If you weren’t sure already, it’s a Bank Holiday weekend this weekend. They’re like buses usually, none for ages then a load at once.
This one is a bit different though, it starts on a Thursday. Not only that, it’s also a Royal bank holiday weekend.
Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last year, and who would blame you given how 2019-2022 has gone, you’ll know Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating 70 years on the throne. On February 6, the Queen became the first British monarch to complete seven decades as head of state and the Commonwealth.
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Earlier this year, Liverpool unveiled its plans for this weekend, with Angie Redhead, head of assets at Liverpool Council,telling the authority’s culture and visitor economy select committee that the main commemoration will be a “really celebratory, family friendly event,” the type of which she described as a “flag waving, marching band playing, scone eating” gathering. Documents submitted to the committee said that “one thing is for sure, visitors will leave with a renewed sense of civic pride and admiration for our monarch.”
In the last century, Liverpool has had an interesting relationship with the monarchy. Research conducted in 2019 found that Liverpool Riverside is said to be the least friendly towards the Royals in the country and only 32% of those asked were they a strong supporter of the monarchy agreed.
In 2012 though, during the last jubilee, hundreds turned out across Liverpool to wave flags, throw parties and enjoy the festivities. This was during a year in which the European Championships were being held and the Olympic Games in London.
A decade on and it looks like despite the mixed feeling towards the residents of SW1A 1AA, 61 street parties are scheduled to take place over the next four days across Liverpool. During the committee hearing earlier this year, Ms Redhead said residents were encouraged to hold street parties for the jubilee and added: “It’s a real moment in time and we just want to do what Liverpool does best, sing Rule Britannia, wave our flags and eat our scones.”
In total, more than 200 street parties are being held across Merseyside this jubilee weekend. In our region, Wirral is expected to hold the most events with 78 streets successfully receiving permission to hold a party.
A further 56 are slated to take place across Sefton. In Knowsley, only eight applications have been made for a street party to commemorate the jubilee.
Wirral, Liverpool and Sefton Councils all confirmed they would waive the fee for the staging of any street parties across their areas.
Historian and Royal commentator, Dr Ed Owens, said he didn’t expect the take up of Royal themed gatherings to be high on this side of the M62. He said: “It doesn’t surprise me that it’s been met with derision. It’s a similar picture in Manchester, both cities are resistant to being told what to do from above and having fun organised for them.
“Historically in the North West particularly and across the UK, it tends to be areas with working class backgrounds and left wing points of view that aren’t always seen as royalist in the same way as other areas.
“When these types of Royal events come round, the London perspective tends to be interpreted as the national viewpoint. It can be quite suffocating that there is an assumption that there aren’t differences locally.
“Britain is quite a divided nation in terms of its attitudes towards the Royal Family. You have 20-25% who identify as royalists, probably the same amount who would say they’re Republicans, in between you’ve got the unknown.”
Dr Owens said he wouldn’t expect the same reaction from Scousers this time. He said: “People will take the extended holiday and not have to use up their annual leave, I’ve heard that a lot myself.
“They are often more interested in the good time feeling the event brings and long afternoons in beer gardens. Public attitudes are much more mixed.
