Clirli Britn luzz mor ɖn it genz fṛm ɖ moṇci. Let s b brev n end it
(Transcription of an article published in the Guardian on 17 February 2022)
Ɖ royl jūḅli wd b a ćirfl end t a stet v aferz ɖt canot b alaud t cntiny. Tîm t rtrn sovṛnti t ɖ ppl
Póli Tônbi, Ʈrzde 17 Febrri 2022
Ɖ Qīn śd abdcet: ɖs z ɖ rît tîm. Nt bcz anɖr scandl hz brocn ǎt, wɖ p’līs probñ aḷgeśnz v Sǎdi caś-fr-onrz dneśnz t ɖ Prins v Wêlz’z ćaṛti. Nt bcz v Prins Andru’z dsgres.
Nr śd ś abdcet fr ɖ rīzn gvn ɖs wīc bî mî frend n colīg Sîmn Jncinz: h cōlz fr hr t wɖdrw jntli fṛm public lîf t spend hr dclînñ yirz in digṇfaid tranqiḷti, n alǎ a “pland transfr” t Ćarlz. In uɖr wrdz, let ɖr b no periḷs momnt ẃn ppl asc ɖmslvz ẃ nwn asct ɖm frst. Alǎ no poṣbl pōz fr ʈt btwn hr last breʈ n ɖ śǎt v “vivat rex”. Mc śr it’s a fait accompli wɖ hiz royl postirịr olrdi s’mentd t ɖ ʈron.
It z indd a gd tîm t bǎ ǎt gresḟli, az ɖs platinmjūḅli seḷbrets hr 70-yir rên wɖ ol ɖ pomp v a for-de banchoḷde n a ny pŭdñ. Bt let it marc an end t moṇci itslf, ɖoz fydl snć̣riz drw̃ t a pīsfl clos. Ɖ Qīn hz hld ɖ moṇci tgɖr scilḟli ʈru tmpestẏs scandlz, fṛm ɖ deʈ v Dîana, Prinsis v Wêlz, n ɖ dvorsz v ʈri v hr ćildṛn t ɖ flît v ɖ Dyc n Dućis v Susix, wns heṛldd az roylz fr ɖ Blac Livz Matr n #MiTù ira.
Ɖs jūḅli wd mc a ćirfl endñ t ol ɖ royl folḍrol. Ẃt betr tîm t rtrn ɖ sovṛnti promist in Brexit t ɖ ppl t hūm it b’loñz. Iliẓbʈ ɖ Last śd gt a historic snd-of, hr goldn coć n crǎn rtîrd n hr six paḷsz opnd az fîn ḿziymz. (No, turizm z no xks fr moṇci: Versailles gts mni mor vizitrz, n so dz Legoland dǎn ɖ rod fṛm Winzr Casl).
In deʈ or abdceśn, hr pasñ wl b an imotiv meṃrimarcr in evri faṃli, ɖ last linc t ɖ secnd wrldwor, t remnnts v empîr n t ɖt old blac-n-ẃît wrld v Paʈe nyzrīlz wɖ ɖer joli jngo vôsz. “Ʈanc God fr ɖ Qīn”, pṛclemz ɖ Sún’z fruntpej tde, absrdli. It’s dǎtfl ś rtrnz eni ʈancs t Rūṗt Mrdoc, huz lèse-majesté arîvl hir śatrd ɖt old revṛns fr royl mstīc.
Ɖ crǎn n consttyśn r no longr abstract dbets. Ɖ nīd fr an ilectd prezidnt hz bcm rjnt nǎ Boris Jonsn’z arîvl in Dǎnñ Strīt tsts cnvnśnz, lwz n sivl rîts bynd ɖer limits. Jon Mejr xprest ɖt consttyśnl ǎtrej eḷqntli on ɖz pejz, listñ Jonsn’z abysz: dlibṛtli brecñ inṭnaśnl lw; tẹrñ p ɖ miṇstirịl cod; ordenñ p’līs stop-n-srć “wɖt eni cōz fr sspiśn”; rmuvñ Britiś sitiznśp at ẃim, ẃl wejñ wor agnst ɖ sivl srvis n ɖ BBC, ɖoz naśnl sefgardz.
