Another nice day, weatherwise, today, and, for once, I actually took advantage of it to some degree. After what had been a rather niggly, messy shift at work, it was my turn to get away early, so I headed towards Central London, albeit by a pretty circuitous route, which included a chunk of the Thames Path, for the first time since my move, albeit not a long chunk, between Putney and Hammersmith bridges - the first third, give or take, of the Boat Race course - but a pleasant walk in the sunshine, nonetheless.
There was a little sourish note when I got into town, which can be encapsulated in the following question - why does English (and I'm using the word 'English' specifically in this instance, not as a careless catchall for Britain in general) patriotism seem to be most attractive to the mindless, thuggish elements? There was a St. George's Day event, apparently under the aegis of the Mayor of London, going on in Trafalgar Square, and the only people I saw who were literally wrapped up in the St. Georges's Cross flag were a bunch of very unpleasant looking skinhead types. Someone had mentioned at work that little seemed to be made of the English patron saint's day, as opposed to, especially, the Irish on St. Patrick's Day, but also the Scots and Welsh, and speculating about why that was - well here's a theory. I reckon most of the English are pretty embarrassed, if not downright ashamed, of the way the flag has been hijacked by the extreme right wingers, racists and xenophobes who seem to crawl out from under their stones on a far too regular basis.
Much more palatable, as far as I'm concerned, was another Nordic - probably Scandinavian, I think, although I couldn't be sure of the language that was being spoken - cutie I encountered on one of the buses I travelled on. As I was getting ready to get off the bus, he looked straight at me, and I felt like melting - he was just lovely. I'm sure he was only looking my way to try and work out when he last saw someone as gruesome, but that's just an aside!
Thanks very much to 'Dave the Rave' for becoming my latest follower - I hope you enjoy what you find here.
Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B
I share your distaste for everything to do with the right wing tribalism - and, indeed, with its political manifestation in the likes of Ian Duncan Smith and John Redwood - let alone the NF and British Party - and I don't have any time at all for UKIP but fortunately Nigel Farage is looked by most people as being a bit of a twit. Long may that be the case!
ReplyDeleteBut the River Thames is something I've boated on - although not further downstream than Brentford where the Grand Union Canal meets it. On a fine day I've also wandered around on the South Bank and at one stage, when I was visiting London regularly, got very drunk in a certain wine bar which is just under the arches of the railway from Charing Cross.
There is a bigger political point to be made, of course on this subject of national 'saints' and nationalism in general.
In a European context it was nationalism (and not religion, for once) which started the Second (world) War and because of that we might do better to eschew nationalism and most of what we call a 'national identity' in favour of a more co-operative european perspective - simply because it is less insecure and, in many ways, more socially progressive than we are if left to our own devices.
Hello Micky
ReplyDeleteI'm certainly with you on the 'European' issue - each time I see headlines on the front of the likes of the 'Daily Depress' about pulling the UK out of the EU, it fills me with despair. I'd much rather be seen as a European than be associated with any small-minded 'Little Englanders', while the likes of UKIP and the BNP, although in many ways laughable, also scare me a lot, if I think too deeply about their philosophies (if using that word isn't over-aggrandising their fascist claptrap).
I've been drunk more than a few times in my life, but, hitherto, I've managed to avoid being drunk in London - too expensive a hobby, probably! - although I did have some good nights out in my 'local' in Shepherds Bush, which was an Irish pub at the time, when I lived up here in the 1980's.
Love & best wishes
Sammy B