Current No 10 Tory tenant David Cameron tries to convince us "we're all in this together".
So has nothing changed during the Queen's 60-year reign?
A snapshot of Glasgow in my lifetime reveals most are wealthier, healthier and happier since the days when my parents still used ration books.
Obesity wasn't a problem, but now look at us in this world of plenty.
Britain in 1952 had 6.8million pensioners. Today it's 12.4m.
Glaswegians must have been a right sickly lot, because despite huge health advances we are still the sick man of Europe.
The Stirlings had one 19in B&W telly, no washing machine, no phone.
Traditional family meals promoted a sense of sharing, and developed social skills and the art of conversation.
Now kids shun the dining table for the sofa or become alienated in hi-tech bedrooms.
On telly we saw a man on the moon, the Berlin Wall falling, and UK inventions from the electric kettle to the worldwide web (although you can't open a box of tissues today without two coming out at once).
Divorce and scandal rocketed (and not just in the House Of Windsor). Living in sin, my old mum called it. Today it's cohabitation and single-parent households.
The old Glasgow Corporation tore down tenement communities and rehoused thousands in concrete high-rises.
Other tenements survived and still stand, which is more than can be said for most high-rises.
But shameful poverty still exists, although too many define it as being unable to buy wee Jimmy the latest 42in plasma telly.
The Troubles ended in Northern Ireland, but a law against sectarianism is deemed necessary in Scotland, where at football matches the Queen's name has ever been gratuitously flaunted as a red, white and blue rag to a 'Papal bull'.
And, speaking of the Old Firm, 1960s Euro glory is a distant memory as Rangers' self-inflicted misery threatens both clubs.
We still had National Service at 18 in 1952, and corporal punishment. What odds a referendum voting them back in?
The Swinging Sixties' free love mantra led to birth control and abortion reform, and the 1970 Equal Pay Act supposedly improved life for women.
On the plus side, we are less deferential to religion, politics and class. On the down side, there is less respect for elders, and even for ourselves.
During her reign, the Queen has seen 12 Prime Ministers come and go, the same in US Presidents and six Popes.
The Great may be detached from Britain, but it's hardly her fault.
Some Scots object to Queen Elizabeth II, since we never had Queen Elizabeth I, but there is no doubt she has been a source of stability.
Would you prefer President Thatcher?
At 86 the Queen has never been more popular – even in Scotland.
She reigns but does not rule. It may be undemocratic, an anachronism, but don't expect it to end any time soon.
I thought I'd accidentally switched to UK Gold on Sunday and re-runs of It's A Royal Knockout.
But, no, it was the BBC's Diamond Jubilee coverage of the Thames river pageant. And it sank without trace.
A surfeit of inane talking heads and B-list celebrities failed to realise the day was not all about them.
The Beeb was always a national treasure for national events, but Home Counties devotees were appalled they even messed up the Queen's title (it's HM, not HRH).
Just think, 17 days with Gary Lineker and Sue Barker at the Olympics...
