The Pathetic Jingoistic Coverage For The Birth Of The Royal Baby
If youre one of the few poor souls who live in complete isolation or without access to the news then you most likely missed the news that a baby was born on the 22nd of July. This, my friends, is no ordinary baby. This is a baby that was delivered by the almighty God to us mere plebs; this baby was draped in golden ivory and was caressed by the angels of the echelons of the heavens. Thats the reaction you would have made upon hearing the news of the birth of Javier Bardems and Penelope Cruzs second daughter who was born on 22 July 2013.
No? Oh, its most likely your reaction to the birth of The Royal baby. I use quotation marks to signify the importance of this boy by the media coverage he received. I must stress the importance of this child, this is the first child to exit the womb of Kate Middleton, lets reflect on this watershed moment in Britains history. This boy is now 3rd in line for the Crown. This may sound lovely but we must remember a negative impact of his birth and that is the sad reality that Prince Harry is now one place further away from succeeding the crown and thus less likely to become the douch-iest King ever. He has been named George Alexander Louis. Poor kid, hes less than a week old and hes already the bearer of the most pretentiously snobbish name in existence.
There was wall to wall coverage with constant updates by updates I mean - pointless interviews with cretins that endured the blistering heat to catch sight of a press secretary, yes a press secretary, to declare the birth. There was a sea of media type buffoons that littered the street opposite St. Marys Hospital. Important TV programmes, such as Eastenders (!), were interrupted to announce the nation of the second coming of Christ. There wasnt a single moment when Kay Burley wasnt frantically running around outside the hospital attempting to interview deranged individuals for their opinions. Every few seconds there was a BREAKING NEWS banner that slid across my vision alerting me of an insignificant report regarding Kates activity. Im deeply envious of the primitive tribal citizens that live in remote areas unable to witness this embarrassing spectacle.
If youre a sane member of society then you must surely be questioning the behaviour of a large percentage of the global population. We must ask the question Who the hell cares? In an age when teens and graduates struggle to find their first job and youth unemployment reaches new highs, it's pretty remarkable to be born with a job. Employers might ask: How do you know he's qualified? What do you really know about him? But nobody cares because this baby is ROYAL! This child has been given a job on a metaphorical plate that he will, undoubtedly, lick clean. This kid has a job for life from birth and is likely to excel in this job because he will undergo extensive training.
Its quite possibly the only job with this level of job security, the chances of him losing this job is zero to none. There is an air of inequality travelling through the British smog and its depressing all self-aware plebs, like me and possibly you, of our lack of secure future prospects. I have been searching the corners of the internet for a summer job only to be met with plain rejection for lacking experience. What makes this boy so experienced to be given the future job of king? He is, most likely, pooping his nappy and sleeping peacefully whilst Im furiously typing this in my bedroom. The very concept of genetic elitism is outdated and morally frowned upon but they seem to be an exception to wider scrutiny.
Although (as you may guess) Im not an ardent monarchist, I do think theres something peculiar happening here. There seems to be a new all-time high level of support for the Royal family in recent times. Its quite confusing for many reasons, one being that they, quite frankly, have no real direct impact upon our lives. The monarch cannot affect the level of taxes we pay, they have a very minute impact on foreign and domestic politics, and they dont speak to you or me. As they have very little impact on our lives, why are they still here? Does the Royal family hold any true power? Does the monarch have any important significance in the 21st century? No is the answer to all those questions.
Their role is purely traditional, the royal family has been enshrined in British culture and their roles have been clearly written in constitutional documents. Their power has been vastly reduced over the last few centuries. To further elaborate with an example, after a general election, the Queen is expected to declare the new Prime Minister. But the PM is decided by the peoples vote and she is merely expected to authorise this outcome. The Queens power has been diluted and transferred to the PM in the form of the Royal Prerogative. Today the Prime Minister holds a number of prerogative powers that once belonged to the Crown such as the power to declare war, mobilise troops, the ability to appoint senior civil servants or to bestow honours. However the Queen is blessed with inherited assets. Assets that some estimate to be worth up to $12.4 billion. The Queen owns the Crown Estate and, theoretically, 1/6th of the world through the commonwealth lands. The Queen also receives an annual government stipend of $12.9 million. Spongers?
Many ardent anti royalists will claim that the royal family continue to reinforce class consciousness by thrusting this archaic concept of aristocracy onto our faces but I like to see them as a timely breaks from real depressing stories. For example, due to the coverage of the birth of George, the latest Tory party scandal has been largely ignored.
Whatever your view on the royal family is you cannot ignore the bleak reality that a, barely one week old, baby is far more important and famous than you, and I, will ever imagine. Itll be interesting to hear the views of the most famous number 1 anti-royal celebrity, Morrissey, on this birth but one thing we can ask George is Little man, what now?
