Reason is gentler!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My barely restrained frothing at the mouth over what I see as the cringingly subservient attitude of many of my fellow countrymen to the royal family, to the past Queen and the present King, are put to shame by some of the well-tempered and constructive analysis by papers like The Guardian.

     While it is generally clear that most of these writers regard a hereditary monarch as an aberration in a mature democracy, a denial of the meritocracy that Britain has paid lip service to for generations, and a reinforcement of the inequalities that still hinder the development of the country, they are still able to write with a subtlety and depth of analysis which brings reason into the argument.

     While I am sure that the republican feelings in the country are growing year on year, I am also fairly convinced that the statistics show that a majority of the country would probably support the continuation of the monarchy if it were ever put to a vote.

     We have to work within the bounds of reality.  Much though I would like to see the institution of the monarchy abolished, it is unlikely to happen.  What is glaring obvious to me is just as obviously not to a large number of people.  But that is what we have got to work with.

     At this time of National Grief, or however you define what is going on at the moment with all responses being fuelled by the unending coverage of the BBC, it is perhaps not the time to call for all out republicanism!  But, at the same time, this so-called transition period as we move from one long serving monarch to a new/old king is surely a time for reflection.

     At the moment the political system seems paralyzed by the concerns for the funeral and succession but as one commentator pointed out, the poor don’t stop being poor for the days until after the funeral.  We need action now.  Action on the cost-of-living crisis and some sort of discussion about the way that we want to see the future of our political systems develop.

     When Macmillan was asked what the most difficult problems in government were, he replied, “Events, dear boy, events!”  There will always be “events” and there will always be reasons for inaction and for kicking difficult problems down the road or into the tall grass of whatever other metaphor you want to use for not doing something.  With people genuinely concerned about affording food and heat next winter; with a serious war in Europe; with political division more pronounced each day – they are plenty of reasons to feel overwhelmed.  But I keep telling myself that the most far-reaching reform of the education system was developed during the Second World War.  Whatever issues seem overwhelming at the moment, compared with the last War we are still sitting pretty, and we have more than enough time and space to consider and debate the future without resorting to panic!

     As guns are fired in salutes; as various officials read out proclamations; as the stately procession of the coffin of the Queen makes its progress through the country; as politicians speak to reassure us of continuity, and as newspapers and the media give worldwide graphic images of a particular vision of our country, everything appears to be slipping back into place. 

     Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose!

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

On an altogether more mundane note: I have swum earlish-morning in the community pool for a week (or one half) of the period that my regular indoor pool is closed for annual maintainance.

     I can tell that it is getting cooler and the jump into the pool to start my lengths (or circles in this pool) is something of a shock - but not an unbearable one, so I will continue to do it, until the breath is knocked out of my body by my first insertion!

     My smart watch is set to "Open water swimming" for the pool and seems to take a variable attitude to how far I swim.  On the first occasion I felt that I had not done my customary 1,500m, but I was more than prepared to believe my watch rather than my level of breathlessness.  Today, the obverse of that occurred and I felt (and believe) that I did far more than my allotted length.

     I miss the ritual of my usual morning swim, where I don't have to wait for a smidgeon of sunshine to make the ordeal a little more bearable!  And then there is my tea and baguette in the cafe, that I also miss - but I tell myself that I will be all the more appreciative when I finally return in another seven cold-water days!

 

 

 

LOCKDOWN CASTELLDEFELS - Day 99 – Monday 22nd June

Day 1 of the New Normal in the swimming pool.  We still have to book our time, but more people are allowed during the hour.  How this is going to work out I’m not sure as, today, there were few enough people for one-per-lane as previously.  The difference was that we were given a key for a locker (whereas previously we had to pack our clothes and take them with us to the pool side) which we had to disinfect before use and after we had dressed at the end of our swim.  The showers were open for use.  I assume that, for the foreseeable future, this will be the way that we swim nowadays, with the major difference being that we have to book times rather than simply turn up.

     The weather was good today and there were plenty of people on the beach, but it was noticeably quieter than over the weekend.

     We are building up to tomorrow evening, the eve of San Juan when there will be bangers, drinking and picnics.  At least that was the case in all previous years, it remains to be seen how the pandemic and physical distancing will change the experience of the fiesta.

     There have been a number of explosions during the past few days, with the kids next door seeming to take teatime around 5pm as an excuse to cavort around the streets setting off the sort of fireworks which are sure to get a chorus of dogs barking in distress.  They are completely unsupervised by adults and every bone in my fussy pedagogic body aches to do something and my channelling of Victor Meldrew also aches to shout something admonitory out of the window!

     Tomorrow evening I may well draw down the shutters and retreat to my armchair with a good book, or alternatively I might mosey down the maritime road to see what people are doing!

     San Juan is one of those festivals where slightly rowdy behaviour is encouraged and the throwing of the Catalan equivalent of penny bangers is almost mandatory.  Kids usually equip themselves with what look like the old fashioned Smiths Crisps twists of salt, but in this case they are of gunpowder and they make a most satisfying ‘bang!’ when thrown on the pavement.  There doesn’t seem to be an age limit for this form of anti-social behaviour and parent and grandparents look on approvingly as their kids waltz about in a mist of explosives!  Each to his own!

     Usually the explosions go on for most of the night, there doesn’t seem to be a cut-off at 10 pm – which is the usual time for the stopping of noise making.  This fiesta encourages that petty decency to be ignored and loud explosions go on until the small and sometimes the larger hours!  I wonder, though, if it will be the same this year?  All things are different.

On Wednesday most places will be closed as it is a national holiday, but I intend to go for a swim, perhaps go for an exploratory bike ride to see what the beaches are like after the festivities of the night before and keep myself very much to myself.  I stocked up on food and essentials before the weekend and I don’t need to go out for anything until the end of this week.  Television will have to be my eye on the world – that and Radio 4 and the World Service of the BBC of course.

The tasks that I set myself for the last few days have been completed or compromised with varying degrees of satisfaction.  I rely, yet again on the old family wisdom of “Anything is better than nothing!”