Some excerpts:
What good is the Commonwealth, that extended family of 53 states born out of the British Empire and now celebrating 60 years of its modern incarnation? Encompassing nations as different as Canada, Jamaica, Pakistan, Brunei, Cameroon and Kiribati, it boasts a membership of almost two billion people – 30 per cent of the world's population – yet still has a feel of bygone pomp and those old school ties.
Mozambique aside, shared heritage is the common link. Mother might have been a strict colonial governess but she also had her decent side, introducing laudable things such as democratic government, robust legal and educational systems, plus a love of cricket, rugby and English literature. Now the world is very different and, while Queen Elizabeth II remains a symbolic head, the Commonwealth is today best seen as a global network bringing together an extraordinary mixture of faiths, wealths and lifestyles. As Nelson Mandela put it when South Africa rejoined in 1994, "The Commonwealth makes the world safe for diversity"...
...Many passengers grew up at a time when the ties with our fellow Commonwealth members were more apparent, forged by geography and history lessons at school and the shared struggles of the Second World War. For my 86-year-old mother, Mary, merrily drinking tequila cocktails on the sun deck, the Commonwealth is just one of the many fixed stars in life's bright firmament, like Wimbledon, Gardeners' Question Time, Joanna Lumley and an undying urge to write postcards...
...Democracies may crumble, but sightseeing itineraries rarely change, and our first photo stop is the now mothballed Parliament building. Semi, our bouncer-like guide, tells us that while many islanders would like to rejoin the Commonwealth, it barely matters because Fiji has always had close links with the Queen and will do "till the end of the world". The Union Jack is still there on Fiji's national flag, the Queen's head graces the national coinage, and people still talk as if Prince Charles nips over every weekend for a little kava drinking and fire-walking...
You can see the rest on the Telegraph's web site. Quite a good article!
