THE passing of Her Majesty, the Queen Mother has finally brought the 20th century to an end. When she was born, Queen Victoria was on the throne.

The sun never set on the British Empire. Most of Britain was owned by the great families. Eighty five per cent of the farms were rented.

On her passing the sun never sets on the British Commonwealth. Most farmers have bought their farms. Some of them regret it. Rents are not paid to individuals, but farmers often pay interest, for the purchase of the land, to institutions of one sort or another.

In 1900, the Prime Minister was The Marquis of Salisbury, a product of Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford. In 2002, the Prime Minister is Tony Blair, a product of Fettes College and St John's College, Oxford. Perhaps things have not moved on so far after all.

However people vote, the countryside is a pretty conservative place. Not many country people now tug their forelock at the sight of a member of the House of Lords, unless, that is, they happen to owe them money.

The 20th century did see a number of interesting changes. The rise of the Labour Party as a champion of working people to government in the 1930s and then to metamorphose into the party we have in government has been spectacular.

Many of us balked somewhat at what seemed like the excesses of the Thatcher period with remarks, for example, about there being no such thing as society. Policy initiatives supported the needs and requirements of the individual as against the collective needs and requirements of all the nation.

Many were, at least, uneasy. Since 1997 there does not seem to have been any sort of reversal of policy. The Iron Lady's policies seem to have been taken up with a new vigour by the Iron Chancellor. Most of the traditional Labour policies which deplored huge payments to some which were far beyond any recognisable requirement to obtain a comfortable lifestyle, seem to have been abandoned.

George Bernard Shaw may have believed in equal wages for all on the strict understanding that it was only to come into effect after his death. There are no signs that such notions are even on the agenda now. Having said that, it is difficult to argue that captains of industry are not worth their huge salaries when no one seems to think that payments to footballers and other sports stars of vast weekly salaries is out if place.

So our modernising government goes on. The House of Lords has been reformed and many of the hereditary peers removed. Thus new legitimacy is conferred on the Lords, which they promptly use by throwing out Commons' legislation, to everyone's surprise.

There is no sign that our new political masters, now getting properly into their stride, are going to be any less elitist or expensive than the last lot, in fact rather the reverse. The people now looked down on, it seems to me, are those unfortunate enough to have to commute to work by public transport, rather than by ministerial car.

Out here, not only north of Watford, but also outside the town and cities of this great country, life goes on. Crops are planted, flowers bloom and the sun shines.

One occasionally meets someone who genuinely says that they support the socialist ideal. They normally do so from the comfort of a secure job, while also complaining about school fees. They must have been taken aback by the queues to pay respects to Her Majesty. This particular part of the system is working. Let's not try to fix it.

Updated: 10:37 Tuesday, April 09, 2002