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Not a fan then?
This is only for those of you who enjoy superb writing, or more correctly, reading good writing.
There are a few amongst you, & I know you'll enjoy these pierces which I - & hopefully you guys - can put up as & when they appear.
I'm not saying I agree - or not - with the articles. It's the quality of writing that I want to share.
So here's the first two.
Comments
But how about this for a truly wonderful piece of writing.
It was written in 2010 by a chap named Christopher Hitchens, who has since passed away, but of course it's now topical.
Prince an 'Intellectual Weakling'
“This is what you get when you found a political system on the family values of Henry VIII. At a point in the not-too-remote future, the stout heart of Queen Elizabeth II will cease to beat. At that precise moment, her firstborn son will become head of state, head of the armed forces, and head of the Church of England. In strict constitutional terms, this ought not to matter much. The English monarchy, as has been said, reigns but does not rule. From the aesthetic point of view it will matter a bit, because the prospect of a morose bat-eared and chinless man, prematurely aged, and with the most abysmal taste in royal consorts, is a distinctly lowering one.”
We have known for a long time that Prince Charles’ empty sails are so rigged as to be swelled by any passing waft or breeze of crankiness and cant. He fell for the fake anthropologist Laurens van der Post. He was bowled over by the charms of homeopathic medicine. He has been believably reported as saying that plants do better if you talk to them in a soothing and encouraging way... The heir to the throne seems to possess the ability to surround himself—perhaps by some mysterious ultramagnetic force?—with every moon-faced spoon-bender, shrub-flatterer, and water-diviner within range.
Together with the Saudi royal family, he supported the mosque in North London that acted as host and incubator to Richard “Shoe Bomber” Reid, the hook-handed Abu Hamza al-Masri, and several other unsavory customers. The prince’s official job description as king will be “defender of the faith,” which currently means the state-financed absurdity of the Anglican Church, but he has more than once said publicly that he wants to be anointed as defender of all faiths—another indication of the amazing conceit he has developed in six decades of performing the only job allowed him by the hereditary principle: that of waiting for his mother to expire.
A hereditary head of state, as Thomas Paine so crisply phrased it, is as absurd a proposition as a hereditary physician or a hereditary astronomer. To this innate absurdity, Prince Charles manages to bring fatuities that are entirely his own.
The second is a much different topic, but again, very topical. As it happens, I agree with every word. But that's not my point.
Try this for a bit of the old character assassination.
The subject? LIV Golf & Sergio Garcia.
https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/09/11/eamon-lynch-sergio-garcia-bmw-pga-championship-withdraw/
Wow. Just wow.
He was many things. In my view, over-rated. To his credit, he was good at attacking people who everyone at the time considered untouchable. Religion. Or Mother Teresa, for example. Better at causing people to think, rather than actually convincing people. Starting debate-not winning it.
But his thought was (to my mind, at least) not sufficiently original. For example, the best line in that diatribe is not his:-
"The English monarchy, as has been said, reigns but does not rule."
The rest? Hopelessly dated. The attacks on Charles' looks, or choice of spouse? Rather sad.
King Charles will not be a bad King. Rather, he will be an acceptable King that will not live long in the memory. Much like Edward 7th. Following a long-lived and much-loved monarch. Coming to the throne late in life. Reduced to a continuity role-which, incidentally, he will (IMO) do rather well. For a relatively short time. The future of the Monarchy, and whether it can retain relevance, will be in his son's/grandson's hands.
Personally, I am not a huge fan of the Monarchy. But it has 2 important attributes:-
1. It brings in a lot of tourism and money, and makes us stand out for certain traditional values
2. Monarchy may have its flaws-but I would rather have a King than some form of President pretending to be a King
History does tend to repeat itself. I do hope that Prince Harry does not continue to play the Princess Margaret role.
@Essexphil
Ha, that EXACT line was the one that made me catch my breath. So good.
"The English monarchy, as has been said, reigns but does not rule."