The weekend papers: nudging us while admonishing us
This morning the weekend papers have plastered the image of ‘the princes’ vigil’ over their front pages (link), with one exception: the ever campaigning Guardian. They lead with a report titled “Saudi Prince’s visit is a stain on the Queen’s memory”. You’ll try in vain to find this article in the online front page of that paper (link).
So, nosy old cow that I am, I delved deeply into the bowels of that particular beast, and lo and behold, what I found is staggering. This piece was written by someone in Washington and refers to a complaint by a human rights group based in the USA (link). This is ‘news’ worthy of the lead in the print edition? Words fail me!
It is however an excellent example of the lefty attitude that anything and anybody must listen to their complaints, regardless of the circumstances. It is similar to the posturing of the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle. He banned the Chinese delegation from ‘attending the lying-in-state of the Queen because China had banned five MPs from visiting their country (link), though graciously permitting them to attend the funeral service.
Does this mean that diplomats are given some sort of special entry to Westminster Hall rather than having to queue with the British plebs who are still coming to pay their respect? I’m asking for a friend … We also learn from that helpful BBC report that:
“A Downing Street spokesman said it was a convention that countries with which the UK has diplomatic relations should be invited to state funerals. Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Russia and Belarus have not been invited – whilst Iran, North Korea and Nicaragua have been asked to only send a senior diplomat. China’s President Xi Jinping is on the guest list but is not thought likely to attend.” (link)
No, I’m sure Mr Xi won’t attend now, even if he had planned to do so. I wonder though if or indeed when we’ll see some Guardian article screaming that North Korea ought not to be allowed to attend the Queen’s funeral ‘because: human rights!’.
One other report caught my attention. It’s another example for the attitude of the MSM which now see their task as ‘guiding’ and nudging us rather than giving us the news, unvarnished. In a nutshell, a man from the queue passing by the Queen’s coffin was trying to get to the coffin and was detained. This is the relevant quote: “The live video feed of the Queen lying in state cut away for a brief period during the incident.” (link).
Why did the live feed editors do that? Were the ‘authorities’ afraid that people out in the country might get ideas? Or were they afraid that showing this incident live would breach the man’s human rights of privacy?
It’s well known that people trust more that which they see than what they read. We’ve already lost trust in the ‘official’ print MSM and the selective propaganda output of the TV stations masquerading as ‘news’. Now we have proof that even live feeds are manipulated – for our own good, of course. Now even ‘live feeds’ have become untrustworthy.
I leave you with a few quotes from The Times’ ‘weekend essay’. It has the enticing title “It’s too much to hope the King can save us from ourselves” (link, paywalled). Yes, I gagged when I read this because I cannot recall ‘us’ asking Queen, King or indeed some politicians to ‘save us from ourselves’, even though the combined watermelons are pretending we do.
However, the first few paragraphs cheered me up even if it might not have been quite what the author intended. I ‘ll quote them at length in the hope they’ll make you smile as well:
“Cynicism, or at the very least, irony, is the British default mode. Radio audiences were sustained by it during the Second World War — “It’s being so cheerful as keeps me going.” (This from a leading character in Tommy Handley’s ITMA and said with a miserable voice. “Good thing abaht the Blitz — it takes yer mind off the war.”)
It is a cheering fact of national history that whenever Sir Oswald Mosley or one of his blackshirts stood for parliament they lost their deposit. This was not because the public were bleeding-heart liberals: it was because most British people, when at their best, are unserious. Their creed was that of Bertie in The Code of the Woosters, who says to the fictional version of Mosley, Roderick Spode: “You hear them shouting ‘Heil, Spode!’ and you imagine it is the Voice of the People. That is where you make your bloomer. What the Voice of the People is saying is: ‘Look at that frightful ass Spode swanking about in footer bags! Did you ever in your puff see such a perfect perisher?’ ” (link, paywalled)
A bit further down, there’s a reference in this paragraph which truly delighted me:
“The British way of having a monarchy, and with the monarchy all that goes with it, fits in with this perfectly. We scarcely needed Gilbert and Sullivan to remind us what is semi-absurd about the Yeomen of the Guard, dressing like characters in the reign of Henry VIII, or about the House of Lords in their ermine and coronets: “The House of Peers, throughout the war,/ Did nothing in particular/ And did it very well.” G and S were not revolutionaries, they were not trying to undermine the system, they were understanding that ceremony contains within it a dash of absurdity. That is not to say we wish to abolish ceremony, but that it carries within it a playfulness that does not really need to be satirised.” (link, paywalled)
Sadly, in the ensuing lengthy essay the author admonishes us, to better not indulge in ‘royal sentimentality’ when there are so many difficult problems looming on the horizon.
