Golden Memories?

[steepholm]

I've just heard a discussion on the radio about "What Jubilees mean to us and why they're so special", in which one of the participants said that he went to a street party this weekend in the same street he had lived in twenty-five years ago, when they celebrated the Silver Jubilee. No one corrected him, or pointed out that the Silver Jubilee was actually thirty-five years ago. In fact, I think the twenty-five figure may have been picked up by others.

I find this interesting, and odd. The celebrations in 1977 were certainly one of the big memories from my teenagehood, too, so I can see why they stuck in this man's mind, but the real question is - what about the Golden Jubilee, just ten years ago? I confess to having no memory of the occasion at all, which is perhaps not surprising given my politics, but even amongst my royalist friends, no one ever mentions it. As the radio speaker's telling lapse indicates, it seems to have been repressed from the national memory.

Was it a disaster? Did aliens swoop down and subject the nation to a mass probe? Or was the monarchy going through one of its phases of unpopularity, and we'd rather not think about it thank you very much?

Meanwhile, the relative lack of celebrations north of the border are being interpreted not in terms of any disenchantment with the monarchy, but rather as characteristic of the natural reserve of the Scottish people, whose love of the Queen, though no less fervent, does not show itself in bunting and overt celebration, but takes the more austere form of sitting down to watch the Eastenders omnibus.

Comments

[ashkitty.livejournal.com]

Around where I live it seems to take the form of 'going on and on about how the government is FORCING you to have fun, the offensiveness of the very idea of bunting, what traitors Plaid Cymru are for having endorsed a community street party and even (gasp!) some of the Plaid councillors making food for it, and making sure you go on at length about this ALL THE TIME and by no means just ignore it till it's over and go to the cinema or something and NEVER EVER SHUT UP.' It's actually really kind of annoying. I understand the ambivalence; I run itno it at 4th of July every year because I'm not a patriot but do like barbecues and fireworks and sometimes even enjoy getting caught up in the moment of a thing. And I'm a nationalist. But I'm also getting tired of hearing about it. :p

The Golden Jubilee was clearly front and centre in an episode of Doctor Who and everyone's had their memory wiped.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

What's the difference between a patriot and a nationalist, in this context?

[ashkitty.livejournal.com]

They're referring to different countries? Am more or less a Welsh nationalist, but not a patriotic American.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Oh, okay - I get you. That makes sense.

I actually do consider myself patriotic - and rather resent the conflation of "patriotism" with "royalism" that has been in such evidence these last few days. But I'm not sure about "nationalist", because - well, like the man said, "What ish my nation?"

[fjm.livejournal.com]

See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Jubilee_of_Elizabeth_II

It looks as if it was over shadowed by the death of the Queen Mother.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the Wiki page, but do you remember it?

[fjm.livejournal.com]

I remember the death of the Queen Mother, not the Jubilee. But I doubt I'll remember this one either. I only remember the death of Diana because we were expecting to watch the last episode of the Key to Time on UK Gold, and they pulled it, so we listened to Weekending instead and I said to Edward, "this sketch is in bad taste, and seems to be going on a long time".

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I remember Diana's death because I was stuck in Cambridge for the day with my infant son, and heard about it at the cafe where we were buying breakfast (my first thought was - who killed her?).

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

My first thought (on hearing that Diana was being pursued by paparazzi when she died, and remembering that she'd been on the front page of every tabloid for months) was, "Now they've killed the goose that lays the golden egg!"

But you're right, I can't remember a thing about the Golden Jubilee, though I remember the celebrations for the Silver one. Our daughter was a toddler at the time, but she got a mug, there was bunting around the town and the Welsh nationalists were making jokes about it being the "money" jubilee. "Silver" and "money" being the same word ("arian") in South Wales Welsh.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

I'd like to think that the Scots are simply disenchanted with the monarchy, but the fact that it is so emphatically happening in London may help. Perhaps if the Queen led a flotilla of ships up the Clyde, followed by a concert from Holyroodhouse, the Scots would be more excited?

