Harsh! But I see where you come from. I'm sure you did read NS Lyons' latest essay and I grabbed this snippet from it:
"...national identities are not actually produced out of sharing bank holidays and a love of fish and chips, but from the evolution of deep historical attachments, mutual loyalties, consciously transmitted cultural and religious traditions, and almost always a stable, single majority group “whose cultural dominance is plain and unquestioned” enough to ensure minority cultures either willingly remain minority cultures or willingly integrate into the majority over time. In other words nations can’t be socially constructed (out of a new, fabricated social contract) at all, but are the organic amalgamations of a lengthy shared history of living together. This means a mild, patched-together “liberal nationalism” is unlikely to ever go very far in generating a significant level of cohesion or community."
It does seem like what is left is just mere memories of national identities, and so watered down to be as inclusive, ie "safe" aka offending the least. The Disneyfication of the monarchy is the disneyfication of national identities. A bout of tweeism wouldn't be problematic if people were supremely confident in other areas of cultural life, but we know that is not the case, and it makes the tweeism of the celebrations a bit sad in retrospect.
Look, what we need is a new Cool Britannia but WHERE ARE THE NEW OASIS AND BLUR and that wonderful Olympic opening ceremony too, eh. That made you soooo proud and when that Mo Farah won things for Britain and he was a refugee you know. And everyone knows that if you don’t want forrins for neighbours you can’t spell.
Loved this piece, Mr W. It was painful to read because I have been the milquetoast you describe. Before noticing what absolute tw*ts we on the softish leftish had become.
Is the UK even a nation (edit or 4, you know what I mean), or just the support system around the global 1%’s real estate investments?
“Your” Capitol is owned by foreigners while property-less subjects apologize to the new overlords for their ancestors, who built the City the foreigners buy into!
From the outside looking in, with respect, I think the great fear for the UK post-Brexit is a nation that refuses to seize any opportunity as it leaves the ossified continental system behind. And this is overwhelmingly not the British people but a political class which is typical post-Cold War: Not very bright, imaginative, creative, bold, or courageous. A class of mediocre middle managers.
It would be a terrible shame if the same attitude of glibness were to infect the coronation when Charles takes over. I can just imagine the camera panning over the congregation at Westminster Abbey and seeing Mr. Blobby and Rowan Atkinson in character as Mr. Bean as 'Zadok the Priest' rings out.
"Tweeness is the mark of a people who know deep down that it’s right and healthy to honour the gods of their ancestors, but don’t believe in them anymore. They can only be treated ironically, as parodies, while things that should be laughed at are treated with reverence and even fear."
That were some of the best lines I've read all year. It is odd that we fear and panic over a edgy teenager posting spicy memes about minorities, but don't worry even a jot about asotnishing demographic shifts across the country. We panic about some gay guy trying to go straight (willingly) through private therapy - not even state funded - but cheer as primarily young girls get their breasts cut off to try passing as men. The cult of Churchill and WW2 is beyond cringe at this point, and I suspect is only permitted and encouraged as a way to shore up against "nart'zees" - though I do wonder if Churchill would be considered one if he were alive today. We respect the Queen rather as one would respect a kindly old granny, not as a sovereign placed on the throne by the grace of God (God?! LOL! amirite?)
Harsh! But I see where you come from. I'm sure you did read NS Lyons' latest essay and I grabbed this snippet from it:
"...national identities are not actually produced out of sharing bank holidays and a love of fish and chips, but from the evolution of deep historical attachments, mutual loyalties, consciously transmitted cultural and religious traditions, and almost always a stable, single majority group “whose cultural dominance is plain and unquestioned” enough to ensure minority cultures either willingly remain minority cultures or willingly integrate into the majority over time. In other words nations can’t be socially constructed (out of a new, fabricated social contract) at all, but are the organic amalgamations of a lengthy shared history of living together. This means a mild, patched-together “liberal nationalism” is unlikely to ever go very far in generating a significant level of cohesion or community."
It does seem like what is left is just mere memories of national identities, and so watered down to be as inclusive, ie "safe" aka offending the least. The Disneyfication of the monarchy is the disneyfication of national identities. A bout of tweeism wouldn't be problematic if people were supremely confident in other areas of cultural life, but we know that is not the case, and it makes the tweeism of the celebrations a bit sad in retrospect.
Look, what we need is a new Cool Britannia but WHERE ARE THE NEW OASIS AND BLUR and that wonderful Olympic opening ceremony too, eh. That made you soooo proud and when that Mo Farah won things for Britain and he was a refugee you know. And everyone knows that if you don’t want forrins for neighbours you can’t spell.
Loved this piece, Mr W. It was painful to read because I have been the milquetoast you describe. Before noticing what absolute tw*ts we on the softish leftish had become.
Is the UK even a nation (edit or 4, you know what I mean), or just the support system around the global 1%’s real estate investments?
“Your” Capitol is owned by foreigners while property-less subjects apologize to the new overlords for their ancestors, who built the City the foreigners buy into!
From the outside looking in, with respect, I think the great fear for the UK post-Brexit is a nation that refuses to seize any opportunity as it leaves the ossified continental system behind. And this is overwhelmingly not the British people but a political class which is typical post-Cold War: Not very bright, imaginative, creative, bold, or courageous. A class of mediocre middle managers.
Retirement Home Europa
It would be a terrible shame if the same attitude of glibness were to infect the coronation when Charles takes over. I can just imagine the camera panning over the congregation at Westminster Abbey and seeing Mr. Blobby and Rowan Atkinson in character as Mr. Bean as 'Zadok the Priest' rings out.
"Tweeness is the mark of a people who know deep down that it’s right and healthy to honour the gods of their ancestors, but don’t believe in them anymore. They can only be treated ironically, as parodies, while things that should be laughed at are treated with reverence and even fear."
That were some of the best lines I've read all year. It is odd that we fear and panic over a edgy teenager posting spicy memes about minorities, but don't worry even a jot about asotnishing demographic shifts across the country. We panic about some gay guy trying to go straight (willingly) through private therapy - not even state funded - but cheer as primarily young girls get their breasts cut off to try passing as men. The cult of Churchill and WW2 is beyond cringe at this point, and I suspect is only permitted and encouraged as a way to shore up against "nart'zees" - though I do wonder if Churchill would be considered one if he were alive today. We respect the Queen rather as one would respect a kindly old granny, not as a sovereign placed on the throne by the grace of God (God?! LOL! amirite?)