Well, it’s not us but the Westminster MSM which have done nothing but indulge in ‘royal sentimentality’! It’s organisations like the NHS, cancelling appointments because of the Queen’s funeral and then moaning about ‘moar backlogs. It’s the politicians, the MPs, who are hiding behind the Queen’s death, excusing their inexcusable inactions with ‘the nation grieves’.
What happened to ‘life goes on’? Apparently, that applies only to us peasants, not to those ‘elites’, ‘governing’ us, nudging us even while they swan around, displaying their own ‘royal sentimentality’!
Meanwhile, don’t get nudged and enjoy the weekend anyway. Listening to a bit of Gilbert and Sulivan will certainly help.
John Jerry that nincompoop of American politics, has said that he hopes King Charles will push for climate change. I hope John Kerry will just push off altogether and stop his interfering in British politics and affairs. In fact, I would go several steps further and hope that the present day USA, just pushes off as well. This country should strive to be not only fully independent of the European Union but also 100% free of American influence in the future starting as of now. I am sure that Kerry understands the notion that a King and Queen should remain politically impartial and neutral on political matters, but I doubt that he has the Royal Family’s best interests at heart, and it is more likely that his hope that King Charles makes political judgements will sow division instead. I wish I had the confidence of some that King Charles will abstain from making political judgements, but I don’t. It will only be a matter of time…
Re above…..should read John Kerry.
Charlie is already a climate change fanatic. We do not need any encouragement for him, rather he needs to be educated.
Today’s ‘Daily Sceptic’ newsletter is EXCELLENT on many issues.
As I said before FRAKKING in the UK will start in afew weeks time.
Most optimistic view is that oil will begin to flow in 6months time.
Sorry I am unable to give a link but do please read the Daily Sceptic.today.
Well Viv, my copy of ‘1066 and all that’ has just arrived. Absurdity? Satire?
However, I am currently re-reading Ken Follett’s ‘Pillars of the earth’, So I’ll delay reading 1066 and all that.
Pauline……and Ken Follett’s first novel ‘The Eye of the Needle’ is an excellent read as well if you haven’t read it. I couldn’t put the book down, and was the first novel I read within a week. Later made into a film of the same title, starring amongst others Donald Sutherland, Christopher Cazenove and Ian Bannen, which incidentally is a good film, but not as good as the book itself.
Vis-à-vis the Times article, the arrogant assertion that we need saving from ourselves, as in WE are wrecking the planet and in peril from ‘the far-right’ (resurrecting Mosley for the purpose shows the lack of current perps on that front) is pure projection. It is from the sick globalists, troughing politicians, divisive leftist hate-mongers and Guardianistas that we need saving.
I love the history, the buildings and institutions of church and state including the monarchy, that have evolved as the overarching framework for our national life. But I detest most of the present minnow incumbents of the offices.
So I would rephrase the Times article’s headline:
Is it too much to hope that we can save ourselves from the Green King, et al.
Now if Frosty was PM and Anne was ‘King’ I might have some hope.
Indeed Phil; your last sentence says it all.
Phil O’S 1.57pm. Fully agree with everything you have said.
POS, I couldn’t agree more with regard to the last sentence. However, I live in hope that Nigel Farage might return to the frontline of politics, but that hope is fading fast. Regards himself as a media man more than anything else these days, and prefers shouting from the sidelines from the comfort of a studio and on You Tube to a very limited audience, and interviewing increasingly nonentities on the ‘Talking Pints’ section of his GB News show.
