Two good runs and a sand-blasting beach walk over the last 3
days.
Today we listened to the Queen’s annual message to her loyal
subjects. Clearly written by government spin doctors, it was notable for three distinct
pieces of propaganda. The first was a brief eulogy about the allegedly happy
and mutually supportive family which is the crumbling remnants of the British
empire – probably in anticipation of some posturing about Malvinas oil reserves
off the coast of Argentina. Second was stressing the benefits of sport. She seemed mainly to be referring to polo and the recreational slaughter of animals, but the sub-text was unmistakable,
at a time when her loyal subjects are about to host the hugely expensive
Olympics in the teeth of a double-dip recession. And finally, echoing some recent waffling by David Cameron about Britain
being a Christian country, she was bigging up the role of forgiveness in modern
life. Cameron was obviously trying to appease some of his red-neck supporters, but the Queen's motive was less clear although, when that message comes from such a
privileged and socially-insulated mouth, Marx’s opium of the masses springs immediately to mind.
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