Diamond Jubilee

As many of you will be aware, regardless of what country you live in; this weekend is the Queens diamond Jubilee.

This is a celebration to celebrate 60 years on the throne for the Queen of England, Elizabeth II. I am not interested at looking at her 60 year reign, I want to explore the festivity as an entity. In England, we are having a 4 day weekend in celebration, with what is effectively a 'double bank holiday'....but is this really necessary?

I am a fan of the monarchy and feel it is justified to celebrate such a momentous occasion, but 4 days seems to be a bit excessive. In my village, as I'm sure in most other locations around the UK, there is a street party which has become the conventional way to celebrate monarch related holidays such as coronations and jubilees. What i find amazing, is how much preparation and alteration there has been for this single event; hundreds of roads will be closed and thousands of shops will be closed.

i spoke to the owner of my local shop yesterday, and I asked him if he was to be open during the bank holiday, and he told me that although he should close, he had no option but to open because as he said "if we close, we make no money, and yet i still have outgoings". This huge celebration seems a bit in excess, especially when you consider the amount of money that is being spent, and I thought we were in recession? It is not just the weekend that has cost the tax payer, but the queen also went on a tour of her sovereign states, including Jamaica and Australia, again at the tax payers expense.

I am indeed very happy for the Queen to reach this huge landmark, and I do agree that it should be a cause for celebration, but in this time of financial difficulty, could it not have been done is a slightly more low key manor?

Just a thought, obviously.