Observe, this dark weekend, a contrast. On Whitehall, the centre of British government, the Royal Family and leaders of our political class gather to pay solemn tribute at the Cenotaph to those who gave their lives for their country in the two world wars and other conflicts since. In a year that has witnessed the death of our beloved longest reigning monarch and political turbulence involving the rapid turnover of three prime ministers, the annual ceremony is especially poignant and shows Britain at its best.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, in Australia’s Springbrook National Park, a party of ‘celebrities’ gathered to watch as Matt Hancock, the former Secretary of State for Health, and the man who presided over the government’s authoritarian response to the Covid pandemic, eagerly dived into a tunnel where liquid excrement was poured over his head on live television, followed by an assortment of what he called ‘creepy-crawlies’ including insects, maggots, and scorpions.
In dim and distant days we may have disagreed with our politicians but at least we respected them.
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