Ignore the pomp: thanks to Boris Johnson, Britain has never been less united | Martin Kettle

The full uniformed flummery of the state opening of parliament belies the fragile state of the nation

You had only to watch a few minutes of the state opening of parliament to know that, in Britain, an old order is passing. Most comment has focused, naturally enough, on the enforced absence of the Queen, and on Prince Charles deputising for her. But the process of change we are witnessing is not just about individuals, it's about our governance too. It's about our politics - and it's even about the nation itself.

The rituals and robes of a state opening appear familiar. But they are an invented tradition from the imperial age, like the building in which they take place. What we saw on Tuesday dates from 1852, during the reign of Queen Victoria, who only intermittently opened parliament herself. Most of the current uniformed flummery was created for Edward VII in 1902.

Martin Kettle is a Guardian columnist