Give them bread and circuses and they'll never revolt. So said Juvenal, a Roman poet some 2000 years ago. And as the coronation begins in Brexit Britain the circus is in full swing with wall to wall TV extravaganzas, newspaper tributes and monologues streaming from radios across the land.
Millions of pounds of taxpayers money is being spent on this "once in a lifetime" spectacle while the country goes to the dogs.
For anyone looking at Britain from afar it might seem the whole country was in celebration of a man getting a new hat.
But behind the veneer of pomp and pageantry the masses have never been poorer, the country has never been poorer and the future has never looked so bleak.
Promises of a bright future outside the European Union of sunny uplands and unicorns have not materialised. The promised £350m for the NHS that emblazoned a large red bus never surfaced. Indeed, as nurses, doctors and other NHS staff demanded pay rises as inflation soared and the cost of living crisis grew, the UK government claimed they couldn't afford to offer more money.
The same is true of other public sector workers from rail workers, postal staff and teachers, all of which have called strikes over working conditions and pay over recent months.
Meanwhile the public has seen food inflation rocket, energy bills soar and shortages of basic foods in the shops.
Those with some disposable income have sought to escape for weekend breaks to the continent only to find themselves stuck in queues lasting many hours and even days as new Brexit red tape at borders snarls up airports and ferry ports.
In hospitality the picture is just as bleak with pubs and restaurants closing as staff shortages take their toll.
In short there have been no Brexit dividends or benefits. There have been no upsides, only multiple downsides.
During the Queen's silver jubilee in 1977 the Sex Pistols released their anthem in which they proclaimed that Britain was a 'fascist regime' and that there was 'no future in England's dreaming'.
As Charles III makes his way to Westminster Abbey on 6th May 2023, those words could not ring more true. As the procession passes by Trafalgar Square he might be reminded of his namesake Charles I who sits astride a horse and who was beheaded in 1649.
His execution was the culmination of political and military conflicts between the royalists and the parliamentarians in England during the English Civil War.
Britain is perhaps not in a state of civil war but in many regards the country is just as divided politically. The monarchy has become less relevant than ever and an anachronism. Brexit has all but destroyed the economy and divided the nation. A lavish coronation will do little to rebuild a country that is almost bottom of economic league tables.
Millions of pounds of taxpayers money is being spent on this "once in a lifetime" spectacle while the country goes to the dogs.
For anyone looking at Britain from afar it might seem the whole country was in celebration of a man getting a new hat.
But behind the veneer of pomp and pageantry the masses have never been poorer, the country has never been poorer and the future has never looked so bleak.
Promises of a bright future outside the European Union of sunny uplands and unicorns have not materialised. The promised £350m for the NHS that emblazoned a large red bus never surfaced. Indeed, as nurses, doctors and other NHS staff demanded pay rises as inflation soared and the cost of living crisis grew, the UK government claimed they couldn't afford to offer more money.
The same is true of other public sector workers from rail workers, postal staff and teachers, all of which have called strikes over working conditions and pay over recent months.
Meanwhile the public has seen food inflation rocket, energy bills soar and shortages of basic foods in the shops.
Those with some disposable income have sought to escape for weekend breaks to the continent only to find themselves stuck in queues lasting many hours and even days as new Brexit red tape at borders snarls up airports and ferry ports.
In hospitality the picture is just as bleak with pubs and restaurants closing as staff shortages take their toll.
In short there have been no Brexit dividends or benefits. There have been no upsides, only multiple downsides.
During the Queen's silver jubilee in 1977 the Sex Pistols released their anthem in which they proclaimed that Britain was a 'fascist regime' and that there was 'no future in England's dreaming'.
As Charles III makes his way to Westminster Abbey on 6th May 2023, those words could not ring more true. As the procession passes by Trafalgar Square he might be reminded of his namesake Charles I who sits astride a horse and who was beheaded in 1649.
His execution was the culmination of political and military conflicts between the royalists and the parliamentarians in England during the English Civil War.
Britain is perhaps not in a state of civil war but in many regards the country is just as divided politically. The monarchy has become less relevant than ever and an anachronism. Brexit has all but destroyed the economy and divided the nation. A lavish coronation will do little to rebuild a country that is almost bottom of economic league tables.
But the masses seem oblivious as they hang out their bunting and take advantage of longer opening hours at pubs up and down the country. But after the long weekend of celebrations, partying and drinking, there will only be a hangover and a large bill.
tvnewswatch, London, UK
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