It is a staple, a cliche, of let’s say heist films that someone splices into the CCTV feed a loop of an empty corridor. I am beginning to feel that each time I check-in I see groups of the same people passing the catafalque. Or perhaps it is just that we are that homogeneous as a people now.
But one moment stood out. Having grown up when Cowboys and Indians were acceptable TV, I remember the Indians raising a hand (a bit Hitler-like) in greeting to approaching strangers, and saying ‘Hau’. So it was spine-tingling to see an Indian, in a magnificent ‘Custers last stand’ feather headdress, approach the coffin and salute in this way. Moving is an understatement. The whole world really has come to pay their respects.
“Live” TV broadcasts are usually not in fact live. They are recorded and transmission delayed by ten or fifteen minutes so that undesirable events can be edited out.. ‘Twas ever thus. Watch any clocks in the background and compare with your own.
“Good thing abaht the Blitz — it takes yer mind off the war.” There is such a thing as national character. It’s hard to define – Orwell has come closest to capturing it perhaps – but we recognise it when we see it. It is revealed most clearly at times of crisis or stress. We are now home to the world’s most famous queue with friendships forming as people swap contact details at the end. On twitter: “You won’t regret a minute of it. Joined the queue alone early yesterday morning. The time flew by, made friends with a lovely pair of sisters. Supported all the way by emergency services, volunteer organisations and individuals, distributing water, snacks and encouragement.”
But character is in people not place and demographic changes are changing the national character. It has at most about three or four generations left. I learnt about Gilbert & Sullivan at school. (One of the school plays was a G&S opera). Much was taught about being British indirectly outside of the formal curriculum.
The British Bobby used to be part of our national character. ‘Used to be’ was brought home by Friday morning’s stabbing of two police officers in Leicester Square. Footage is now available. In it a tinged gentleman is surrounded by seven police officers and tasered. They help him up instead of handcuffing him on the ground – afraid of being called racist? – whereupon he starts slashing at them. They dance around him and he is only brought down again by a passer-by throwing his bicycle at him. Now they pin him down and put the cuffs on. One civilian with a bicycle out performs seven equipped police officers.
After the the second world war police were often ex-military and far more robust than today. There is a drop out rate from police training these days for reasons such as discovering the job includes unsocial hours, weekend working, and having to deal with people who resist arrest. The post war police must be spinning in their graves.
Even so, our national character is still there, still on display in what must be the world’s best organised lying in state. The live streaming of people filing past the coffin is mesmerising. Close ups of people’s faces are the best part. I dip in several times a day for a few minutes.
Mr. Yeoman…….you are certainly right there about policeman of yesteryear. When I joined the police in 1976, the senior officers and senior PC’s all wore WW2 medal ribbons on their service tunics, and the majority of those those who hadn’t actually served in the second world war came from a military background and therefore the discipline was already instilled in them. I was 19 years old when I joined and probably very ‘green’ behind the ears, but now I would even consider myself of their ilk and followed in their footsteps, and proud to wear my medal ribbons on my chest, when I had served sufficient years Until about 20 years ago the police training in this country was second to none, and was fairly regimental in nature, where you attended a 25 week residential course, where there was a heavy emphasis on polishing boots, pressing uniform, and physical training in addition to a thorough grounding in the application of law and police procedure. Nowadays it is somewhat different shall we say. The recruit application procedure has been slimmed down with dumbing down of physical minimum requirements, and residential courses have gone, no physical training, little or no discipline and the standard of training has gone through the floor where some recruits who would have been rooted out before they hit the streets years ago are now let loose without knowing their full powers. The result of all this is all too plain to see on our streets. Incompetent senior officers who should never been accepted as Constables are now running the show, and have overseen the practice that Theft, Burglary and Robbery are crimes that should no longer be treated seriously and that arresting offenders and depriving them of their liberty is somehow in breach of their human rights. I am glad that I joined the police when I did, and retired when I did, because the best days of traditional British Policing are well and truly over. However, it doesn’t have to be like this, and their needs to be root and branch reform. The police these days have been politicised and much of the blame has to be laid at the feet of politicians at national level, and a step in the right direction would be the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners and the return of Policing Boards. I could go on, but it would turn into an essay…
This site uses Akismet to destroy your comment.
t g s Akismet certainly makes it incredibly difficult to comment.
