‘Let the birds go free’ – A grand and tragic soap opera served to the masses

Image from pedestrian.tv

Some say Meghan and Harry are bucking tradition, cutting their own way, not for the first time nor will it be the last. Oprah Winfrey’s American soap opera may be a welcome dramatisation from the ravages of the pandemic and legacy of Trump.

Some say us, and they who have nothing better to do, some fume with indignation and storm out of the studio in a fugue, some say very little, some don’t care, some have far greater worries, where’s the catch?

Railing against the tide of consumerism, celebrity, populism, pomp and ceremony, and of course the British Royal family again. Where the wealthy elite scoff at everyone beneath them, as does a true Republican or tourist clown like prosperity ‘theologue’ Morrison and Liberal-Conservatives, who think the jobless consider it their duty and right to sit on a couch all day and watch Netflix instead of work. No less productive or entertaining surely than what the Liberal Nationals do in Parliament (or he in Hawaii and every other weekend; and we once did Bali) for which they receive State welfare in far greater procurement and royalty than a grand old couch potato or duke deserves. That reminds me, what exactly does the GG do? Well now, the jobless can do that too, breathe the life and fantasy of rebels or prosperity royals and imagine pennies and pizza raining from Heaven.

The Royals, not unlike Morrison, bathe in the arrogance and divine right of office and sell us their platitudes of peace and prosperity, unity and friendship, the importance of family and economy like it were a religious institution proclaimed by God or Calif, when in front of a camera for all those rotten and hungry couch potatoes; proving that mundane populism and fascination with celebrity and virtual reality isn’t dead at all, far less the news. Not when the media, gambling and entertainment moguls and religious fanatics too can ride the wave of income windfall, donations, arms, gratuitous violence and abuse generated from the masses and feed the frenzied crowds like the Romans herded slaves, lions and spectators into the Colosseum – okay you don’t get the blood and sweat, the poverty and fear, the angel of death, the valiant slayer on a horse in shining armour as he slaughters the magnificent roaring captive lion (should be a dragon) to thunderous applause in the name of God, the Emperor, King and country, El Presidente, every war lord and drug baron; Ah but duty calls, loyalty, devotion, pennies in heaven like Pavlov’s puppies we all conform.

But you have a real world all around you for that level of gratuitous public violence and civil entertainment. Kuwait, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Streets of USA, Washington DC, Hong Kong, the Uighur, Sudan, Africa, Belarus, Taliban, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Palestine, the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, refugees, women, old people, the young, the homeless and jobless in this witch-maid sunburnt country of ours, on the ABC or world news channel. Our virtual Colosseum is everywhere, hourly at the flick of a remote control served up with Menulog, Uber Eats and Deliveroo cuisine by smart phone, thanks to the tireless effort and efficiency of modern-day slavery, don’t forget to throw the slave a bone as they walk out the door. Hell, even they exploit that dream in the commercials, and so, we too can all pretend we are Royals with our entitlements and sex slaves projecting fake disgust and horror at the scandals. Hmmm… I wonder what cousin Andrew, Christian and George are doing right now, if not plotting how they can dutifully rule the world after the royal, party or papal horses have bolted? Oh, stop it before my voyeurism turns pink or yellow.

Wash it all down with a beer or glass of bubbly why don’t you, a little bit of public sympathy, watch don’t touch served on a stainless-steel tabloid platter by the gutless press – Oooh, that’s me on telly!

Tears for the Queen as her grandchildren succumb to the dark side and a hero’s welcome, may your god go with you, so Dave would say.

I wonder how the comic-tragic flute would play, an air of romance perhaps, a touch of Fidelio, let the birds go free?

… and the article below, oh that – No worries, that’s just leftie soft propaganda and cannon fodder.

‘Joseph Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness ends with its protagonist, Kurtz, declaring, “The horror! The horror!”, as his verdict on all that he has done and seen, and on the general devastation wrought by imperialism on the African continent.’

Gosh that sounds like Dante in exile dreaming of Florence and other things in 1302 with the poem to come! Alas no, ‘Harry and Meghan firing their latest broadside against the House of Windsor’, World Socialist Web Site, 8 March 2021 – What a come down, for God’s sake how could I?

