Bicycle Diaries: God save the queen!

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25.12.06

God save the queen!

...Elizabeth is green

Today, the UK's queen gave top billing to bikes in her annual Christmas Message. It seems another of the Green Initiatives Elizabeth II first launched in 1985. Or perhaps she was inspired by her son Charles, Prince of Wales. Here's the relevant excerpt:
The certainties of the past are vanishing: we have a nuclear North Korea, a soon to be nuclear Iran, Baghdad collapsing in an orgy of violence, radiation poisoning around the corner from my own home; arctic ice disappearing fast; the largest producer of gas holding customers to ransom; central banks moving out of the dollar.

This is my advice: don’t try to predict what will happen; we are in a period of flux and forecasts are fruitless. For example, will our blessed Kingdom be hotter or is it facing an Ice Age, as the North Atlantic oscillator switches direction? We don’t know and both scenarios are plausible.

What we can do is become more self-reliant. It’s up to us restructure our lives in a way that we can survive strongly any of the shocks that will hit our country.

The bicycle can transport you everywhere, free from dependance from petrol, rails, pilots, etc. This is probably why so many people have started riding bicycles in London.

Let me paraphrase our great writer H G Wells: "When I look out of my window and I see all the people riding their bicycles, I do not despair for the future of the human race."

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3 Comments:

Blogger Steven Vance said...

That's a great statement.

I'm assuming this is from her annual Christmas message? Which was podcasted this year, by the way.

24/12/06 19:19  
Blogger Chad said...

I can't find anything about bicycles in the links to Her Majesty’s message. What was your source?

You can read about the real cycling monarchs here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/e-cyclopedia/1268315.stm

Chad
http://hooptedoodle.typepad.com/

26/12/06 10:38  
Blogger Da' Square Wheelman, said...

YIKES!!!. It appears i was taken in by a Kurt Vannegut-like hoax. What I first thought was a credible story over at Velorevolution (http://www.velorution.biz/?p=1295) didn't turn out to be true.

Here is what the Queen said in her text of the Christmas Broadcast 2006

I have lived long enough to know that things never remain quite the same for very long. One of the things that has not changed all that much for me is the celebration of Christmas. It remains a time when I try to put aside the anxieties of the moment and remember that Christ was born to bring peace and tolerance to a troubled world.

The birth of Jesus naturally turns our thoughts to all new-born children and what the future holds for them. The birth of a baby brings great happiness - but then the business of growing up begins. It is a process that starts within the protection and care of parents and other members of the family - including the older generation. As with any team, there is strength in combination: what grandparent has not wished for the best possible upbringing for their grandchildren or felt an enormous sense of pride at their achievements?

But the pressures of modern life sometimes seem to be weakening the links which have traditionally kept us together as families and communities. As children grow up and develop their own sense of confidence and independence in the ever-changing technological environment, there is always the danger of a real divide opening up between young and old, based on unfamiliarity, ignorance or misunderstanding.

It is worth bearing in mind that all of our faith communities encourage the bridging of that divide. The wisdom and experience of the great religions point to the need to nurture and guide the young, and to encourage respect for the elderly. Christ himself told his disciples to let the children come to him, and Saint Paul reminded parents to be gentle with their children, and children to appreciate their parents. The scriptures and traditions of the other faiths enshrine the same fundamental guidance. It is very easy to concentrate on the differences between the religious faiths and to forget what they have in common - people of different faiths are bound together by the need to help the younger generation to become considerate and active citizens.

And there is another cause for hope that we can do better in the future at bridging the generation gap. As older people remain more active for longer, the opportunities to look for new ways to bring young and old together are multiplying.

As I look back on these past twelve months, marked in particular for me by the very generous response to my eightieth birthday, I especially value the opportunities I have had to meet young people. I am impressed by their energy and vitality, and by their ambition to learn and to travel.

It makes me wonder what contribution older people can make to help them realise their ambitions. I am reminded of a lady of about my age who was asked by an earnest, little grand-daughter the other day "Granny, can you remember the Stone Age?" Whilst that may be going a bit far, the older generation are able to give a sense of context as well as the wisdom of experience which can be invaluable. Such advice and comfort are probably needed more often than younger people admit or older people recognise. I hope that this is something that all of us, young or old, can reflect on at this special time of year.

For Christians, Christmas marks the birth of our Saviour, but it is also a wonderful occasion to bring the generations together in a shared festival of peace, tolerance and goodwill.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas together.

26/12/06 11:55  

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