Institute of Community Studies Working Paper No.1 - June 2002

In February 2002, there was a newspaper story about the 50th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne. It recalled that in London in 1952, hearing of George VI’s death, people got out of their cars and stood at attention as a mark of respect. If they’d done that in 2002, the paper suggested, most likely they’d find themselves carjacked. A slight exaggeration, perhaps. But no one old enough to remember 1952 will argue the point: this year’s Jubilee – not, notice, the 50th anniversary of the Coronation – will occur in a Britain transformed beyond imagination.

Written by Paul Barker, Elaine Bauer, Belinda Brown, Geoff Dench, Nick Green and Peter Hall

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