one man’s death is another man’s tea and scones

Guy, guy, guy,
Poke him in the eye,
Put him on the bonfire,
And there let him die.
British Children’s Nursery Rhyme

Children can be so cruel.

The smell of sulphur, carbon and potassium nitrate permeates your lungs … a smokey haze descends plying your clothes with grit … there must be reason for all of this skulduggary.

Ahh … yes, pop on your bonny prince charlies, ladies and esquires, for it shall be the eve of Guy Fawkes, named thusly to remark on the occasion when said Mr Fawkes gathered up his band o’ merry grumpy men and plotted to blow up the Houses of Parliament including HRH King James I who just happened to stop by for a spot of tea and scones in 1605.

is this the part where i am meant to be sorry?

I’m sorry if this sounds selfish, but it’s all about me me me!
Jennifer Saunders
Absolutely Fabulous

When two people part ways, inevitably sides are taken and lines are drawn. Uncomfortable meetings spring up in the street or cafe when you bump into the other person. “Oh yeah, sorry to hear about you and such and such.” “Oh yeah, really we should do lunch.” “Oh of course, we can still be friend too. We’ll have lunch next week some time.” “Let’s keep in touch, and not just say it but do it.” Lies, I tells ya, all blooming lies.

bbc and the bnp

The sound of a helicopter thumping overhead told me that the protest had already begun at the BBC Studios in White City, only a couple of blocks away from where I am currently living. People were protesting over the rather controversial decision to allow the Chairman of the British National Party, Nick Griffin, a seat on the panel show Question Time on BBC1.

At the time of this posting, Nick Griffin is an elected Member of the European Parliament for North West England. He has made numerous comments about Islam, the Jewish Holocaust, British Immigrations Policy, European Union and Homosexuality that have inflamed the British public. But these comments have also appealed to a section of the community that are disillusioned with the majority powers within Britain and need to place their frustrations somewhere, regardless of misdirection.

we are not amused … but rather entertained

*eyes roll* Can you believe it? Stand up love, and let ‘em pass. Phil and Liz Windsor are late again for curtain up.

A rose by any other name? You might be more familiar by their more common names HRH Queen Elizabeth II and Royal consort HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. And it seems they do like a nice night out at the theatre.

Recently they stepped out to see the National Theatre’s production of  War Horse. I suspect that there was nothing on the telly that night. And they’d seen everything on Sky.

toilet humour

Interesting the things one sees in the cinema toilets in England these days. Advertising knows no ironies.

But I know where you can get a sweeeeet deal!

i’m not an aussie racist, but … postscript

As a postscript to my previous post, I am amazed and saddened that some Australians have taken so badly the comments made by Harry Connick, Jr of late.

Connick Jr. explained quite articulately why “black face” is offensive in the U.S.A. He was very careful not to call the performers of the Jackson Jive act themselves racists. But he certainly pointed out that black and white minstrels came out of a place of racism. Connick Jr. also has several African American musicians in his band, which performed after the sketch, and of course, would have been duty bound to respond on their behalf.

Some Australians aren’t that across the meaning behind “black face”. In fact, many of us were brought up on the British version of the “Black and White Minstrel” show which ran until 1978, which had been somewhat sanitised from the original racist meaning. This of course made it’s way into the Australian sense of humour.