A friend sent me the
link to this story by
the BBC—it’s supposedly to provide historical background for the British public for the visit
of Irish president Michael Higgins to the UK this week. It’s a big deal because
this is the first time ever an Irish head of state has set official foot there.
(It was also a big deal
when Queen Elizabeth II paid a state visit to Ireland in 2011. I had a
few observations on that occasion, too. Well, it freaked me out to hear “God
Save the Queen” at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin.)
I have no squawk about
this diplomatic exchange or the notion of not letting yourself be hobbled for
all eternity by the past. I say, make up, drink up and grow up, and I hope a
very good time is had by all.
What I do object to
here is the fact that this alleged political reporter, Gavin Stamp, is an
idiot, and the BBC slapped this up on their website.
First off—“700 years
of shared history”? Shared freakin' history? What the hell?
That would be “shared
history” in the sense that the USSR had “shared history” with Poland, Hungary,
Czechoslovakia and Romania from 1945 to 1989.
And that whole “sporting
rivalry” fluff—what is up with that? Is it supposed to be somehow more
significant than the rivalry between England and Germany? Or, for that matter,
between Celtic and Rangers?
But what caused me to
snort tea all over my keyboard is the notion that, while (Irish) literary
giants such as Joyce and Beckett “preferred Paris to London”, these days the
fact that the likes of Graham Norton and Terry Wogan are in residence in the British capital indicates it’s now a “literary
destination”.
Oh, yeah—Norton and
Wogan: the very heart and soul of, uh…TV. But, of course, Wogan does work for
the BBC, so that would explain his elevation to the status of Joyce.
Plus—“Ireland leads
the UK by seven victories to three in the Eurovision song contest.”
Well, then, say no
more.
No comments:
Post a Comment