Written by ‘Norman’
Well, that’s it then. The festive decorations and cards are starting to lose their sparkle, unwanted presents are already finding their way to various auction sites and tearful, if sometimes forced, farewells to overnight guests as they make their way back to their respective homes. You can just imagine some of the conversations: “That’s it. Don’t know how I kept my temper listening to that twaddle your sister spouts,” or: “What an earth was wrong with your father? It was like hearing a party political speech for most of lunch. I don’t care what you say, we are not doing that again ever!” Of course, they will, although it will be interesting to see how many relationships will translate into ‘fee earning’ consultations with the legal profession in early January.
No doubt many of the high-profile cases will be reported at length in the gossip columns of the tabloid red-tops, which seem these days to report little else other than twitter tattle gleaned from social media and featuring the boring goings on of so-called celebrities, influencers and wanna-bees, mostly self-promoted and apparently very popular with those sections of the public which inhabit the online virtual world. Which probably explains why much of the population seems to be obsessed with Covid, climate change and the goings on of some people totally unknown to most of us but nevertheless rewarded with endless features and column inches in the print media.
Move on into the so-called serious stuff written in the broadsheets and it’s much the same. Innuendo, gossip and made-up stuff regurgitated sometimes from other articles written in other newspapers. One this weekend featured a story (for that surely is what it was) with a headline which bore no substance or relation to the words below it and quoted paragraphs from reports in no less than three other newspapers. The whole thing reminds me of that song from the 1930s which had in the verse: ‘I once danced with somebody who knew somebody who knew someone who danced with the Prince of Wales!’
There is apparently a boycott of the BBC at the moment where viewers are being asked to turn off Auntie as the schedules for the holiday were the self-same stuff as last year. The idea being that if viewers show their non-appreciation of this the programme planners may start to provide programming that people would actually want to watch. That’s about as likely as Boris Johnson reinhabiting the same world as the majority of people who don’t work in the feather bedded public sector, often with great financial and emotional hardship, over the last 21 months.
‘Better the devil you know’ seems to be the prevailing attitude from many people who seem to be quite happy to put up with a return to the patronising elitist attitudes and behaviour of ‘that club’, to which many of them belonged while at school. Or worse, the man from ‘Whitehall knows best’, which over the closure of the last couple of years they have most ably demonstrated that they do not. But then, when you are being paid many times the salary of the everyday person not in the public sector, why should you bother with what the masses think? “We shall just retire to the leafy lanes eventually with a nice gong, a hefty pension pot and summer at our villa in the Dordogne.’ If for some unknown reason you feel like standing in the rain clapping or pot banging for our new religion of the NHS (actually not new despite what the press would have you believe), just think that even more managers are being paid £250,000 a year. Who do these people think they are? Footballers or something? And you thought the class system was dead and gone. Well, think again. It’s still there and this time right in your face.
Did you watch the Queen some time over the holiday? Thanks to streaming channels, long gone are the days when much of the nation tuned in at 3.00pm to hear or view the speech, although interestingly I read that this year it topped the viewing figures. The consensus from people I’ve heard talking about it is that she was very good. It’s not been a good year for her, certainly that picture of her sitting alone at the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh was nothing more than a national disgrace, emulated the country over, I may add, by families who were also prevented by draconian, ill-thought-out rules imposed on the masses by politicians and civil busy bodies, whom it is now clear just pleased themselves and did what they want and when they wanted. Incidentally the photograph of the Queen was very evocative of that photograph 30 years ago when Diana was photographed in a similar setting outside the Taj Mahal, both it seems used in a similar way by the media.
There are quite a few commentators and scribes pontificating about how this country is still Christian, which seems hard to believe when the head of the CofE seems to me, and many others, to have lost the plot. Falling congregations are the order of the day in many areas and out here in the sticks many churches like pubs have either closed or are hanging on by a thread. Not surprising when a visit to any church service will show rows of empty pews, a usually middle aged or elderly congregation and a clergy from the local team who in St Mary on the Wold has responsibilities for nine parishes. I’d go so far as saying that many people, if not most, when occasionally attending any sort of ‘service’ have little idea of where to sit, when to kneel or stand and, as could be seen during the service at Westminster Abbey over the weekend, seem to make no attempt to take part in prayers or to sing. Maybe it’s as the Queen herself said in her broadcast, we enjoy singing Christmas carols so long as it’s a good tune that we know. Quite, but looking at the ‘invited’ congregation, many of whom seemed a dour lot anyway, they obviously didn’t know the words to either the carols or the Lord’s Prayer.
