The Commonwealth turns 70
Under its punchy boss, the post-imperial club is battling to make a global mark
THE TWO women at the top of the Commonwealth are determined to keep it buzzing. One is its titular head, Queen Elizabeth II, who adores the post-imperial cosiness of the club’s 53 members meeting in a grand conclave every two years—and who in turn is revered by many of the Commonwealth’s leaders and people. The other is Patricia, Baroness Scotland, a Dominica-born former attorney-general of Britain, who as secretary-general for the past three years has had the thankless task of trying to revive an outfit that, apart from the occasional sporting and heads-of-country jamboree, is widely reckoned to be pretty pointless.
On April 26th it will celebrate its 70th birthday as a modern club of equals, five days after the queen’s 93rd. Will it ever again wield real influence in the world, as it did, for instance, when nudging South Africa and Zimbabwe towards democracy near the end of the last century?
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline "Don’t let the sun go down"
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