Queen Elizabeth II officially turned ninety years old on June 11 this year. She is the only person I know who has two birthdays. Her real one is April 21. Why? I hear it has something to do with June being a nicer month for celebrations, in terms of the weather. It might even be summer in England by then, with a bit of luck. As the Queen’s representative (and Head of State) in Jamaica, Governor General Sir Patrick Allen and his wife traveled to London to wish her a happy birthday. No, the Prime Minister is not our Head of State. We have a Queen of Jamaica.
In the Jamaican context the Queen is an obvious choice, besides the fact that there aren’t that many Q-words. She is an ever-present and at the same time ever-distant figure. She beams benevolently (one hopes) from afar on our island, once a jewel in the British colonial crown. What relevance does she have to our 21st century Small Island Developing State? It’s hard to fathom.
The Queen has visited Jamaica six times – the last time was ten years ago, and I honestly remember nothing about it. The first time was in 1953, when she opened the Queen’s Highway on the North coast.
Do you think Jamaica should hold a referendum on whether to say goodbye to the Queen, or not? If so, how would you vote?
Petchary's Blog 
Referendum – yes. Vote to remove. Will the UK see such a referendum in a decades time?
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You know, I very much doubt that the UK will be having such a referendum in a decade – probably not even two decades!
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Reblogged this on Right Steps & Poui Trees and commented:
For Q in our #AToZChallengeJamaica, Emma has written about Queen Elizabeth, who is still Jamaica’s Head of State, more than half a century after Independence. Although we’ve had the power to remove her all this time.
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Yes, we have had that power all along! So true Susan!
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I learned the other day that HRH Elizabeth II paid a visit to Half Moon, just FYI http://www.halfmoon.com/about/our-legacy-en.html
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I guess unofficially…
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Reblogged this on Jamaica: Political Economy and commented:
Emma avoids all questions of conflict by focusing on her Queen of England and our Queen of Jamaica; quite appropriate. Personally, I always like to hear the Queen give her Christmas Day message, at 3pm UK time, just as families are sitting down to their dinner.
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Oh my goodness, Dennis! The Christmas Day message. As a child growing up (and adult) if I was home for Christmas we used to sit down quietly in total silence while the Queen spoke on the radio…and then my father would give a toast: “To the Queen!” which we all solemnly intoned, raising our glasses of lemonade, or something stronger! Memories! A family ritual, now gone…
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