You will be as delighted as I am to read that Prince Louis will be attending the coronation alongside George and Charlotte. whoever they are. My heart leapt at this news, didn't yours?
No? I am not surprised.
This is just another 'Daily Mail' story ignoring the real problems in the UK and pandering to royalists everywhere. Their Tory lies have not convinced anyone so talk about something that distracts the readers is the usual way. So, the 'Online Mail' fills the top of the page with tripe like this.
A serious point has to be made however. Charles, they say, (always 'they' whoever 'they' are) wanted a 'cut down' coronation. So who decided to make it a bog occasion, Holiday, long weekend, pubs open late, and all that? Surely this was a government desire to blind the population to their faults, if indeed they are still in office come the day.
Surely if the monarch wishes to be popular he would avoid spending millions on an event in times of cost-cutting? Surely he would be avoiding large gatherings and seek a cheap coronation? Now, after fifty years awaiting his enthronement I can understand Charles wishes to have his big day, but consider the effects on the public.
In Scotland support for the monarchy is falling, 36% were in favour, if I remember the last poll correctly, 45% against. So a third of the country is for a monarch, mostly Tories and Rangers fans, and an ever growing number wish to lose royalty. This in a nation where the monarch was known to wander the pathways around Balmoral freely, accompanied only by a security man and rarely recognised, and usually ignored by the public. A friend of mine walking there one day met Camilla and her guard wandering the hills. They chatted amiably and went on. This ought to continue whatever the decision, but for Charles to ignore, or not be made aware of the publics view is a mistake.
There is also the question of the Stone of Scone (pronounced 'Scoon') now kept in Edinburgh Castle. On this stone the King of Scots is crowned, and until now it has been placed under the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey. Stolen by Edward I the brutal imperialist English king in 1296 during one of his failed invasions, and removed to London where it was imprisoned until returned by a desperate London government seeking to stop Scottish Nationalism in 1996. That failed. The question now is, ought the stone to remain in Edinburgh? Should Charles be forced to come to Scone Abbey and be crowned 'King of Scots' there? I wonder if the new First Minister has the guts to ask this question?
I doubt it.
You can tell it is a Saturday simply by looking at the 'Online Mail.' Every Saturday without fail we find a Second World War story, this time one featuring Plaszow Concentration Camp, an unruly, lawless place, even by Nazi standards. This story tells us off a violent man who allowed the power to go to his head, and the survivor who sought him out after the war and had him brought to justice.
Now the tale is not pretty, but the tale is not important. What is important is to remind the reader that 'They are British,' and that 'We won the war,' and allow them to sink into the Brexit dream of imperialist greatness that would make Edward I jealous. The facts of the war matter not, most of the readers were not born during the war, it is the 'British Flag Waving' that counts. As indeed does the coronation story at the top of the 'Mail Online' page.
Journalism, who needs it?
There has been a bit off a hoo-hah in the press because a Glasgow company, 'Morton's Bakers,' has ceased to exist. This Bakers has become famous in the west of Scotland for providing the morning roll so beloved by Scots, especially on a Sunday morning! While this is sad news for Glaswegians it kind of surprised me as in Edinburgh it was more normal on Sunday mornings to walk to the local bakers shop for rolls and then gather the newspapers from the nearby newsagent. It is to be hoped the clever people in the house already had bacon, eggs or square sausage available for the rolls, or there would be trouble! As far as I know this is still normal procedure for many. Huge bakeries may supply rolls to supermarkets and large shops, but the rolls from the local baker are always the best in the world. All over Scotland small bakers can be found hard at work at a Saturday midnight as they prepare the requirements for the morning. In times past, when I was walking home, too late for a bus, to cheap for a taxi, I often made my way through Stockbridge. Just after passing Royal Circus on the right hand side were a row of shops. Amongst them there was a small bakers shop hard at work, and on a quiet, late summer night the fragrance of the bakers work filled the air all around. Marvellous! I remain unconvinced such wee bakers can survive with large supermarkets around but surely many do. There is nothing better than entering such a shop, being served by a 16 year old (if that) on her first job, possibly buying a 'snowball' or two, and maybe a couple of 'Fly Cemeteries' for later. Now, we have a large 'Greggs' in this town but there is no way I would buy in that shop (I use Tesco) if there was a suitable bakers nearby. Sadly this area does not possess one such wee baker.
However, for the hungry, I have found a suitable recipe for those able and willing to learn how to eat properly. Scottish Scran Go read and learn how to eat properly!
