LONDON -- If anyone had doubts about the public mood in Britain, a few days last week would have dispelled them beyond all argument.
The British love their country and they love their queen. They showed it in the millions, not just by jamming the streets of London and waving millions of Union Jack flags (most of them made in China) but by turning every street, every town square and every village green into a prolonged weekend party.
The immediate excuse for this amazing demonstration of national unity and emotion was to celebrate the Golden Jubilee, or 50th year, of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. But one would have to be very cynical, or very supercilious, not to perceive deeper sentiments at work. This was not just another large London crowd looking for an entertaining day and night out -- although they certainly got that, thanks to brilliantly organized events and parades that made superb television and brought the queen and her family to the center of cheering, flag-waving multitudes on a scale never before seen in living memory, not even at her coronation 50 years ago.