It is amazing how many intelligent people in the UK actually 'bow' to the Monarchy working in tandem with the Church of England and by extension, the upper class.
Presumably you are talking about "Old Money" here?
I do not think that "Old Money" is institutionally capable of protecting itself the way they once could when (say) the House of Lords had a veto.
The "forelock tugging" respect of the working classes (as conservative a group as you would find) has long since gone.
Royalty is merely another class of celebrity, and the intelligentsia understand that better than any.
Sure, there is a lingering respect for the Queen personally, but not, IMHO, a great deal more than an emotional attachment to the Monarchy as Head of State.
So I'm not really sure what you mean about "bowing" other than the exaggerated sycophancy that seems to take over in the personal presence of the monarchy....
As for the Church of England and the traditional "upper classes" I really do not see either as relevant at all to the UK today. "Any economic unit can emit money. The serious problem is to get it accepted" Hyman Minsky
The attitude, besides the small percentage of yuppies in the financial sector who probably make up most of the readership from the UK of this blog, is 'I know my place in our society and for me to rise above it is not a correct one since myself and my family have been indoctrinated to this by many generations of toffs.'
This is the reason the British have always been of the mindset 'I am what I was born and I shall not aspire to much better'. Even though there has been small changes in the general population, it still permeates British society and culture. With very few exceptions; there aren't many TV shows or films produced in the UK which are aspirational-the only ones are bought from the US.
Besides the residue of an entrenched society; the non separation of church and state continue to also foster a society based on class. It continues in the schooling, communities etc. Very little is based on a meritocracy.
Very little is based on a meritocracy.
Very little is based on meritocracy in the UK as opposed to what it should be. No one is saying many other places are incrementally better but that doesnt absolve the UK of its mixing the monarchy and religion with the state which sustains its oppressive class system.
