I remember our street having a party for the queen’s silver jubilee in 1977. I even have the coin we were all given – I think you can buy them for about £4 on ebay now.
But then I was a child. It was a party, there was food. It was fun. A little earlier than this I also received a letter from her maj (or one of her ladies in waiting at the time) in response to one I’d written. And – I am – as any regular readers will know – a prolific letter writer with my missives published in most of the main UK papers, Scottish papers – and even a couple times in New York and Jamaica – like this one George Floyd couldn't breathe - Prince Andrew can't sweat
But the thing is I am a sentient adult now. I
realise that while celebrating unearned wealth and privilege is a bit mad at
the best of times, at time when increasing numbers of her majesty’s
‘subjects' cannot afford to eat or pay bills, there is something so unbelievable
vulgar about the whole thing it almost defies description. So that is why I
shall not waste words but simply post a recent letter of mine published last
week in The Herald -
Dear
Editor,
AS
we mindlessly blunder into the Jubilee ‘celebrations’, as we seem to mindlessly
blunder into a lot of things these days, has anyone stopped to ask if it is
appropriate?
There
is an horrific war on Europe’s borders. You know, the one the Prime Minister
keeps using as a smokescreen for everything he doesn’t want to deal with.
There
is a cost-of-living crisis, and a crisis in Ireland. People cannot afford to
heat their homes or to eat. The NHS is on its knees. Families are daily sinking
into poverty and debt.
The
full impact of Brexit is not yet upon us – as the “overgrown prefect” pointed
out, we are still in the pre-horror period of full impact.
Is
this really the time for the nation to be gloating over unearned wealth and
privilege? Because it seems like the worst possible taste to me.
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