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Yes, I do think that's quite possible. Like the Olympics, the Jubilee does seem very Londoncentric, and if I find that annoying I'm sure the Scots do even more.

The role of other places seems to be largely to set fire to things (bonfires, torches, etc) - because, you know, we've got the flints for it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I don't have any particular Golden Jubilee memories, but that was the year I was ill, so...

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I'm beginning to be convinced by my own conspiracy theory. That can't be right.

[aryky.livejournal.com]

I am not sure what to think about the fact that anecdotal evidence is now suggesting that I am the only person to remember the Golden Jubilee. . .? I was in Scotland at the time. My Scottish (and-English-but-studying-in-Scotland) friends were very scornful of the whole idea, and did not desire to participate in any way, but I remember that it did come up that they were scornful of the whole idea and did not desire to participate in any way. . . .

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if that counts as remembering the Jubilee or not! It's a kind of negative image, I suppose. Maybe everyone felt that way?

[splanky.livejournal.com]

While I wasn't in England for the actual golden jubilee weekend I do remember lots of gold London cabs when I passed through that year.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Does that count as remembering the Jubilee? I'm not sure...

[splanky.livejournal.com]

Perhaps more secondary evidence that it did happen than actually remembering it!

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Golden taxis can be faked...

[splanky.livejournal.com]

I must say that it did not occur to me at the time that I was looking at fake gold taxis! :-)

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Foil-covered chocolate, every one of them.

[splanky.livejournal.com]

*drools*

If only I'd known!

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I don't get very excited about Jubilees, though I remember my mother decided the appropriate thing to do in 1977 was the Ridgeway Walk (it rained a lot and we didn't finish it). But I do remember Tony Blair being accused of hijacking the Golden Jubilee because he made a speech at a big dinner in the Queen's honour expressing personal affection for her ("Ma'am"); I think the royalists felt that he was overplaying "I saved the monarchy by persuading her to address the nation post-Diana".

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I've talked about this quite a lot with quite a lot of people over the last few weeks. Personally, I can't remember a single thing about the Golden Jubilee, and almost everyone else I've spoken to says the same. The only exception was one colleague who claimed to remember it well, but when pressed, admitted that the only thing he actually remembered was Brian May playing on the Palace roof.

I expect Brian May fits into your conspiracy theory somehow. Was his guitar the antenna that drew in the alien invaders? Or did the aliens take one look at him and think, "Um, well, on second thoughts, let's not invade. Just wipe everyone's minds and go and invade somewhere else."

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I do remember Brian May, but I'd forgotten it was anything to do with the Golden Jubilee. I think I'd somehow bracketed him in my mind as a cross between Michael Fagan and the Beatles on the roof of the Apple building.

[sheenaghpugh]

I recall going into the country the day of the silver bash to get away from it. I don't recall a thing about the golden one. According to wikipedia it was a great success and lots of people celebrated but I never came across any of them. Mind you, I was working in a university so more or less everyone I knew was anti-establishment. I certainly don't recall there being nothing else on TV, as is the case this time.

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

I look forward to the end of the day and everything returns back to normal

[joyeuce]

I sang in the Prom at the Palace for the Golden Jubilee, and remember that very well - it was great fun (and we got fantastic food). I also remember having a picnic with friends in Hyde Park in order to watch the Party at the Palace on a big screen, but have no memory of that concert, just of the picnic and the awful job we had getting home. Both concerts were on TV; I still have a recording of the Prom.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Aha - that's more like it! I may have to put my alien probe theory on hold.

[joyeuce]

Pity, it was a nice theory. Maybe the covering of the stage repelled the alien forces?

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

No, can't remember it åT ALL. Evidently aliens have eaten my brain.

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

I remember the Silver Jubilee, because a friend's father gave me commemorative stamps.

No such kindly benefactor gave me Golden Jubilee stamps.