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About Jon Chesterson 32 Articles
Born in London, schooled in Sussex and Wales, migrated to Sydney in 1988. Career in mental health, nursing, health care management and education. Currently retired but not brain dead. Occasional writer for the AIM Network, touch of critique and sociopolitical satire, creative writing and publishing poetry. Family man with grown up daughters and grandchildren. Interests ranging from humanities and social justice to climate change, protecting the planet from reckless destruction to a more than idle lifelong fascination in astronomy and palaeontology. Found sanctuary in the Blue Mountains, a place that reminds us we have a mortal responsibility to inspire in each other good stewardship - this place is our only home in the cosmos to hand on to our children's children. Truth in the morning light we cherish, wings in the cloud that lift our courage.

6 Comments

  1. The Right, like Morriscum, denigrate the educated masses. They do their best to maintain an uneducated working class who need to beg for a decent wage or any form of working rights. This aligns them well with the royals.
    Is there a born royal in Britain who has a genuine degree rather than one bestowed to maintain appearances??
    They are science skeptics and believe in homeopathy. I prefer Tim Minchin’s view on that. https://youtu.be/rrgFIlnmrGk
    Meghan and Harry are guilty of being products of the 21C. Their children will be mixed race. So what? The question of skin colour was raised alongside information regarding Archie’s status as a prince and his royal right to security protection.
    Clearly racist overtones.
    The British royal family are digging themselves deeper and deeper into the mire of archaic tradition over a more modern approach to being a “relevant” monarchy. Other nations have grasped the concept and have royals who are largely irrelevant but revered as symbols of the nation. If the British royals cannot grasp the need to modernise and take their rightful place as accessories to the British way of life (rather than the highest status citizens they purport to be) and it’s history then they are doomed to fail miserably. Maybe not as miserable as the Romanovs but somewhere there in terms of the respect they are losing as the elderly traditionalists die out. I commented years ago that UK and Commonwealth migrants had every right to ridicule the monarchy around the time Fergie was having her toe sucked and Charles aspired to be a tampon. Who could respect such a “basket of deplorables”? Those not groomed in the respect for people from “the lucky sperm club” could see clearly that they are just people and many of them people with some dubious issues.
    But I have to admit to taking great pleasure in the spectacle that is Piers Morgan.
    He appeared on a chat show telling his story that he took Meghan Markle to dinner and “put her in a cab” to go back to her hotel.
    She did not go back to her hotel but went on to a party where she met Harry.
    So Piers is maintaining his rage against the woman who rejected him.
    How many times will we need to hear stories of privileged males who seek to punish women who do not see their superior intellect and overall greatness.
    I still wonder how Christian Porter’s alleged victim was faring in the debates before he decided to not just rape, but thoroughly denigrate and dehumanise her?
    Turnbull reported in his memoir, before the rape issue became public, that Porter had teared up because his electorate did not have a big enough margin for him to win at the next election and he wanted to be PM.
    Piers Morgan has inexcusably belittled and criticised Harry and especially Meghan since her rejection of him.
    How many pathetic little whiny males with a bully pulpit will be allowed to take their personal frustrations out on women before something is done to stop this spiteful puerile display of sour grapes.
    Which brings me back to Morrison. Never on his watch.
    Just remember if you are ever accused of a crime tell Scottyfrommarketing “it just didn’t happen” and he will declare you innocent without even referring to your accuser.

  2. Great comments Kerri

    Thank you for reminding me of the fabulous beat poem ‘Storm’ by Steve Minchin, you know how easy it is to forget even very memorable works, hmmm… guess if you forget it is not memorable, I might have to review that thought!

    Amazingly, I also wondered how Christian Porter’s alleged victim was fairing in those 1988 debates before the ‘alleged’ rape (not that there is much doubt in my mind, but the law is an ass, and he’d know that, and justice is even more absent minded or unwilling). For some strange reason it has been one of my most persistent unanswered questions, but you are the first to have shared that same thought. I can’t help feeling that life could have paved a very different path for her, these events are very often turning points in people’s lives. Instead we have this corrupt Parliamentary carbuncle on the backside of Australian law and politics for which we have no treatment, cure or vaccine and an even bigger one for PM protecting him.

    ‘Ubla aloo!’ Piers Morgan, ‘boiled potato! I’d call him a misogynist, middle-aged spoilt brat who can’t get over being stood up by a woman, a cavalier who went out of fashion in 1649 more than 350 years ago with the royals at the time. How the hell did this dinosaur get to co-host ‘Good Morning Britain’?

