The Toffocracy's Event of the Year approaches, and with it demands for the 'exhilarating sight' of 'anarchists being blasted out of their pigsties by water cannon.' Or the right to free speech blasted away in the interests of tidiness and sadism. The 'anarchist' in question being the lovely Brian Haw and his epic anti-war camp outside Westminster Abbey. The squalid little fascist calling for this crime being one 'Damian Thompson', who is some kind of overpaid apologist for God, apparently. And they talk about waste in the NHS. From the delirious rambles on his blog, it is obvious that here is Father Seamus Fitzpatrick made flesh. Or 'incarnate', as he would prefer.
From the Queen's point of view, of course, nothing could be less British than the use of force against unarmed innocent protestors. In fact, the presence of Brian Haw's peace tableaux will be the crowning glory of the day, as far as the image of Britain abroad is concerned. And the only worry for Haw himself might be that his protest is actually exploited by the government to endorse the intervention in Libya on behalf of the same rights Haw is demanding.
Either way, the best photographic angle will be the one which includes both Haw and the wedding coach leaving the abbey, if it goes that route.
Perhaps someone should ask Kate Middlebrow and Prince Whatsisname whether they would like their bridal path to be cleansed of legendary British tolerance by an act of cynical brutality, and whether this is the omen they want to invoke at the start of their Journey Together Through Life. That when someone disagrees with you, you just say "Free speech be damned" and blast them away. Might is Right.
Yes Rick, the royal family of Britain should be reminded that the peace camp is their missing conscience, every time they start a war or send one of the eager young princes to sell lethal weapons to the vilest despots on the planet, they should be painfully reminded of Brian Haw and where they last saw their consciences.
ReplyDeleteTidying up the square to look 'nice' for the world's TV cameras won't make people forget that this is the government of Britain that sells weapons to the Israeli extermination forces and then looks the other way when the murderers use their tools.