A Royal Salute to the Commonwealth

A royal salute to the Commonwealth The article “A royal salute to the Commonwealth” is written by Peter Osbourne, a British journalist and a political commentator. It reflects on the role of Commonwealth as being a better applicable organisation for England than NATO and the European Union in this modern and developing world, which promotes internationality and independence rather than superiority of one dominating country. Peter Osbournes views Commonwealth as an organisation, which has been underestimated for its possibilities over the years.

This is reflected from following quote: “For many years it has been automatic in progressive circles to sneer at the Commonwealth as a meaningless relic of our imperial past. ” line 20 page 6. He holds the opinion that New Labours visions have been blurred by their fascination of the United States and the European Union. His disapproval of Gordon Brown and Tony Blairs opinion is clearly presented in following quote: “(…)it is Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s poodle-like relationship with the United States, and the former slavish worship of the European Union, that now looks out of date(… )“ line 28-30 page 7.

From the quote above he presents the leader figures of the Labour party as being very unprofessional. Also he emphasizes that Commonwealth has a better practical stand than organisations such as NATO and the European Union by contrasting the advantages of Commonwealth with the flaws of NATO and EU. On a practical base Commonwealth is cheaper to run, whereas the cost of membership in EU is incomparably high. Another positive factor about Commonwealth is that about two billion people, more than half of these being under the age of 25, live in Commonwealth countries.

This also allows a great diversity to be represented, now that the Commonwealth countries are to be found in every continent of the world. Although Peter Osbourne does recognize that Commonwealths administration is not as powerful as the European Union, he is able to argue why this also could be an advantageous factor in the present world. Subjectively, he highlights the down going tendency of the world being organized and ruled by one or two dominating superpowers. Here he refers to the United States and the European Union.

He believes that a modern stand of world organisation implies more equality and independence divided internationally, and thinks that having an alfa-country to be in charge is an out-dated structure to work after. Peter Osbourne also writes about which ways the Commonwealth acts in contrast to the neo-Conservatives. They both work to enlarge the significance of values such as democracy and humanity in the society, but Osbourne believes that they tackle the promotion of the values differently. It is interesting to look at the words, he uses in the following quote.

It tells a lot about how he feels that Commonwealth stands out in a positive way: “But unlike the neo-Conservatives, it (Commonwealth, edited) does not try to promote these values through invasion. It uses quiet diplomacy and gentle pressure. ” line 46-47 page 7. There is no doubt that throughout the entire article Peter Osbourne presents Commonwealth subjectively for its advantage. The quote above in particular shows, how he uses emotional words such as gentle and quiet to convince the reader of the numerous benefits of Commonwealth.

To describe the political leaders of Britain over the past decades he uses the words hostile and blind (see line 76 page 8). He criticizes them for leading Britain in the wrong direction by accepting the membership of the European Union. He feels that this has been a loss for England, because it opposes the acknowledgement of the great values of what Commonwealth implies. Another way he is able to promote Commonwealth is to put down other organisations similar to it. This makes Commonwealth stand out as a superior alternative to the other organizations.

To begin with Peter Osbourne wants to touch the reader by presenting the scene when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Canada in order to participate in Canada’s National War Memorial. This extract also shows his subjective use of words to advertise for the benefit of Commonwealth: “a visit to Canada’s National War Memorial was a poignant reminder that Canadian troops had served alongside the British in the two great world wars of the last century. ” line 4-6 page 6.

It can be interpreted as if Peter Osbourne wants the reader to feel that the Royal family, the representing faces of Commonwealth, wants to show their appreciation and acknowledgement for Canada’s help in the wars. This gives the reader an impression of the Royal family for being respectful, down to earth and humane. The only concern Peter Osbourne has about Commonwealth is what its future would hold when the Queens is no more. He hopes that the Duke and Duchess will walk in the Queens footsteps, as she traditionally is the face outwardly.

She symbolizes Commonwealths unity between the former countries, which used to be under the British Empire. At this point Peter Osbourne reflects on developing the Commonwealth organisation, so the headquarter no longer is bound to being based in London. Apart from practical reasons, Peter Osbourne also writes about how this will eliminate the possibility of accusations of Britain trying to relive their imperious role, they had earlier. Osbourne suggests India as the new base because of its endless opportunities and great potential.

Peter Osbourne sees The United States as England’s enemy, which can be interpreted from following quote: “They are guaranteed a warm reception, but for the wrong reasons. They will be feted as celebrities, not welcomed as members of a family of nations with which we have common values)” line 96-98 page 8. There is no doubt, that from Peter Osbournes perspective a bright future for England would be based on a radical promotion of Commonwealth, a progress of its power and last but not least an out phasing of the influence of the United States and the European Union.