Today’s walk took me past this spot of derelict land behind the high street in Westbourne. You can see about half of the plot in the photo. There’s a sign up explaining what the landowners have planned for what is currently an unsightly dumping ground. A hundred and twenty three poor quality, shoe box sized flats will be going up shortly.
How do I know these will not be spacious, desirable new flats? The sign is devoid of the flashy artistic impressions that accompany higher value blocks and it contains words like ‘affordable’ and ‘shared ownership’ rather than ‘prestigious’, ‘luxury’ or ‘only one left’. Also, the site is flanked on one side by a busy dual carriage way, and on another by rail lines. Not even triple glazing will keep all the noise out.
This sign was probably the most interesting piece of news I came across this week. You might, perhaps, think that the sordid saga of Harry and Meghan would top a property developers sign. But the truth is, whilst this building site-to-be will have little impact on my life, the ex royals will have considerably less impact. But you want to know what I think anyway, don’t you?
Well. Where does one begin with this verifiable shitfest of a family feud? I have the same sympathy for Meghan, or anyone marrying into British royalty, as I do for a person who climbs into the crocodile enclosure at the zoo to go for a swim with Mr Teeth and family. Actions have consequences. Read the sign on the gate and pay heed.
Had she not seen a single one of the several thousand Diana documentaries streaming on Netflix? Did no one mention that for a successful royal marriage, the whiff of incest is something of a must. Heavens, did nobody suggest she Google ‘Prince Philip racist bloopers’ before committing herself? And this is before we even get onto Prince Andrew.
Harry, meanwhile, is aggrieved that he couldn’t keep some of his favourite bits of royal service and was shocked – shocked! – that he was cut off financially when he walked out the door. Alas, it transpired, to his great surprise, that you can’t be a part-time prince. In much the same way you can’t be a part-time woman or a part-time German. You are, or you are not.
And a further alas; when one ceases to turn up for work, the employer does tend to stop paying the salary. The employer in Harry’s case, being myself and other British taxpayers. I’m afraid poor Harry will have to fend for his family with the paltry tens of millions left to him by mumsy. Yes, economies will need to be made, but I don’t think we’ll be seeing him at a food bank just yet.
Does any of this matter? Not one jot. And yet. Is anyone talking about anything else. Have I picked a side? The anti-wokes are whining that they’re not allowed an opinion anymore, and are using media organisations extensively to hammer that opinion home. Twenty four seven. They do not stop. And they will not stop until they can use the ‘n’ word once again without consequence.
The wokeists are adamant that one cannot question the motives or sincerity of an extraordinarily wealthy young couple airing the family’s dirty laundry in public in what appears to be a blatant PR stunt. Of course you can. I think they have the general public watching television entertainment confused with professional support services.
So I’ve not picked a side. They’re all quite, quite mad. They are both making stuff up as they go along to suit their own narratives, no matter how ridiculous. But look on the bright side. Hasn’t this all been a spot of pleasant relief from coronavirus and politics?
The Mexile 
I would so like to agree with you that the Harry Meets Meghan Show is a relief from the nattering about the virus and politics, but it seems as if the same sides are simply singing variations on a theme. And no one is saying anything very interesting. Maybe that is what Shskespeare had in mind, but the plague is not on the royal houses, but on us, who get pulled into the gravatational pull of celebrity-ness. Queen Mary once told her eldest son that no one cares about the opinion of an ex-royal, but it appears she was wrong. For some reason, perfectly sane people are acting as if it mattered what two unremarkable kids had to say.
As for secretly wanting to use the n-word, I was a bit confused by your coyness. I thought it linked back to being a part-time German, and I am called that n-word frequently by people who want to exercise Godwin’s Law and cut off some rather interesting conversation. I suppose both n-words combined would do the same thing.
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I have absolutely no doubt that if an alien race makes first contact tomorrow, we’ll have the same two groups commence arguing about how to respond. Send them some knitted swim wear with Alien Lives Matter logos? Or nuke them, just in case?
