, one or two or them aren't conservative at all. But they all help to demonstrate what's obvious to our readers: namely, that our monarchy's indispensable to Britain, and that the Queen is a Jolly Good Fellow.
"It's all to do with the training: you can do a lot if you're properly trained." - Queen Elizabeth II
"Honour all [men]. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king." 1 Peter 2:17
"Those who imagine that a politician would make a better figurehead than a hereditary monarch might perhaps make the acquaintance of more politicians." - Margaret Thatcher
"According to the UN, seven of the top 10 countries in the world in terms of quality of life are constitutional monarchies." - Philip Blond
"The tendency of an advanced civilization is in truth monarchy." - Benjamin Disraeli
"It becomes banal and silly to rail against [the monarchy]. Just being rude, as you get older, you think, oh, it's infantile." - Helen Mirren
"The best reason why Monarchy is a strong government is that it is an intelligible government. The mass of mankind understand it, and they hardly anywhere in the world understand any other." - William Bagehot
"Anyone who has walked through the deserted palaces of Versailles or Vienna realise how much of a part of the life of a nation is lost when a monarchy is abolished. If buckingham palace and windsor castle were transformed into museums, if one politician competed against another for president of the republic, Britain would be a sadder and less interesting place. Our politicians are not men such as could challenge more than a thousand years of history." - William Rees-Mogg
"On a remote island in the South Pacific, villagers are counting the days until they welcome their god back to his rightful home. The people of Yaohnanen on the island of Tanna believe a man descended from one of their spirit ancestors will return next month to live among them. While he was away he lived in a vast palace, but when he comes home he will sleep in a hut and hunt wild pigs with his tribe. The man they are waiting for is the Duke of Edinburgh and they claim he promised them more than 30 years ago that he would return on June 10, his 89th birthday, to Tanna, which is part of the nation of Vanuatu." - Daily Telegraph
"Almost everyone else in public life is visibly keen to get on, trying to survive, trying to be promoted, trying to kick aside rivals, trying to accumulate power, honours and money. It is important to have at least one person at the top who doesn't really want to be there." - Charles Moore
"It is obvious I shall have to abandon my hopes of getting the Queen's head off the stamps." - Tony Benn
Finally, best wishes to the Happy Couple.
And (all together now)...
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