NO one was expecting the reaction we have witnessed over the Golden Jubilee days. The sheer volume of people wishing to pay homage to the Queen confounded everyone.

Many were prepared to wait hours just for a glimpse of her.

To wait good-naturedly in line is a British speciality and, in truth, we have witnessed a supremely British occasion. People of all ages travelled miles, showing the Monarchy's a unifying force.

Most came out of loyalty to the Crown, some perhaps to witness a spectacular tableau.

For most, there was a sense of wanting to be part of something: a feeling that in TS Elliot's words, "History is now and England."

This feeling runs counter to government thinking. This government, more than any other, sees Britain's history as a burden to be got rid of so Britain can become a "modern European country."

When Ministers attack hereditary peers and foxhunters, they want to unshackle the present from the past. Yet to commune with our past is a natural human impulse.

We want to know where we came from and how society came to be as it is, hence interest in British history programmes on TV.

Every nation is defined by its heritage. Britain operates through institutions developed over centuries.

Most British people recognise this and this is why there is so much interest in the Monarchy, institutions, Parliament, Church, Armed Forces and the Crown itself.

In celebrating the Golden Jubilee we also celebrated our own identity.

THE REV D G GRIFFIN,

Newland.