Recently papers are full of headlines predicting a disastrous Golden Jubilee. Headlines such as Palace recalls trusted aide to save Jubilee and This jubilee is just time warp tosh have been stating that the palace is afraid that people just don't care enough to make plans to laud the Queen on her special anniversary. The Sunday Times dragged the Prime Minister into the fray with their headline Blair fears royal jubilee will be flop. Most agree that the Queen is a well-respected monarch, but feel that the country is not so enamored with the royal family or the idea of royalty as they were 25 years ago for her Silver Jubilee celebrations. Could this be true? Is it possible that people don't care? Personally, I think the apathy has more to do with today's lifestyle then with the esteem in which we hold the Queen.

I'm thinking of my own life and that of my family and friends. I'm thinking that the pendulum has swung totally in the opposite direction of my childhood when Sunday meant church and a quiet day spent with extended family. When our cousins to arrived early Sunday afternoon we'd play board games, card games, listen to records, try new make-up, exchange magazines, talk - simple things. It was the same most Sundays except when our cousin's parents would host, then we'd all pile into the station wagon after breakfast and head to their house.

Today this is not the norm. When I want to see my siblings I call. We both take out our diaries or palm pilots. We 'suggest' dates - this could go on for 10 minutes until we find a time when we are all free. For Christmas we tried in vain to come up with a weekend that we could join all the families together. It never happened. We settled for a 75% attendance and meeting the others on alternate weekends - but never all together. Why? I believe it is because both adult members of the household work now. There are two jobs to plan around. There are also many more outside activities that our children are involved in. For example, my nephew plays simultaneously in two hockey leagues while my niece dances and plays soccer along with her girl scouts and religious instruction. Add that to school functions - PTA, fundraisers, field days, field trips, etc. - and you have little time left. Saturday is no more a day to do the chores around the house; it's a day to run all the errands that you couldn't run all week while you worked. Sunday then becomes a day to do the chores and, if you've any energy left, visit all the people that you've no time or energy to visit any other day during the week. The bills get paid via the net, we have hands free telephone sets so we can cook the dinner, unload the car or load the dishwasher while we have a conversation with friends who would once have dropped by to share a cup of tea along with some of your undivided attention. Who thinks ahead?

No one I know. We have all the deadlines in the palm-pilot and do everything at the last minute. Commitments are forever shifting. The Queen is probably in people's hearts, minds and diaries, but there is a whole year to get your tribute in and it is, after all, only January. For heaven's sake, if you want to be literal about it, it doesn't officially start until February 6th, which gives us nearly a week to think of something to do. If we miss that we can always catch up on the bank holiday weekend June 1st through 4th. With four days we're bound to have an hour or two to pay respect to the monarch each in our own way.

What do I see happening? How about this scenario: A family of five consists of Sue, Brian, 15 year old Kelly, 12 year old Arthur and 8 year old Brittany. Sue's best friend has two tickets to the concert a Buckingham Palace on Saturday evening and invites her to go. Brian is fine with it and will take Brittany to town as her school is having a parade from 12 to 3 followed by the singing of patriotic songs on the green and a barbeque from 4 to 6. Sue will drive Arthur to his football tournament in Leeds, which starts at noon so they'll need to leave by 10:00 a.m. They'll be back by three so Sue will have time to shower and change before her friend picks her up for the concert. Brian will get Arthur his dinner and take him and Brittany to drop off Kelly who's volunteering with a Jubilee event at the town hall. Perhaps they could drive one of her friends as well as Sue won't be back at midnight to pick Kelly up and Brian won't be able to leave Arthur and Brittany home alone to go and get her.

Well now that Saturday is ironed out, what about Sunday? They could do something as a family on Sunday - that is if Arthur's team doesn't win their game. If they do win, someone is going to have to get him to Windsor by noon. You get the picture. It's just not the way it used to be. Life is very complicated. Family life is very fragmented. We experience more of the world and less of each other. Working out the logistics of life has become an exacting science. We do things at the last moment hoping to have fewer factors in the solutions of our time equations.

Which brings me back to our subject at hand, Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee celebrations and what I think they will happen. I think people will make time to do something to celebrate the Queen's long and successful reign. I just don't think it will be in the traditional ways. We know now that few permits have been applied for. Maybe thirty days out they will. Souvenirs such as wacky hats may be out and collectible jubilee coins may be in. Sleeping out in the street to 'reserve' a spot to see the Queen's entourage pass may be out and renting a hotel suite with a balcony to 'hang' out with a well stocked bar and room service while you await Her Majesty's entourage may be in. People throwing huge street parties may be out and people making donations to the Queen's chosen jubilee charities in her honor may be in. Dragging your kids out to see the Queen may be out and tours of the Queen's historic properties may be in. Radio broadcasts may be out and 'hits' on the 'Official' British Monarchy web pages may be in.

Bottom line, we as a society may be suffering from some forms of apathy, we may not have the flexibility in our schedules to plan and execute the more traditional forms of celebration, we may not believe the Queen's family is as good a royal role model as she is, but we still believe in the Queen. It is my belief that we will find a way to acknowledge and celebrate this milestone with her, it just won't be in the ways that we have traditionally done so. God Save the Queen!

What do you think are we apathetic or just over scheduled? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.


All the best,

-- Eileen Sullivan --