A CASE OF ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

Since the collapse of Communism, indeed since its very inception, Bulgaria has struggled to develop a legitimate functioning civil society. Plagued by organised crime and institutional corruption it is still a young democracy. However in one respect it is considerably more advanced than our own, for Bulgaria unlike the UK is a republic.
Often when travelling overseas and having identified myself as English, (interestingly no longer British, or indeed Irish to which I can make a valid claim), people invariably bring up the monarchy, questions about which are always framed by a certain amount of wry amusement. The Queen and her considerable entourage reflecting something rather infantile about England in particular and the UK in general. And at such moments I know that I live in a country not fully grown up, not politically or institutionally mature. The very presence of hereditary monarchy stunting our political growth, a masturbatory fantasy harking back to a medieval past. I fear that until we rid ourselves of this nonsense we will continue to retard the development of a healthy democratic society, able to take itself completely seriously.

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