Anyway, this weekend brings a New Year. The days are getting longer although it certainly doesn’t feel like it here in St. Mary on the Wold as it has been dark, murky and foggy for what seems like days now. However, we do have some bulbs poking through in our garden borders which is always a sign of the coming spring and bring hope of better times to come, although with the pervading atmosphere of impending doom and fear still being spread here and around the world by British ‘soft power’ I’m not particularly optimistic or drawn to make New Year wishes. As my old grandmother used to say: “You can wish in one hand, Norman, and spit in the other and see which comes first.”
At any rate, to all our readers, let’s hope in this brave, new, built back better world of the new normal, we all have a healthy and peaceful New Year.
Really enjoyed reading your observations Norman, thank you.
If only people would ‘boycott’ the BBC!!! If only they would give up on it altogether! If thousands (nay millions) of us stopped paying their propaganda tax there might be some changes made! We no longer have a licence. Haven’t missed anything by not watching live TV. Actually finding it more restful to choose more carefully what we watch on the many other options that we have available!
I have given up on the Queen. I used to have great respect but not any more. She has become ‘one of them’ now and is more often than not parroting their ‘messages’ dutifully as instructed! Her deference to Charles now is palpable. It’s as though she has ‘given up’ and recognises that he will soon be taking her place!!
I did laugh about your opening paragraph though. Have experienced many of the same conversations over the years. Whatever we say we still meet up every year with those of the familial unit! Family for good or ill is what makes us what we are! Though if the likes of Boris Johnson and his ilk have their way we will all be living in the same family-less World that Ann Farmer described so chillingly in one of her recent sagas. I think I’d rather keep the old fashioned querulous family units going a bit longer thanks!
Norman. Glad you are still writing for I.D.
Strikes me that your Audi Avenue is the best example of Frederica’s APATHY.
Isn’t this long drawn out ‘Festive Season’ tedious. At the very least, a bore and sometimes worse than that.
I suppose I should say Happy New Year to everyone.
Well the best I can do is say – hope it is better than the last one!
I think that verse you quoted is incorrect, and it should have read ‘I’ve danced with a man, who danced with a girl, who’s danced with the Prince Of Wales. The song was written in 1927 by someone called Farjeon and it was based on fact. The Prince of Wales attended the Ascot Cabaret Ball and was so taken with a woman called Edna Deane who was a ballroom dancing champion, that he asked to dance with her on no less than nine occasions. Fast forward to the 21st Century and the Conservative Party Conference Gala Ball, how many ladies would accept the offer of a dance with Boris Johnson on nine occasions. Answers please on the back of a matchbox or should I say the back of a postage stamp……
Or the Prince of Wales Colin.
I was a bit disappointed that the Queen felt she had to commend the mad climate change ideas, of her son and grandson.
Still they don’t actually rule us any more, do they.
At the end of the day, the Queen is echoing the thoughts of Her Majesty’s Government in other words the numpty in residence at 10, Downing Street, nothing more nothing less. Lets face it by honouring the likes of Whitty, Van Tam and Tony Blair with knighthoods, the three most enthusiastic supporters of endless lockdowns and restrictions on our lives over the past two years, could only happen under a Johnson led authoritarian dictatorship as we are experiencing right now with no apparent end in sight. All the more reason to be rid of this clueless twerp as soon as possible. What is missing however is a political party which we can all get behind and support which will tell the public the truth and how it really is. At the moment that political party does not exist. We have many pretenders who might claim that crown, but in reality they are just as useless as the Conservative Party. Come on Nigel, get that party together, and lead us to the promised land. We have been waiting long enough……..
A good read, Norman. Conflating two of your topics, the BBC appointed a 20-year BBC lifer, Aleem Maqbool, as their head of religion, after a fair and open process, they said. Well of course it was. And why should the head of religion at the national broadcaster in a nominally Christian country be a Christian? There must be dozens of muslim countries with non-muslims leading their religious broadcasting. They have form of course. Fatima Salaria, a BBC editor, was made commissioning editor for religious programming in 2017. After a few notable uplifting programmes about religion in Britain, like ‘Muslims Like Us’, she moved onwards and downwards to C4.
Thank you Norman for another incitful article bringing common sense to a mad (evil) world (take your pick).