Monarchy a key ingredient in the strength and stability of the UK
A J CLARENCE (Letters, August 12) seems to be part of the small but vocal band of citizens who wish to speak out against the name of the new hospital in Glasgow incorporating the name of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth (Letters, August 12). I hope there are not too many reds under the hospital beds. Some people seem to me to hold the view that the hospital should have been named after the janitor.
I feel the logic of the thinking illustrated in the letter is obsolete as it contains the claim that “the age of kings and queens is over-see real world for details”. There appears a significant underestimation of the value of the hard-won stability the people of this country now enjoy. In reference to the real world, perhaps if AJ Clarence were to be on board a flimsy boat in the Mediterranean fleeing from a civil-war-torn middle eastern country or dictatorship they would review any subversion of how the UK works, as it does so successfully. Perhaps then try desperately to climb on to a U-bound lorry at Calais, it may change any misguided attitude of discontentment with the permanence of our monarchy as a key ingredient in the strength and stability of the UK.
The fact that we the people, at various intervals, put someone on the throne to represent the state – but who did not ask to be on it – is surely the secret of the success of our constitutional monarchy. Kings and queens are politically neutral and therefore remain above the often dirty world of party politics and whims of fickle voters. The United States is currently considering if their head of state should be Donald Trump. Is that an enviable situation? I expect that there are some republicans in our own country who would doubtless be overjoyed if Jeremy Corbyn was our head of state.
I only hope that the new hospital can, in time, live up to the name of Queen Elizabeth and that she does not have cause to regret allowing it to be associated with it or the City of Glasgow. Bill Brown, 46 Breadie Drive, Milngavie.