Ɖ Comnz Spīcr trnz ǎt t b pǎrlis agnst lîz tld t hiz fes. Ɖr z no vôs t admoniś, ćec or pṛtct agnst ilectiv dictetrśp bî a recr v a prîm̦inistr wɖ a stroñ mjoṛti. Hiz MPz r śocñli deṛlict.
Untl nǎ, moṇci wz dfndd az digṇfaid n pǎrlis, a harmlis dec̣reśn ɖt nvr inṭfirz wɖ parḷmnt. Imbaṛsñ lapsz – ɖ Gardịn’z reṿleśnz v ɖ Qīn’z cnsnt privntñ lwz ɖt me rvil hr wlʈ or Ćarlz’z “spîdrletrz” līnñ on ministrz – r reḷtivli trivịl. Ɖ consttyśnl probḷm z nt ɖ moṇc’s pǎr, bt pǎrlisnis. Prezidnts arnd Yṛp pṛtct consttyśnz n gard agnst oṿmîti poḷtiśnz brecñ besic lw. A prezidnt wd hv stopt Jonsn ilīġli pṛrogñ parḷmnt: it tecs ɖ oʈoṛti v ilex́n t tec ax́n az a vîtl bacstop in a consttyśnl imrjnsi.
Ǎr moṇci hz handd ol royl prirogtiv t ɖ prîm̦inistr wɖ no ćec or baḷns, bar a Hǎs v Lordz olmst az wìc az ɖ moṇc fr ɖ sem bad rīzn – lacñ ɖ oʈoṛti v ilex́n. Lc hǎ Jonsn ingejz in votr s’preśn: hiz pṛpozlz fr cmpulsri foto ID n aboḷśñ coḷjz rejisṭrñ ɖer stydnts wl dlibṛtli dtŕ ɖ yuñ n pur fṛm votñ. Lc hǎ h muvz t crb ɖ ilectṛl cmiśn’z pǎr t proṣkt ilīgl p’liticl dneśnz pṛtctñ hiz ǒn parti’z plf. Ɖr z no breic on an eṛnt prîm̦inistr in a cuntri wɖt a ritn consttyśn, ẃr a worpt ilectṛl sistm dnîz fer repriznteśn n ɖr z no ifctiv hed v stet t gard agnst lwbrecñ. Ɖ unilectd Qīn mst d ẃt ɖ prîm̦inistr tlz hr t.
Moṇcists spīc wɖ rvulśn v hu an ilectd prezidnt me b. Ɖ royl historịn Roḅt Lêsi, in a rīsnt dbet, asct in tonz v horr, “Prezidnt Liṇcr? Prezidnt Strīt-Portr?” Bt, rjz Greym Smiʈ, ĆXO v ɖ Rpublic preśrgrūp, lc arnd Yṛp at digṇfaid prezidnts hu unḍstand ɖer seṛmońl dytiz n ɖ p’liticl limits t ɖer rǒl, ẃl actñ az consttyśnl gaṛntorz. Formr poḷtiśnz tec on a prezidnsi wɖ az mć indipndns az ǎr Spīcrz in parḷmnt. Lc acrs ɖ Îriś Sì at Mîcl D Higinz, Mẹri Mc’līz or Mẹri Robinsn n pondr ẃ Britiś votrz r tù wîld or daft t b trustd t mc īqli snṣbl ćôsz.
S’port fr ɖs antīc dsfuñśn wenz wɖ ć jeṇreśn n it hz bcm frajîl. A mjoṛti v undr-25z xpct it t b gn in 25 yirz. Moṇci z a cast v mînd blocñ rform. Moṇci z a fyḍlizm v ɖ imaɉneśn ɖt stamps apruvl on inheritns, iniqoḷti n priṿlij, ol growñ rampntli rît nǎ.
“Tec bt dgri awe, untyn ɖt strñ, N, harc, ẃt discord foloz!” Śecspir hz Yḷsīz worn, yḷjîzñ “dgri, prîoṛti n ples” in Trôḷs n Cresida: nwn nz f ɖs dīp cnsrṿtizm alînñ ɖ planits wɖ arisṭcratic ordr wz hiz ǒn vy. Ɖ pônt z ɖs: ɖt strñ z untynd olrdi. Ɖ crǎn dec̣rets a rayt v consttyśnl dsordr. Aboḷśñ it wd opn windoz intu evri aspect v hǎ w ćūz t b guvnd n hǎ w ʈnc v ǎrslvz.
• Poli Tônbi z a Gardịn coḷmnist
