If you missed the first programme in Michael Cockerell's series Blair: The Inside Story, I'd recommend catching the rest of this history of our Tone's ten years in office. I'm sorry you missed the quote of the week, the following rubbish from Jack Straw concerning the death of the Princess of Our Hearts:-
People forget, almost ten years down the track, just what a national trauma it was for everybody. You'll remember the astonishing floral tributes: a great symbol of beauty in the future which was the idealised version of Princess Diana who'd been crushed to death in a rather seedy car crash in Paris.
First of all Jack, I don't forget what the reaction was like ten years ago. A lot of ordinary people were in shock. And a lot of ordinary people were like me and my friends: totally unaffected by the woman's death but extremely annoyed by the over the top reaction of the press and the falsity of our fresh faced young arse licking prime minister.
I do remember the floral tributes, though I only ever saw them on the telly. As far as "a great symbol of beauty in the future which was the idealised version of Princess Diana" goes, I'm sorry Jack but I don't understand what the bloody hell you're on about. You'd think a politician of your experience would be able to communicate with the public in a straightforward way but you're just not making sense, man.
And by calling the car crash "seedy" I think you're putting the blame on the evil paparazzi and the press's hunger for the exposure of every little bit of Diana's life, the press that drove her to her death. When in reality if the bloke driving her car hadn't been driving too fast on drink and drugs she may still be alive today living happily ever after at Mansion Al Fayed.
Peace, Jack
:)
Is postmodernism to blame?
1 day ago
Well said.
ReplyDeleteThe most profound effect the her death had on me was that the final episode of "Our Friends in The North" (which the BBC were repeating at that stage) was postponed until the following week. Bastards - I had set the video and everything.
Princess of our hearts? My fucking eye. Fuck the lot of them.
Has Mr Clearbrook been here before Geoff? He seems like a nice boy.
ReplyDeleteSky - I didn't mind people reacting in the way they did. What I do mind is being told the whole nation reacted in the same way. We were staying at a friend's house on the Saturday night and drove home for an hour and a half listening to what seemed like an extended mix of the Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence soundtrack on Radio 1. Totally bizarre. It was like the world had ended.
ReplyDeleteVicus - Yes he has and he has a lovely blog himself.
My parents had just had cable TV installed a week or so previously so we watched the funeral coverage on CNN or some such channel.
ReplyDeleteThey kept referring to "M1" instead of "the M1" and for some reason this really annoyed me.
They could at least have taken the scenic route.
ReplyDeleteI am a nice boy - honest. I'm just not keen on this perpetual myth that the whole sodding country broke down - or even cared come to that.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I didn't mean "fuck the lot" of grieving millions - I don't doubt that there were many genuinely upset members of the public - I actually meant "fuck the 'royal' family" - sorry if I didn't make that clear.
The very existence of the "Royal" family is one of the few things that really gets my goat, but hey, maybe they put the "Great" into Great Britain - gawd bless 'em.
I wrote a short piece about them back in December - have a look here. I know the language isn't particularly nice, but at least it's honest.
That said, there's loads of "nice" stuff on my blog too. So do take a wee look around.
You did make it clear, Sky. And I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteI think Vicus enjoyed your comment, too.
Sky, I prefer the Royal Family to Rupert Fucking Murdoch. Goodness knows he'd probably find a way to purchase a presidency. Mind you, that may not be such a bad thing, the enforced telly would be even more mind-numbingly boring than it is at the moment so we'd all be forced into social intercourse.
ReplyDeleteI remember Di's demise and the over-reaction of the public. I remember the bad taste jokes far better.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Geoff. I remember thinking "oh, that's too bad, a privileged woman was killed by a drunk driver", but not too many people seemed to be seeing it that way at the time. The day after her death, I read about the death by neglect of a small child in the city where I lived then. A small, page-3 article that inspired much more grief for a stranger than what was on the front page.
ReplyDeleteIt was probably most people's world cup final. They can all say they "did" something whereas everyone knows that Wembley only held 100,000 so nobody believes you when you say you were there.
ReplyDeleteRichard - I prefer Murdoch to the Royals. If it was down to Charlie we'd still be listening to The Goons on the wireless.
ReplyDeleteLlewtrah - I don't remember any bad taste jokes. Mine are all in the best possible taste.
Mrs Gamely - Welcome. There are stories to break your heart every day. Diana's death was tragic but not unique. I didn't feel I knew her. I wouldn't have wanted to have known her. We had nothing in common. Except we were about the same age and we both once liked Dire Straits. I suppose we could have talked about Mark Knopfler's headband.
"Mark Knopfler's headband, Di. What was that all about?"
"He did look a prick didn't he, Geoff?"
"Your round, Di?"
"Why not? Hubby's paying."
"It's about time he got them in. Get me some of those Duchy Original Pork Scratchings while you're at it."
Surprisingly, surreal, almost like tripping. No not the dialogue, although that does comeclose, I mean the death of D, and the subsequent media coverage. It was as though I had stumbled into another dimension and I was observing a strange ritual.
ReplyDeleteApart from that, the usual crap ensued and yes Phoney Tony began to show his real colours, especially at the funeral, when he and his strange wife tried to steal the show.
Welcome, Robin.
ReplyDeleteThere was a kind of hush all over the media.
I don't know a single person who was traumatised. or even a little bit upset.
ReplyDelete(Mind you, I am a blogger, it's not like I know a lot of people..)
Good stuff Geoff. I was about 14 when madam died and remember my mam storming into my bedroom the following morning in such a foul mood I wondered if the dog had had one of his unfortunate Diarrhoea Incidents in the night again, and saying "Princess Di's got killed in a car crash. We'll never hear the fucking end of this." I said "oh fucking hell" and got a clip round the ear for my empathising.
ReplyDeleteLater that day I was rehearsing a production of Arabian Nights at a theatre in Keswick (I played a magical monkey and got to hold a goblet of dry ice, which I don't remember from the book but it was fun anyway) and all the verrry dramatic drama types were flouncing around going "oh HOW can you expect us to WORK in this time of GRIEF?!" Which was really annoying as I'd spent ages getting my tail on straight and it was all for naught because the hysterics got the morning's rehearsal cancelled so they could watch the funeral and try to out-sob one another. At least they were children and therefore had an excuse for such foolishness.
I know one person who admits to going to the bizarre let's-tie-flowers-and-teddy-bears-to-the-railings-to-show-how-sad-we-are thing. And she only went to stare at the mad people, like a cruel anthropologist.
ReplyDeleteEveryone knows she faked it, anyway. She's living on an island with Elvis.
Spin - I know a few who were upset and some who took flowers to The Mall. Then again I do only work round the corner.
ReplyDeleteViolet - Di was the patron saint of actors, wasn't she? She deserved Oscars for several of her performances.
Tim - Is it like Blue Hawaii?