How do you know tgs, did it destroy one of yours?
Try putting your hand up vertically by your mouth and whispering hoarsley.
I`ve known that to carry quite a distance!
If you can`t read my comment you`ll know Akismet got me
This article points up some lovely questions. What is so terrible about deflation that the establishment hates so violently. Unions striking for less pay. Banks charging you for holding your money. ? There’s a new idea.!
Do old things become less valuable ? Is “The Repair Shop ” a good idea. Personally I find it boring old technology ( Like french polishing )of the thirties that was mastered by everyone. How would you pay them. Would shopkeepers put their prices up or down.?
Just asking.
They don’t understand inflation never mind deflation. If you print or issue more money and it’s value then, as well as being varied by issueing more can also be affected by supply or value of the what it is pegged to ?….. And if it’s not pegged to anything as presently then ???
Depends what sort of idiot you may be. Do you believe in the sacred economy ( GDP fictional number ) as believed in by your average MP or something else ?
Available energy, Average intelligence, Education level, Dexterity, Valid not monumental Infrastructure, Intellectual infrastructure, Sport, Dreams, Drug use, Population flying level.
So. In the middle ages ( or maybe Nebuchadnezzar ) we invented markets. Pathetic. But usable in ignorance and ‘Grannies Laws ‘ seriously useful. BUT What is the real truth. Rulers?. Good/ bad/ indifferent/ miscellaneous/ …?
Anyway somewhere in that lot lies the answer ( I think ). But I’m incredibly grateful I am British, and most immigrants ought to be as well. And think less about all idiot religions propogated and propped up by ignorance and thoughtless foolishness, wisdom, kindness and goodness as well. God save and help the King, even though he’s a bit of a self impressed twit. ( Aren’t we all )
If anyone knows the current answer ?
TG Spokes……….lucky you, you have the ability to go back in time if you wish, unlike the rest of us.
A Council in deepest Worcestershire has caused ‘ outrage’ by allowing refuse collections on Monday with one outraged resident of the area saying “Really how cruel are you? “If the bin men have to work, then so should you.“Shame on you, shame on you. In other words then I want to ‘mourn’ and so should everyone else and by the way to whom do I complain when my bins are not emptied.
The council has apologized, apparently saying that the government has advised that essential services should continue and in any case changes would cause all sorts of problems which would mean many would not have their bins emptied and crews would have to work over the weekend .
Others agree with the decision and it would seem that not everyone supports the mawkish sentimentality rather than respect on show over the last few days and their views can be summed up by these comments , ‘all the people calling it shameful will be the first moaning that their bins smell and haven’t been collected for two weeks , Bins need to be collected the world hasn’t ended. And ‘ The Queen didn’t stop work when my dad died, nor would I have expected her to. Ordinary life rumbles on. Good decision.
That makes a change Norman.
I haven’t watched any of this carnival of grief so far, and haven’t any intention of wasting my time on Monday watching it either. No disrespect to the Queen, she has been remarkably dutiful, but the cameras will focussing on low life hangers on, the pop stars, bishops, billionaires,,media owners and their poodle editors and the droves of scum political class – that is just too much for me to bear.
Collecting refuse is a statutory obligation of local authorities, and where I live in Kent, they collect household waste products for recycling on all bank holidays. Let’s face it, members of the armed forces, Police Officers, Ambulance Service, Fire Service, Prison Officers, Power Station staff and Accident and Emergency staff at Hospitals, have to work all bank holidays and around the clock every day, 365 days per year. Not so with regards to our lame and lazy political class, who feel the need to take several weeks off every five minutes because they are such hard workers (not) and feel hard done by. If we were all like them, nothing would ever get done.