As if things weren’t bad enough, shocking and depressing news today on the B(ritish)BC website.Brace yourself: Queen Elizabeth’s birthday gun salute has been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Her Majesty has of course two birthdays – one on Tuesday and another in June (no, Virginia, this does not mean the monarch is 188 years old – she is a youthful 94).
This shattering news raises a wider question: why, besides having twice as many birthdays as the rest of us, does Her Majesty have so many vast houses? And why does Boris Johnson get to recuperate in Chequers, which looks like it was built to house two dozen Borises, even allowing for his overweight bulk? Come to that, why does the much smaller Michael D Higgins have to live in such palatial splendor in the Phoenix Park. Why does the Taoiseach and his various ministers travel around in such large vehicles, with a chauffeur doing the driving?
Is the idea to overawe anyone who has anything to do with HMQE2 or Boris or Michael D? Or is it that we think nothing is too big or good for our leaders? If so, we’re very stupid.
Of course our leaders should be able to live in reasonable comfort and be supplied with a decent car. But a chauffeur? And absurdly vast mansions?
Isn’t the great danger that leaders will become out of touch with ordinary people? Or am I missing something?
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