Stuff the royal wedding!

So the fighter jets have flown over Buckingham Palace to salute the royal nuptials between Williams and Kate. It is symbolic of the pomp, majesty and military of this occasion along with the traditional chaste kiss between the newly weds on the balcony. The cheers and whoops of joy from the crowd watching this fairy tale event unfolding.

What it also represents is sick-making opulence, tradition set in aspic and greed. Monarchy based on hereditary, succession and birth right where the masses prop them up in the lap of luxury and fine palaces through public money. The royals sure are work shy benefit scroungers. And anyway with the royal family’s track record of faithfulness and fidelity (and aint it obligatory to have a mistress?) this could end in tears cos you know everyone marveled at the sight of Di and Charles and their fair tale day not knowing that the groom was thinking about this mistress…..

I mean, 30 odd years ago I supported the royal family, I was a keen royalist along with being brought up in the CofE religion. I was 11 at the time. What I remember 30 years ago was the excitement. Even I got up at the crack of dawn in anticipation to see the dress and just to gawp at the wedding of the century on television. I can’t remember whether there was a street party (there was one during the silver jubilee) but after watching the event I went out to play football. Though in saying all that I felt I had witnessed history in making (well, kinda true considering the unhappiness and hype those two created). I doubt if I could ever imagined that by the time I was 13 I would be an atheist and anti-monarchy. During that period in 1981 the impending doomed royal wedding was to distract us from those economic woes, who cares if the taxpayer paying for the wedding between two dynastic royal inbreds to carry on their blood line. Thatcher was PM, there was social unrest, unemployment, recession and the racist ‘sus law. Living next door to Handsworth I remember the riots too. Also those balmy summer days are remembered as in September I was off to secondary school.

Thirty years on and there’s similar wedding fever. Discussions by history bods like Simon Schama about whether we “are less of a deferent society” and that the celebrations highlight a “communal spirit”. A backdrop of austerity with the wedding rallying the masses in a kind of blitz spirit. Ugh. And everywhere I look there’s a string of Union Jacks But watching the aerial pictures of people thronging the streets of central London the numbers weren’t the same from 1981 and there doesn’t seem to the same support. Do people give a damn? Watch a bit of it on the telly and also pleased they have a day off? The adrenalin fueled drama and excitement isn’t the same as 1981. Thankfully.

While we are distracted by this traditional bourgeois “God save the Queen” patriarchal ceremony ordinary people planning peaceful protests against the waste-of-money blue-blood event and highlighting what these parasites represent in this deferential society were arrested in the run up to the wedding. Hideous! It comes across as something out of Philip K. Dick’s Minority Report, anyone protesting with an anti-establishment flavour was arrested under various anti-democratic legislation and the cops have so much to choose from (thanks New Labour!). Also shows the continued criminalisation of protest and being able to express those views. This is a worrying precedent.

Rather than oohing and ahhing about the Kate’s simple dress worry about the right of protest being destroyed. I don’t remember arrests being made in 1981 during the run up to the election.

I long to see this society go republic where the royals are sold off to the highest bidder maybe some casino owner in Las Vegas (the Kennedy’s aren’t so prevalent in the States any longer and well, if they need a new feudal inspired royalty then look no further than the House of Windsor) and the castles and palaces will be renovated to become social housing and all the other gems and crowns will be publicly owned and/or given back to the country they were stolen from during the empire.

Long live the republic!

Dog days

I am in Swansea at the moment, Gower Peninsula to be more exact. Was hoping to take some photos of the elusive choughs and wild rabbits. Didn’t see the birds but saw two wabbits chasing each other from a distance. Anyway here’s a selection of pix (excitable dogs and cheeky cats and some cows) I took on the many long walks I have taken so far to cleanse the soul, clear the cobwebs and forget about stressful world.

Workers Memorial Day

Today is Workers Memorial Day. Far too many workers die in the workplace, the injustice continues with lack of accountability and responsibility from employers.

Mourn the dead fight for the living!

See Hazards and FACK

More spring watch with Harpy

Kerfuffles are afoot on the pond…Coots have had chicks menacing anyone who comes anywhere near. More duckings on the pond. There’s been fight club geese style though impressed with female duck who bit the leg of a goose as it was trying to intimidate her. Herons are building more nests flying around collecting twigs and the young anarchist heron chicks will be soon off to join Black Bloc.

