Posted by Tania Kindersley.
My brain is all used up today, and I can hardly type one letter in front of another, let alone give you a coherent blog. Luckily, I came upon an enchanting piece by Jon Snow this evening, and I am going to direct you to it instead. It is about how Britain might not be quite as broken as the more sensational newspapers like to think:
http://blogs.channel4.com/snowblog/2010/04/21/a-story-of-unbroken-britain/
It's something I've been thinking of for a while. Of course there are feral children, and irresponsible parents, and shiftless scroungers, and venal bankers. Of course there are holes in the road and health and safety zealots and a permanent traffic jam on the M6. But there are also the carers and the volunteers, the courageous soldiers and the dedicated scientists, the investigative journalists and the antic comedians. There are the good, ordinary Britons who laugh when interviewed by a newsperson after being stranded for five days at JFK because of the ash and say: 'Well, you've just got to get on with it, haven't you?'.
So, thank you, Mr Snow, for saying all that for me when I am so tired my ears are about to fall off.
Appropriately enough, today is the Queen's birthday. I was once a furious republican, but age does curious things, and now I admire Her Majesty as much as any taxi driver. So Gor Bless you, ma'am.
Picture of the day is a little British collage:
(All pictures by me except Chelsea Pensioners, Dornoch Castle, and black and white police, which I found, uncredited, on the internet.)
I'm not even British and I quite like the Queen. And I definitely don't think Britain is broken. We all forget what it was like to live here some 20 years ago. I won't go into it, sufficient to say I was advised by some very knowledgeable people not to wear a trouser suit to job interviews as I would be thought a lesbian...Ashes to Ashes nails it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this Tania - I know what you mean about an age related shift - I always thought the Royal Family were a bit well, odd but without question the Queen has maintained a gracious presence having experienced seismic social shifts in her lifetime. I often think we live in a world of 'over knowledge- simply too much information. Cucumber sandwiches and tea at Belgravia Towers this afternoon xx
ReplyDeleteHear hear! Britain is NOT broken, but stories about kindness and compassion don't sell newspapers - so they say.
ReplyDeleteBut you only have to look at something like Pride of Britain and you can see that there are loads of fabulous people out there, just doing their thing - and people NEED that thirst-quenching gulp of good news, don't we?
Maybe someone should bring out a monthly news-sheet that is filled with more positive stuff?
I like the Queen. Visiting Britannia was like stepping into your granny's comfortable home albeit a terribly rich granny ;-)
I shall read- Jon Snow is one of the better things about Britain himself.
ReplyDeleteI love the Queen, I suppose in theory I am not a monarchist in that it doesn't make sense to be- but in actuality I can't see the point of paying for a President when we'd have to keep up all the houses anyway and they'd be a far, far worse person- we'd get a Blair type and the Queen is just so wonderful- not faultless but pretty darn amazing for decades. I am an enormous fan of her. Anyone who can do that job for that many years with so much grace and class gets my vote; I think she has given wonderful service and so yes she lives in luxury- so does Blair now and what did he do to deserve it (can you tell I am more than a little dissapointed with him?!)
Helena - the famous lesbian trouser suit! I am shrieking. I remember the days when anyone who refused to shave their legs was branded a lesbian, and that it was meant as an INSULT. The times are not perfect now, but oh there has been progress.
ReplyDeleteBelgravia wife - excellent news about the cucumber sandwiches. Standards must be kept up.
Alison - I think you are right.Perhaps time for a Good News blog - a shaft of light in dark times?
Rose - SO agree about the president thing. That is exactly what converted me from being an anti-monarchist. The thought of some awful swanky elected president made me turn back in gratitude to her dear old maj. Class and grace, quite right. And I too am madly disillusioned with Blair, all the more so because I once was a true believer.