The UK monarchy is very popular

I must take issue with John Vassallo’s rather undiplomatic letter (March 28) effectively accusing monarchs of institutional racism. He uses the sad situation involving the apparent schism between some members of the current UK royal family as a basis or evidence for what is a diatribe.

In common with the overwhelming majority of people, I am not privy to the detailed truth of that particular sad situation; Buckingham Palace has issued a reply and launched an investigation.

The UK monarchy exists by full legal consent of the people, through their representatives in Parliament. Parliament can abolish the monarchy if necessary. It has done so before and can do so again. It won’t because the monarchy is extremely popular in the UK and serves its country well.

The King/Queen, alongside other senior royals, engages in a great deal of ‘soft diplomacy’ on behalf of the UK. The Prince of Wales’s visit to Greece last week, to join the celebrations of the anniversary of independence, is one example.

As for racism, the Queen is the head of the Commonwealth, and, along with the Prince of Wales and doubtlessly the rest of the family, believes utterly in its positive role in society, and works tirelessly to protect and support its existence, its aims and its obligations.

Commentators speak about their wealth; they forget about the duty and danger element. The Royal Family has to be constantly guarded against terrorist threats. Unlike Vassallo and I, they cannot just walk down the street and visit shops, restaurants or friends.

As for alternatives, the antics of various current and recent heads of state around the world, allegedly or actually voted directly in, speak volumes for the dangers inherent in not having a constitutional, apolitical head of state, who is trained to serve the country from birth and who spends her/his life doing so.

Nothing works perfectly; we are human and very fallible. But are the Queen and senior members of the royal family racist? The evidence, to my mind, overwhelmingly favours the contrary.

Anton Borg – Gloucestershire, England

In praise of a teacher

Nearly 70 years ago, after I had attended St Anthony School in Sliema from 1949 to 1951, my parents enrolled me at the Floriana Primary School for the scholastic year 1951/52, to attend Standard 2 (Year 4).

The change was a bit difficult for me at the start as I had to change from a syllabus in the English Language to one based on Maltese.  This subject which I had never been taught before would be my Achilles Heel right up to the end of my secondary education.

However, my new teacher, Paul Calleja, from Tarxien, experienced in the instruction of catechism classes, helped me a lot. We were taught Maltese, English, religion, arithmetic, arts and crafts and a smattering of Maltese history.  Singing of the Maltese hymn at assembly made us feel proud of our country as we stood like young smart soldiers in line. 

The other gentlemen I came to know about and remember well were the head teacher Emanuel Tonna and Joe Bugeja, who taught the senior classes.  Both hailed from Floriana.

Whenever my colleagues and I from Pieta’ used to arrive at school early, it was our delight to go near the granaries. It was a sorry sight to gaze at the church of St Publius, a church  that bore the brunt of war about a decade before, having been the target of Nazi dive bombers.

Fortunately, at that time, it was being repaired and so, another place of worship was saved.

At the end of the school year in July 1952, I obtained a prize for cleanliness in the form of a book token entitled The Gospel according to St Luke’ , in Maltese.  I still cherish it in remembrance of my teacher, Paul Calleja, up to this very day.

The last time I met him was in Valletta in 1990 and we exchanged our news.  He was happy to know that I too had taken up teaching as my career.  But when I informed him that I had been promoted to assistant head of school,  he was overjoyed.

I often wonder where he is now but whenever I come across the book, it reminds me of him.

Alfred Conti Borda – Mosta

Good riddance to Meghan and Harry

I nearly choked over my pastizzi on reading former ambassador John Vassallo’s letter last Sunday.

I take it he has completely failed to see the effect that presidential republicanism has had on the reputation of Malta at home and abroad? Stones and glasshouses come to mind.

I’m certain he would not have written this letter had he still been in office with all its ambassadorial trappings.

Britain is well rid of Meghan and Harry. They have shown themselves to be immature, self-centred egotists.

James Dunn – Cospicua

A monarchy is something to treasure

John Vassallo’s anti-monarchist rant (March 28), like some of his earlier pieces, clearly sets out to be deliberately offensive to the United Kingdom, and also to supporters of monarchy both in the UK and elsewhere.

Each country must be free to choose its own system of government. But there is no evidence that countries with a presidency rather than a hereditary monarchy are thereby less subject to corruption or misrule. The recent history of France and the United States comes to mind, not to mention Malta.

Similarly, democratic election is no guarantee of good government, as shown by the democratic election of one Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany. The simple fact is that monarchs and presidents alike can be just as good or as bad as lesser mortals. It’s part of being human.

But to suggest that some of the most advanced and contented nations of the world – the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and Luxembourg – are somehow inferior, and even racist, because of their constitutional monarchies (in all of which the monarch’s authority and power is clearly circumscribed) is laughable and absurd.

Vassallo highlights the German forebears of the British royal family, while omitting to mention its Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon, French, Portuguese, Scottish, Irish and Welsh ancestry. Can he show that the ancestry of his own Maltese nation is any more racially ‘pure’?  And even if he could, wouldn’t that too be racism?

There is no strong republican movement either in the UK or in any other of the remaining European monarchies, and constitutional monarchies are clearly more unitive than partisan presidencies, which by their nature are divisive.

Monarchy adds both splendour and solemnity to the state and its institutions and (as shown by the British monarchy) is a source of fascination and admiration to other nations. It is something to treasure.

Alan Cooke – Sliema

Letters to the editor should be sent to editor@timesofmalta.com. Please include your full name, address and ID card number. The editor may disclose personal information to any person or entity seeking legal action on the basis of a published letter.