A national vote of confidence on her diamond jubilee would lend triumphant legitimacy to her final days
To watch a woman just into the second half of her ninth decade traipse round function after function – without a stick and without ever wilting – is to be impressed. To witness Queen Elizabeth do so in Dublin this week was to be doubly so. By putting neither a figurative nor a literal foot wrong she made a modest personal contribution to the banishment of the historical demons that others had arranged for her to exorcise – and emerged with enough energy to go and meet some thoroughbreds. Whether it is down to upbringing, a thousand-year bloodline or (more plausibly) good luck, she is evidently cut out for her odd line of work. But it does not follow that others might not do it well too. A Times editorial this week attributed the Irish trip's success to the hereditary monarch's unique place above politics. This is a leap of logic which ignores the equally accomplished role in proceedings played by Ireland's elected president, Mary McAleese. After a sure-footed first term, she sailed through to her second without opposition, having clambered above the partisan fray through her own efforts. Were the British to choose their own head of state, they would surely have the sense to resist President Clarkson, and choose the best woman for the job. Even republican voices such as our own acknowledge that the Windsors' reign will not predecease the body of the Queen. By calling a national vote of confidence on her diamond jubilee, Elizabeth would change history – and lend triumphant legitimacy to her final days.