This was a frustrating post to write. I had a few points to make and a good idea how to join them together. But constant interruptions and a lack of time defeated me. I got bored, edited what I had and published.
But suffice it to say that I’m of the opinion that, particularly in the UK and US, fringe actors on the extremes have had something of a gravitational pull on large sections of the population and are exerting undue influence on the national conversations.
The ‘n’ word was not the one of the German origin. Obviously, there is a race element to the H&M debate. This is where my post started getting lost, perhaps. The ‘n’ word wasn’t something you’d likely hear in a public space five years ago. And most people still stop short. But some don’t.
I have a newish colleague at work. He’s a fairly affable chap. Not stupid. Interesting, on most subjects. Half way through our first shift, he made a passionate argument for free speech. His clear misunderstanding that free speech does not come without consequence suggested to me that if the conversation went on, he’d likely out himself as a racist.
We’ve done a few shifts since then. I’ve politely put an end to that line of conversation. Sometimes the ‘r’ word is used too quickly, unfairly or out of context. In this case, it’s more ‘hammer, meet nail’. But how I intended to fit this into a post about Harry and Meghan, i no longer know…
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I tend to agree with Steve but have little concern on being politically correct. Should we call a space a spade or tiptoe around such language. I guess that I remain somewhat old school and tend to use the language of my forefathers.
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I looked forward to it as a distraction, so I watched, listened, agreed, disagreed, but, in the end, it’s still politics, is it not? Or, in a way, turned into that…
I lost interest quickly.
Me getting my first jab tomorrow is more distracting at this point. I’m already looking forward to my second so I could visit family soon. That alone will make me feel like royalty. Maybe I’ll wear a crown on my first trip…
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After everything I’ve written, you probably assume I actually watched the interview. Not a chance. Two hours of it? I’d rather pull my toenails out with pliers. But as Steve mentioned in his comments, it’s just the same two groups rehashing the same arguments with a new headline. You don’t really need to watch it, do you?
Hope the jab went well. Mine shouldn’t be much longer.
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I have a bit of development going on here on the hill. A five acre lot has sold abutting the back of Linda and I’s property. The deer living there will not be happy or maybe they will-the new owner took down the deer hunting tree blinds as his/her first act. These people will need your triple glazing as the lot is only 300 yards from a six lane interstate running on a forty foot high causeway bridging the valley. I’m guessing horse people, most people who buy multiple acre lots out my way are looking to save money on horse boarding fees. Just forgoing the bill for one horse’s upkeep will cover the land cost in ten years time. Those hay burners are not cheap to keep.
And who are these Royals anyway?
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My family were once horse people, sort of. They had three acres just outside the New Forest which were kept trimmed down and gorse free by two ponies. No one ever rode them though. Not once the novelty worse off, anyway. Exercise was provided by a German Shepherd. They chased the dog, not the other way round.
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I am from British Columbia, touted as the Canadian province that is “more English than the English”. My mother’s family are English. I tlike the pomp of royalty.. As well I. have compassion for Harry and his brother becausey grew up without their mother. Even Meagan deserves some sympathy for her situation. But parading one’s “sad secrets” out in front of the whole world is not “good form”. And not even the young man formerly known as Prince, can expect to enjoy the advantages of his birthright without the dreary and dull parts, And yes, I too am much more excited about getting jabbed than in hearing more about the latest royal mess.
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I’m sure that plenty of what they had to say had at the very least some truth to it. But I just don’t care. The Royal Family are a tad racist? This is not breaking news. Report it to the police if it were bad enough to be criminal. She’s suffering from mental health issues? Talk to a mental health professional, not Oprah.
They’re extraordinarily wealthy. They’ll get by. But giving interviews like that is not how one ‘makes a fresh start’.
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The link may or may not work for you…
There’s no hard evidence of royal racism
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b721586e-81bf-11eb-8dc5-6a6f238d9d27?shareToken=f049096729d4c35776643889e11f2980
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