    Okay don’t answer that we have a few bum-heads and shock jocks like that here in Australia – In fact if they are not hosting local radio shows they’ve found their way into Morrison’s government where they regularly dump on and abuse women; and still get away it. Something to do with Rule of Law, some say but clearly much more to do with divine right of men!

    Poor bastard, he must have been at the end of the queue when God was handing out manners, integrity and emotional intelligence, gosh all three – Ubla aloo it is then, I like it.

    The world is watching 🥳

    Richa Chadha calls Piers Morgan ‘ubla aloo’ as he storms off stage after being called out for ‘bullying’ Meghan Markle, Hindustan Times, 10 March 2021 – https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tv/richa-chadha-calls-piers-morgan-ubla-aloo-as-he-storms-off-stage-after-being-called-out-for-bullying-meghan-markle-101615364818902.html

  3. Oh dear Jon ….. As a poor country lad I wonder whether you might just be attempting to awaken the wider Australian public to the many benefits of Australia becoming a Republic with an Australian borne Head of State, free from the economic and political interference of the most dysfunctional family in Europe which parasitises the English Public Purse in the name of tourism.

    But surely you are being a little egalitarian when you suggest that former military leaders are fit for any other purpose. Indeed, you appear to be supporting the concept that former military leaders should suck the teat of the public purse to prevent them taking the action necessary to protect Australian citizens from the treasonous exploits of political parties owned by foreign multinational corporations.

    Many Australian voters would consider that the same corruption as gifting a former Prim Monster all the benefits of that office which he failed to earn, before becoming a servant of the dark forces owned by foreign proprietors of the mainstream media-ocrity.

    Why such an action would be unthinkable in the Canberra Bubble where the followers of the Hell$lingers Cult of Greed & Paedophile Protection sing ”Hallelujahs” for being saved from COVID-19 by the prompt action of state Premiers applying scientific evidence while Barnyard Joke extols the Nazional$ Family Values and the virtue of adultery, alcoholism, bigotry, corruption, deceit, egoism, fornication, graft, harassment and misogyny for all government advisors to follow for the benefit of those ”borne to rule”.

  4. New England Cocky – ‘Oh dear Jon…’? Okay skip that. ‘But surely you are being a little egalitarian when you suggest that former military leaders are fit for any other purpose. Indeed, you appear to be supporting the concept that former military leaders should suck the teat of the public purse to prevent them taking the action necessary to protect Australian citizens from the treasonous exploits of political parties owned by foreign multinational corporations’.

    Don’t follow how you construed any of this from the article. Nowhere said or inferred. Not so much egalitarian rather satirical and sardonic. Do you have a problem with egalitarian, thrown onto the bonfire like it we’re some moral demon, what shall we replace such values and aspirations with other than the plague of conformity and resignation, the song of the pragmatist who hears no evil or suggests we just accept it.

    Beyond that you lost me.

  5. Oh dear … that is a bit unfair Jon ….. start with an otherwise unemployable high ranking military officer and ask yourself, “‘What useful function in modern society could this person fill or provide”?

    In these stricken political times we have the rising Christian forces whispering ”revolution -not yet” and as Defence Minister in such circumstances, the military person would be ideal. However, there is the small matter of being elected by the people at an election ….. Oops!!! THAT is not how it is done in the LIarbral Party, is it? Just declare a Senate vacancy and your ready, willing & able military person can step into politics and feel right at home playing with all the military toys.

    Is there a civilian equivalent to this ”jobs for the boys”? Uhm ….. how about the sacking of RAbbitt within the two years threshold for post-PM remuneration? Sure it was only two (2) days, but bending over for Kelly et al was a little unseemly ….

    What can I say about the Canberra Bubble that is fresh interesting and informative??? Perhaps a meagre attempt at analysis after the Phil Pryor model or even apeing the articulate Rossleigh …. forgive my indulgences …..

  6. ‘Oh dear … that is a bit unfair Jon ….. start with an otherwise unemployable high ranking military officer and ask yourself, “‘What useful function in modern society could this person fill or provide”?’

    It would be helpful if you could drop the patronising tone. Following that I can’t make any sense of anything you’ve said. What high ranking military officer are you talking about? You seem to be entirely misreading my sardonic remark of how useless the GG is? But how this relates to what you are saying, heaven knows because I can’t make sense of your argument to give you an intelligible response or rebuttal.

    I’ll leave it at that 🙂

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