The event is specifically designed to showcase the ceremonial grandeur of political power in order to “excite and preserve the reverence of the population,” as put by Walter Bagehot, the 19th-century writer whose ideas have shaped British democracy.
Dating back to the 15th century, these rites and rituals are the only occasion that brings together the three elements of Parliament: the democratically elected lawmakers of the House of Commons, the unelected House of Lords, and the Crown. It is also an embodiment of the at times violent transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy that helped create the modern United Kingdom.
Starmer’s predicament is not entirely without precedent: the king’s speech went ahead in 1924 despite the widespread understanding that Stanley Baldwin would not be in the job for long. However, Baldwin’s Conservatives were in a far weaker position, having failed to win a majority at the recent election.
Starmer by contrast looks imperious on paper, with an overwhelming parliamentary majority and no way for opponents to challenge him until 2029.
Nonetheless, on Wednesday the king was “entering a Parliament that is febrile,” Prescott said. “The politics of all this is a bit too close for comfort.”
The day started with security measures both real and melodramatic.
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