The grand, ceremonial affair that is the state opening of parliament, with its pomp, opulence and demonstration of power and influence, has never seemed so distant from the lives of ordinary people.
The hallowed halls of the Palace of Westminster, creaking with ponderous processionals and draped in acres of red velvet and gold brocade are a million miles from the increasingly frenetic and fearful battles millions of us now fight on a daily basis just to keep our heads above water.
