Tomorrow Charles Saxe-Coburg Gotha will sit on a chair in London and wear a strange hat.
Apparently, this has many Brits all lathered up.
It reminds me that which is cultural is not amenable to reason.
The featured image is the front page of Private Eye, and, as ever, the folks at the Eye capture the ridiculousness of the British establishment’s posturing.
Although these are the waypoints that historians are fond of as they’re far enough apart to gauge what was changed between the two events.
The last time this ceremony happened, his mother, Elizabeth, was the centre of attention.
In June 1953, the British Empire was still extant, although in the process of being dismantled.
The Royal Navy had the second-biggest surface fleet on the planet.
It would be another three years before President Dwight D. Eisenhower reminded Britain they were now a subordinate state within the new American imperium.
The idea of another Suez Crisis in the 21st century is utterly unthinkable.
Somewhat comically, the Royal Navy now has more admirals than ships.
In 1953 the televisual age had just begun in Britain, and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was the first to be televised.
Seventy years on, all is changed changed utterly.
In ration book Britain of 1953, it was impossible for someone like Francis Martin Patrick Boyle to be on the black and white screens, let alone say what the son of Donegal parents actually thought about the British monarchy.
I mention the comedian’s Irish family as that is undoubtedly where he got his acerbic súil eile.
It probably has never occurred to many in Scotland why their most creatively insurgent comedians hail from Glasgow and have Irish surnames.
For the avoidance of doubt, the republican sentiments espoused by the bold Frankie have been ruled as verboten by the police in London at the coronation tomorrow.
The commoners have been warned.
So fair play to Channel 4 for giving the Glaswegian a platform for his hilarious dissidence.
They also analysed the invented nature of many of these putative ancient traditions that will be on display tomorrow in London.
On Planet Fitba, only one club has sought to imbibe the coronation spirit.
I’m sure this quality product will be a massive hit with the Ibrox klanbase.
I’m told that it mixes well with a dash of toilet water.
It would be remiss of your humble correspondent if I did not record my admiration for the Celtic fans at Hampden in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
Moreover, anything that upsets the appalling Piers Morgan is making the world better.
Graham Spiers hosted an intelligent discussion on his podcast about the relevance of the Coronation to Scottish football.
When I see this shite, I see a society built on deference that can’t be healthy for those who live in it.
When I see this stuff, I’m grateful that I can vote for my head of state
The last time I was in the presence of Uachtarán na hÉireann Mícheál Dónal Ó hUigínn was in 2016 in my father’s town of Westport.
He was there, as we all were, to honour the 31 men the Brits had sent to the Frongoch internment camp after the Easter Rising.
Among them was my great uncle Michael Derrig.
These words blink to life in a townland where the British monarch’s writ used to run.
Many counties with a seat at the United Nations celebrate their independence day to mark when they were no longer ruled by Britain.
They know the reality of living under the Butcher’s Apron and aren’t afraid to say so now.
I would wager that during the reign of Charles III, more and more ex-British colonies in the Commonwealth will go the way of Barbados.
History takes a long time, and the decline of the first truly trans-global imperium is happening before our eyes if we care to look for it.
The event tomorrow in London is another waymark on the road to global irrelevance.
For example, the Irishman in the White House will not be in attendance.
The decision of First Minister designate Michelle O’Neill to attend the event shows maturity and leadership.
In large part, the attitude of Brits to this pageant of celebrity feudalism will be dependent on age.
Here Ash Sarkar of Novara Media lays it out straight.
I do feel for those who are still under the British Crown and realise the iniquitous nature of it.
In a sense, the deluded ones with Deference Disorder are the lucky ones.
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Charles has shown himself to be a twat over the years. Those now fawning over him can be put in the same category.
Not a Celtic supporter but fully behind what they sang last Sunday. Having lived in England & Wales when some royal occasion was on I am glad to be back in Scotland away from all the grovelling crap.
#HaveWeGotNewsForYou https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fNaylnxYtWs
There is a strong element of insanity about this royal freak show. Charlie’s dressed up like someone from the circus. Andrew will be skulking about looking for his confiscated medals. Auld Anne is stuck with an unfortunate choice of head wear. As an institution, they’re unwise, uncool, unelected.
Unfortunately they’re also unrepentant!!
Unspeakable and uneatable-sorry Oscar.
The audience on “Have I Got News For You,” gave the Celtic (or Keltic as Ian Hislop said) fans singing at Hampden on Sunday a positive reception.
