The rabbit was hopping around central London on Saturday, mostly for lunch with two of the nearest and dearest at the Wine Wharf where after discussion on Shelley, Byron and Coleridge (pretentious? nous?) one of our number claimed that there were no good writers with right wing politics. The other two, including the rabbit, exclaimed with one voice...
Evelyn Waugh!
Orwell said something to the effect that Waugh wrote about as well as it is possible for a human being to write but had some insupportable opinions (I can't find the exact quote - even with the help of Mr Google). Uh Huh. And before anyone says 'Ayn Rand' I confess ... I dutifully bought Atlas Shrugged. I accept that she has a very good prose style. I put it down after a few chapters. That was several weeks ago. I shall attempt to pick it up again but confess that it was not doing it for me on any level beyond thinking ' nice sentence' from time to time.
Coming out of the Wine Wharf having compared French and New Zealand Pinot Noir to his satisfaction the rabbit encountered a troupe of Morris dancers in Borough Market (see pic). Someone said you should try everything once except incest and morris dancing. Obviously no-one told the characters above.
Inevitably the visual media were in attendance complete with coralled off area.
Here we have the protestors on the steps of the cathedral. They had been prevented from occupying the Stock Exchange (private property etc). The police took their positions on the top of the steps to 'protect' the cathedral and move the protesters on. What happened then is rather funny - and like the rest of events so far - very English. The Dean of St Paul's Giles Fraser (who the rabbit has met and rather liked - he says 'fuck' a lot for a clergyman) thanked the police for their interest in the cathedral's 'protection' but declared the cathedral not in need of the same and asked them politely to get off the steps, which they had no option other than to do. He then told the protesters that he didn't mind at all if they stayed but warned them the bells were very noisy if they were planning anything other than an early morning. And there they remain complete with a field kitchen, portable toilets and a media area streaming the protest to wherever. Oh and a sign telling all and sundry not to litter.So far it is all very English and understated unlike the event in Rome on the same day, which turned into a riot. The rabbit was amused as he left the scene to see a tourist bus gingerly executing a three point turn on finding its route blocked.
6 comments:
Yes, but does Dean Fraser believe in God?
I have to admit that I am attracted to the fact that the Anglican Church may have given up on the divinity of Jesus. That means he was jut a regular bloke. Our local vicar also went to Exeter, I will have to sound him out on this.
Ms. Rand had some very weird ideas about disliking government and being self-sufficient, but was quick to sign on the dole.
I try to avoid the tea party crowd, unless of course, it's you, the Mad Hatter, Alice, and the rest of the crowd.
The other ones are just too surreal.
I should add, I have never figured out how to properly address ecclesiastical deans--I assume they are like Academic ones--despite having lived in a Cathedral City.
You've done a fine job as photojournalist - I'd hire you!
Did Enid Blyton hold with right wing politics?
Sx
Laci - You ask does Dean Fraser believe in God? The short answer is 'yes'. The trouble with matters religious is that any more nuanced discourse is drowned out by a shrill non-dialogue of the deaf between shouty, sneering McAtheists and shouty, self righteous and floridly bonkers Christian fundamentalists. Fraser is not a non-believer but neither is he anything remotely resembling a fundamentalist. Thus he gets it in the neck from both ends.
The Dean thing? I come at it from a different angle. I have had many criminal clients called Dean and have been tempted to ask them 'is that an academic or ecclesiatical title?' Suspect this would just confuse though...
Sybil - Thank you - you smooth talker...
SB - You are a wag! :)) Probably.
I don't suppose any of them took a shit on a police car like they did in New York City?
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