What a state it is, the drag I’m in
Posted on 1st March 2008 by Mat
I also don’t really have anything to say, I just wanted to use that post title! Seeing as I’m here though, I may as well write about something, so I want to know what you think about the whole Prince Harry situation (if you care at all!)
I was listening to people debating it on Five Live last night (For anyone who doesn’t know me, I’m only 27. Friday nights in listening to Five Live is normally the activity of choice for someone in their 60’s, but in my defence I was on my way to pick Lucy up), and a lot of people were complaining that it’s the end of the free press as we know it; that we could no longer trust any media outlet to not make deals with the government to keep information from us.
To me, this is ridiculous. For a start, half of what we read in the papers is based on rumour or hearsay, so I don’t think there’s ever been any great level of trust in the accuracy of the information we’re fed a lot of the time.
Secondly, the fact that Harry is out serving in Afghanistan is a non-event, and not really newsworthy. We don’t get told that Private Steve Smith is heading out to Iraq, and Harry is just another soldier who wants to go and do his job. We don’t get told about forthcoming military operations anyway, in case any enemy soldiers are reading The Mirror at breakfast, so the media blackout has only helped the army’s cause, and allowed Harry to do his job. There is the argument that him being out there puts his, and his colleagues lives in danger, but they’re going to a war zone - their lives are already in danger! Harry knows that, and so do the people who are in his regiment. If they want to go out there, just let them!
To be honest, I’d be a lot happier if the newspapers kept a lot more inconsequential things from us; Britney Spears’ latest antics being right up there.
Anyway, rant over - any thoughts? Am I talking rubbish?
Andy
March 2nd, 2008
9:58 am
You’re not talking rubbish.
You’re talking not rubbish.
Gloria
March 3rd, 2008
1:16 pm
I agree, you’re not talking rubbish.
I heard on tv the other day, someone who used to be a jihadi (is that right?!) said that the Taliban (is that the right group of baddies? I’m feeling a bit blonde today!) “wouldn’t bother risking going after a member of the Royal family” so they might as well as have been honest about Harry being there. But I can’t help thinking, ‘maybe they would’ and is it really worth the risk? I mean, I agree that Harry is just like any other member of the armed forces and is putting his life at risk just by the job he’s chosen to do, but at the same time, he’s not QUITE the same, is he? I think the media black out was entirely justfied, to protect the other members of his squadron (or whatever) if nothing else. To say it’s the end of free press is just ridiculous.
I feel quite sorry for Harry, actually. I bet it’s the closest he’s ever been to being normal, being in Afghanistan. No body guards, no press, no-one knowing (or really even trying to find out) where he is or what he’s doing. He must have loved it!
Kate
March 3rd, 2008
2:38 pm
Sorry this is totally off the subject but Gloria - you should go to BBC iplayer and watch Dawn Gets a Baby - I just watched it and it’s hilarious. Plus, it’s interesting. In fact, everyone should watch it.
pete
March 4th, 2008
11:33 pm
Now don’t get me wrong-I don’t have a problem with the individules in the royal family…well…not one the whole…
…but I do think I have an answer to harry’s problem…
…REPUBLIC REPUBLIC REPUBLIC!!!!
Why on earth do we need a monarchy??? And why, by some accident of birth, should one person be born more important than everyone else? I vote that we become a republic…
…hummm….
…now that I am thinking about it…lets go all the way and become Communist! It would be so good if it was good properly!
Gloria
March 5th, 2008
12:56 pm
Andy’s a bit of a Communist on the quiet. I agree with a lot of the principles, but as Pete said, it would only be any good if it was done properly. When it isn’t, you get Russia. And Romania. And various other Eastern European and South American countries where things are not so good.
The Royal family is an institution! And let’s face it, they don’t really hold all that much weight any more so there’s no harm in keeping them. They’re not even the richest family in the country any more, so I don’t begrudge them their titles. I’d rather be me any day. Me, or Nigella Lawson.
Mat
March 5th, 2008
1:19 pm
Yeah, communism is only good if everyone’s rich! It works in Cuba, kind of. A lot of people are happy and they’ve got really low infant mortality rates and an excellent health service, but their standard of living is pretty poor compared to average housing standards here. They’re also under a dictatorship, so that has its own problems.
Gloria, why would you rather be Nigella Lawson? Cos she’s good looking, or good cooking?
Andy
March 5th, 2008
8:09 pm
Gloria is both good looking and good cooking so I think it must be more to do with being famous, on the telly and having, probably, quite a lot of money. Also - Nigella’s kitchen is bigger than ours.
I was trying to work out a way of making a joke about the fact you said that Nigella would be good cooking - it made me think of cooking Nigella… but I couldn’t work out a way of doing it and making it sound funny - I thought maybe if I explained the principle you could work out your own jokes.
Kathye
March 5th, 2008
9:37 pm
I watched Dawn Gets a Baby and thought it was great, despite having had 2 I had never seen someone else give birth and although I knew the theory of some of the things she looked at it was really interesting to see how they were actually used, actually the main thing I thought at the end of the programme was how much more she had explained to her than you do when you “are” actually expecting!
So anyway, yes another recommendation to watch it
PS - Kate do you get to practise on those dummys when you train?
Gloria
March 6th, 2008
1:14 pm
Nigella is just awesome. I love how she eats loads, and not that heathily either! And looks amazing and sexy and just comes across as such a nice person. She’s my hero.
Kate
March 6th, 2008
5:11 pm
Yes, we do practice a bit on those dummies but frankly they are rubbish!! Much better to pratice on a real person!! hee hee!!
But for things like breech deliveries the dummy is our only option because they happen so rarely these days.
Kate
March 6th, 2008
5:11 pm
PS - Nigella annoys me a bit.
Leave a Reply