Fair maiden Kate and William the Prince

Once upon a time there lived a fair maiden called Kate, she had the nouveau riche about her the wealth accumulated through mater and pater. She attended an institution of learning in a land way down yonder far far away where she met a blue-blooded young prince. She set that lusty noble blood a-racing when he clapped eyes on her skimpy transparent garment as she sashayed down a catwalk. And now with the years passing, the prince proposed marriage to fair commoner Kate. Takes me back down ye olde memory lane, where the prince’s fair chaste mother married Right Charlie of Windsor. A ruffian and cad too! Forsooth! The marriage ended where jet-setting princess of the people was besmirched and cokewolded by the mistress Camilla. A very sad story sadder due to maiden princess not understanding clunk click gospel according to Jimmy of Saville.

Tis now the wedding week where celebrations are afoot, cavorts and gigs with Bacchus thrown in. Lots of feasts to celebrate the eventus. They lived happily ever after in a palace that was paid for through the blood, sweat and tears of the masses. But worry not… many worthssipe the monarchie (so doff your cap!) but many of the plebs don’t give a princely toss for the royal wedding but say hurrah we have a day off from capitalism. Oh, and those knaves who cheer ‘Vive la République’ will be thrown into the Tower and told, “Orf with their heads” …..

Dear reader, this scribe will be miles and miles and miles away from Londinium instead present in Cymru keeping well away from the publications and ye olde goggle box.

Lynkys: Carl of Raincoat on the impending nuptials

What is this I see before thee, a Carnival of Republicanism…ye gods!

Heron island….and some other animals as well

I discovered another park which had a heron island, fascinating seeing numerous nests in one tree! Saw geese with goslings, ducks and ducklings. Some other wildfowl species as well. Hoped to have seen a kingfisher but didn’t. Oh well….

More updates on the herons

Very relieved that the third heron appeared in another tree while other two herons stick close by the nest. This other one likes to show off with its flying skills. Only a few weeks ago this heron was a wobbly little chick and now look…….

Parent heron keeping a beady eye on the youngsters

Youngster heron trying out the wings

Heron sitting on eggs in the nest

Punky heron in the nest

Balancing on a branch

Heron update, sleepy geese, lost dummy and blossom of sorts

Ok…. the adolescent herons are starting to climb out of their nest and balancing on the branches. See 2 of them but can’t see the third heron Parent heron (according to RSPB and park warden) will take the youngsters to the bank of the pond to teach them to fish. Then they will be using their wings to fly off… Sad day that will be.

One of the herons in the other tree was perched on the branch but the newly created nest lacked the other heron. Probably off to find fish and other food stuff.

Diary of the heron colony

Taking a bit of a break from politics for the moment and concentrating on wildlife and wildfowl especially (as you may have noticed herons). I will be back to activism very soon.

Herons, herons, some ducks and geese

Hobbled to the park which is only one minute away from home to stalk the herons and other wildlife. The heron chicks are not really chicks anymore more punky adolescents who play tricks on one another, I’ve witnessed them snapping on each others feet when they have a stretch and rise up spreading their wings.

One maybe two of them hop rather precariously around the nest under the watchful eye of their parents, they wobble and venture towards the edge but pull themselves back if they look like they’re gonna take a plunge into the pond. The chicks have also noticed there’s a world outside the nest and have taken an interest in watching what’s going on around them.

Next door there’s an old tree that has slipped into the pond where terrapins bask in the sun and where a couple of loved-up herons are getting it on along with making a nest. There are eggs to be sat on and the other heron flies around to sort out twigs for the nest. So many people have taken an interest in this new family. It will be a sad day when the adolescent chicks start to fly off. I seem to have stored up a lot of info regarding herons and when people stop and watch the herons they see me standing there patiently watching the antics of the herons and they ask questions.

It seems that there’s now a colony of herons in the park. Four overall with 3+ young. I saw the two loved up herons sitting on the branches near the other nest, the parent was in the nest. I assumed that the two herons could have been showing some kind of solidarity with these birds but a park warden told me that the two herons lurking in the branches were more than likely intent on stealing the nest! But they were foiled and have found somewhere else.

Spring is the time for new life. Though the Mallard ducks are violent and aggressive. I have witnessed female ducks being dragged by the neck by a male duck (and this particular female duck yelped as she had 3 ducklings to care for..fortunately two other ducks seemed to come to her aid).

According to the park warden there’s a gender imbalance with the ducks, more males than females. I saw 3 duckings last Sunday, on Tuesday I only saw 2. Today I saw a duckling on the pond on its own, I hope it caught up with parent(s). And fortunately, the swans (who aren’t around this year) won’t be destroying any eggs from any geese though the ducks need to hide their ducklings better as the herons are watching them. Nature, eh? Red in tooth and claw….