Like at the Golden Jubilee, crowds will turn out in England. But monarchists are rarer North of the Border.
In 2002 during the Queen's Golden Jubilee street parties were held across England. But not many in Scotland. Will that change on the occasion of the upcoming Royal Wedding? Not according to reports in The Guardian, the Herald Scotland or The Scotsman.
Crowds celebrated in June 2002 to mark fifty years of Elizabeth II's reign. At around 10,000, the number of street parties was way down on the 1977 Silver Jubilee figure of 100,000. The Telegraph claimed that streets had become more "unfriendly" by 2002. Maybe, but 1,700 beacons were lit in 2002 in her honour, up from only 102 in 1977.
Much of the media, particularly The Guardian, had dampened enthusiasm it was claimed at the time. The paper was criticised by The Daily Mail, referring to "the sour anti-Royalists in The Guardian newspaper" as having misread the public mood.
It seems The Guardian read it right in some of Scotland though, where no official street parties were held in Glasgow in 2002. Yet, Aberdonians lined the streets to welcome the Queen to their city at the time. And a massive party was held in West Princess Street Gardens in Edinburgh.
But again in 2011, The Guardian reports no enthusiasm at all for the Royal Wedding in Glasgow. According to the Herald Scotland, the city council in Glasgow has received no applications for street parties this time round. Just thirteen street parties are scheduled to take place across the length and breadth of Scotland, newsnet Scotland has reported. There are a few taking place in Edinburgh, one for every 21,000 people, calculates The Guardian. Hardly a flurry.
What of celebrations in England this time? Downing Street will hold an event, evidently. Although apart from government people, who lives there exactly? It's closed off by the "Thatcher" gates into Whitehall and reputedly only contains the official residencies of the PM, a couple of senior ministers and a collection of government and civil service offices. But elsewhere? London tops the list, says The Guardian, with 800 road closure applications made. The London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames is planning 85 events of its own, which might have something to do with its well-heeled population and riverside location.
According to The Guardian, the Local Government Association (LGA) has received responses to a survey on this subject from some 32% of UK councils. There are known to be at least 5,500 street parties planned across Britain and Northern Ireland as a whole, reports The Guardian. Examples given include Brighton holding 16, Southampton 17, Bristol 54, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 32. According to the BBC, there have been 182 applications to Kent council of which 22 are for street parties in Maidstone, the county town. However, as only one third of councils replied to the LGA survey, the final tally could ultimately surpass the 2002 total of 10,000, couldn't it?
All this is interesting because it gauges the general popularity in England of the Monarchy, it demonstrates the sociability of the population, and it indicates the level of well-wishing of the people towards the Royal couple in particular. It can't be merely that everyone's been given a day off work on Friday April 29, as the Coalition awarded a special bank holiday to mark the wedding.
Worldwide, an estimated two billion people will watch the event. Unsurprisely, the English - whose king William will eventually become - want to make his wedding day a memorable occasion. But the Scots? Their enthusiasm doesn't appear as warm. This is somewhat strange as it was a Scottish King, James VI, who in 1603 became James I of England and Ireland, thereby uniting the thrones of those countries. Was it not?
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