Monday, January 13, 2020

Kippers And Mash

The world is on the brink of war. The Middle East has more loose threads than your great grandma's afghan. The shawl, not the region. The "president" of the United States has been impeached and is awaiting trial in the Senate. A Ukranian passenger jet was shot down by Iranian missiles. And what breaks Al Gore's Internet?
The British Royal Family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, better known by their secret identities as Harry and Meghan, have decided to step down from their roles as senior members of the royals. In a statement issued last Wednesday, the couple said they plan to “work to become financially independent” as they “carve out a progressive new role” within the monarchy. This comes as anticipation that they could be cut off by Harry's brother, the once and future King of England, Prince Charles. It should be noted here that Prince Charles has no secret identity. He continues to be the poster boy for all that is or might ever be Royal. 
By contrast, Harry and Meghan have always lived on the outskirts of Buckingham Palace, acting like the millennials they are. "We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honor our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.” They said. Which most likely means they will move to Canada, which has a picture of a beaver on one side of their coins and her majesty, The Queen, on the other. The young couple will be taking their kid and head out to the Great White North, since they're pretty much guaranteed not to find themselves or their progeny on the throne. Why not go hang around with the Trudeaus? They seem to have it all going on right now. Except that whole Ukrainian airliner thing. 
And if this seems like a pretty solid soap opera compared to the train wreck that is the political landscape of Britain, currently being run by a ruddy buffoon with a blur of hair and a "plan" to wall his country off from the rest of the continent - wait a second - this sounds familiar. Yet the story of where a young couple decides to make their home and raise their children becomes front page news. Maybe that soap opera clue wasn't so far off the mark. Our fascination with drama that only appears to be of lasting concern is as old as we are as a country. If only the affairs of our First Family could be as inconsequential in the scope of global politics. To borrow a phrase from across the pond: Not bloody likely. 
Stay tuned. 

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