The Queen has always been a symbol of unity that people of all shades of political opinion, and none, trusted, and could look to with confidence.
It was that one sure hope to measure where we are.
Always dignified, always the same, she has reigned for seventy years without a breath of scandal.
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In an age of overrated celebrities, and tainted politicians, she shines out like a star.
I fear that when she is gone the unity she crafted so carefully, will lose its glitter, and fall apart.
There is evidence for this in Northern Ireland where the unionist community is divided, and reaping a harvest of apathy and self-indulgence.
We have a weak DUP, a dysfunctional UUP, and an Alliance party sired by a neutered middle-class: they identify as ‘neither’.
The only figure capable of holding this disparate group together was the Queen.
Even the Alliance party acknowledged her.
When she is gone this fragile unity will fall apart, and Irish nationalism will feed on the carcass.
We who grew up after the war may not appreciate it, but we were privileged.
Life was hard, and it was grim at times, but the monarchy was inspirational, lifted us, and raised the bar.
The Queen’s dignity, faith, and devotion to duty earned our respect, and set a tone.
It encouraged us to aim higher. I worry that is fading.
The years are calling time on all of that, and that generation.
I fear for our children who have been cloned in the good times, but are coming to maturity in a rapidly changing and troubled world.
The Queen was a role model who may never be replaced, and our community and our children will be the worse for it.
The sun is going down on her reign, and if we don’t get our act together it is going down on unionism.
The curtain is coming down on a remarkable performance, and it will rise again on a very different world.
There will be no certainties any more.
The standards she set will have dropped, and there will be no star to guide us.
It will lose its glow, fade, and burn out.
We have dropped the baton she handed us, and failed to pass it on.
We will only appreciate the majesty of what we have lost, when we stare up at the ruins out of the rubble.
Clive Maxwell, Bleary, Co Down
Other comment articles:
• Sir Jeffrey Donaldson June 7: PM must deal with NI Protocol once and for all
• Editorial June 7: The prime minister has survived, and must act fast to overhaul the NI Protocol
• Owen Polley June 6: The Queen’s jubilee is a reminder of the durability of the UK
• Letter June 6: The DUP must live up to their pledge to voters over the NI Protocol
• Ben Lowry June 4: Some thoughts on the centenary parade and BBC coverage
• Ben Lowry June 4: The monarchy seems set to be in good hands for decades to come