The Queen's Speech
A lesson in fundamental politics by Queen Elizabeth II
On April 5, 2020, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issued an official message to the British people via the BBC. The world had just been turned upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic, with millions of people confined to their homes while others were on the front lines, amidst widespread uncertainty.
I found this speech quite interesting and made this little montage (see above), which was originally intended for a training session for public service agents.
The Queen’s simple and dignified speech struck me as a good example of what a political figure can say that is relevant in such a context.
She begins by acknowledging the situation and the challenge it represents, while showing confidence in the collective ability to overcome it: "if we remain united and resolute, we will overcome it".
She mobilizes the past to better address the future. She recalls her first radio address during the Second World War, another global crisis, far more deadly, during which the British demonstrated courage and resilience. She expresses her belief that the current generation will demonstrate the same qualities: "the pride in who we are is not a part of our past, it defines our present and our future.
In doing so, she is careful to mention everyone, those who work and those who are confined. She insists on the gestures of solidarity that are emerging everywhere, in the United Kingdom and throughout the world: "we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavor".
This speech is masterfully crafted, but it is nothing new. As a political act, it materializes a well-known anthropological phenomenon.
It is a tendency for human societies to set up a symbolic figure who will represent the group and speak for it, both externally and internally. Such are these Amazonian chiefs without any power over the inhabitants of their village but obliged to regularly produce speeches promoting togetherness and harmony1.
And that is precisely what Queen Elizabeth’s did on that day of 2020, harnessing television and the planetary networks of the Internet, when the mobilizing and unifying power of words was more necessary than ever.
To read and listen to the full original speech:
https://www.royal.uk/queens-broadcast-uk-and-commonwealth
By the way, the (superb) music I used on the video above was composed by Mark Isham for the film "Bobby" (Emilio Estevez, 2005) : an excellent composer for an excellent film, which also features great speeches, this time by Bobby Kennedy.
Pierre Clastres, “Society Against the State”, 1974 (in english : 1987), ch.2