The constitutional morality of allowing sex agnostic marriage has been under discussion. As India’s top court reminded us this week, we cannot live according to ‘popular’ or ‘fragmented’ types of morality. In social usage everyone should be assured of equal basic rights regardless of gender, sexual orientation and other identifying marks, we must follow the constitution. It should be obvious, but politics exists, identity matters and not everyone sees it the same way. As a nation, we are just that: ahead of the global curve on paper, if not in practice. For a reverse case, though, look no further than the UK this weekend, where London is set to host a spectacle of ‘constitutional monarchy’ that may put many Britons to shame. For baffled onlookers, a British royal website ventures to explain what this means: “While the sovereign remains head of state, the ability to make and pass laws rests with an elected parliament.” This is a sovereign opportunity. The capital city is all decked up for a coronation, that of the UK’s (and other territories) King Charles III, a man who was crowned last September by the late Queen Elizabeth II. With all its pomp and regalia, we can expect it to feel every bit like a blast from the past.
While the ceremony at Westminster Abbey is likely to include references to the divinity, whose special grace has long been seen as an important credential for achieving such glory, the new Majesty’s thanksgiving will be based mostly on human lapses. is due to For example, the UK does not have a constitution codified as a single document that can be scanned in one go. If this was done, it would have to be equal and understandable to all, an infrastructure could take shape around basic rights, and grant public rights based on genes – even sports As a reality show of power—might have fumbled on an analogy memo from Age of Reason. How can anyone be a king if everyone has equal rights? This question has also been raised quite a few times in the English language. In fact, in Thomas Paine’s 1776 call-out that openly implored Americans to break free from British rule, common sense, it is the monarchy that held the people up to thumb their noses. In this paradigm, anyone claiming a divine right to rule is either grossly deluded or playing a swindle. It may have helped put King George III back on the throne, subject of the BAFTA award-winning film The Madness of King George, but there’s no doubt that America made a good decision that summer by declaring itself independent as a republic. took. Under this system, one may have more privileges than others, as with the US President, but only as long as everyone in such office has equal access. This reasoning gives the American rulebook its coherence. Similarly, ours.
While a royal deed has almost no relevance to us in Britain, it may prompt some reflection on how lucky we are to have left the British Raj three quarter centuries behind us. We fought for our freedom with words, not weapons, as rallied by a leader who said it “would be a good idea” when asked what he made of Western civilization, and Adopted a rulebook that looks as eye-roll-inducing as royalty rules. Will have to sweat to get past even as part of a costume drama (rather than the law). Alas, we are not able to puff up our chests with pride, looking at India’s yawning gap between theory and practice. A stale air of ‘keep calm and carry it’ has also kept many of our rigidities in place. That’s why we need constitutional morality.
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