The only worthwhile thing (well, almost) is that even Charlie Chuckles is telling them to ‘mind the gap’. To hell with the lot of them, monarchy and aristocracy all – the existence of monarchy and aristocracy in the 21st century is an absolute affront to basic human dignity and decency.
Absolutely bang on!! How, in this day and age someone can be thought, believed, through the luck, (or bad luck) of birth, to be better than anyone else, is completely beyond my understanding. I simply cannot get my head around how any rational, even remotely semi-intelligent adult, can still believe in this medieval claptrap. It shouldn’t have lasted anywhere, any longer than burning witches at the stake.
I despise coronation crap. I remember the last one very well. I was only 4 years old but remember it like it was yesterday. There was a long table set up outside our house for a street party. All the kids were there throwing jelly and cake around and having a ball. Me, I was in the front room of our house watching out the window and wondering why I couldnt join in. Many years later I found out that the local orange grand mistress who lived just across the street had advised my mother to keep me in as the party was for protestant kids only. So tomorrow, I will remember what Connolly said. We Serve Neither King Nor Kaiser but Ireland. Just as pertinent today as it was back then
Cheers Phil, it’s occurred to me often that developmental psychology offers some insights into entities like Sevco and the royals. At one end of the developmental spectrum you have an adolescent, filled to the brim with self confidence, without any self awareness, believing their own hype and publicly strutting and demanding to be seen. While privately, they’re anxious, unsure of their identity and scared of exposure.
At the other end of the developmental spectrum you have a decaying senior citizen, trying desperately to dazzle everyone into forgetting their degenerate and vicious past with baubles and feigned dementia.
They’re both repellant and corrosive in equal parts.
I suppose it’s an ability of sorts for Piers Morgan to reveal so much factual, tonal and historical ignorance in such a short space of time. Piers Moron indeed.
At least they got it right with “celebrate with the new r*****s”
Agreed.
Is the Speirs podcast only behind a paywall? If so, is it worth stumping up for? I think Speirs is generally quite strong on the cultural side of Scottish football. I saw some Celtic fans criticising his promotional tweet suggesting we discuss the issue. That was disappointing: that’s EXACTLY what we need to do.
Also happy to second the Novara Media shout out. They were very good on this matter following the Queen’s death: explicitly republican while clearly respectful of sincere monarchists/royalists and balanced about where all of that comes from etc.
A bit more of that all round (and some more Private Eye piss-taking of the circus too).
Morgan really has no sense of irony. How the editor of the NoW can portray himself as a defender of the monarchy is ludicrous. And no one called him out on his rank hypocrisy
Interesting that Michelle is going, I think she’s hell of a woman . I personally think Charles is an evil prick with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Leave them to it
It’s nice to see that “The Rangers” have finally admitted that they are not “Rangers” anymore. I mean read their post celebrate the coronation with the “New Rangers”
A toilet water chaser raised to king charlatan the turd #ZombieNation
Actually, Phil, it’s TWO strange hats.
Equality & Inclusion is only for us plebs.
We’ll never get to know the FULL bill for this nonsense:
but we have to pay for it.
…and the Met will do you, if you dare to publicly express your disagreement…
Absolutely mental in the year 2023.
The UK is a ‘modern, progressive society’ ? My @rse!
🙁
Well said Phil.
When I last attended Celtic matches the song, when playing Patrick Thistle, was,
You can shove your jaggy Thistle up your arse….
So on and so fourth.
It invariably ended with the cry….
“RIGHT UP”.
I didn’t hear this when the republican Celtic fans sang their rendition about the coronation, but, if they sing it again, please be sure to add the “RIGHT UP”.
Millions struggling to feed thier kids and these evil bastards spend 100s of millions on a day of arse licking for the head of an unelected crime syndicate.
As I say… Charlie boy, shove your coronation up your arse, RIGHT UP.
I think Joseph Brennan pretty much nailed it…
The only right acknowledged
By the people living now,
Is the right to obtain honour
By the sweat of brain and brow.
The Right Divine of Labour
To be first of earthly things,
That the Thinker and the Worker
Are manhood’s only kings.
On this day you forgot to mention one of the greatest rebels since 1916.!
Even the comments are bland, we have read it all before, haven’t we.
Fuck the coronation
42 yrs ago Bobby Sands died for a united Ireland.
Not long now.