Hold on, the US idiot box (TV, before you get all angsty) has a million channels dedicated to staring your life away. You are more likely to see the Property Brothers than Charles and Camilla.
It is not currently on any of the free channels in Columbus, Ohio. 4 - Horse racing. 6 - Nutri System paid advertisement 10 - AM Marketing 28 - Ax Men 34 - Lidia's Kitchen
Surprised to see Nick Cave at the Coronation, representing the Aussies. Katy Perry was apparently attending as well. I wonder if these days Canadians see themselves with more in common with the US than the UK?
I caught the tail end of it. A lot of people rolled out for it. It's a bit of a catch-22. Celebrating a history and individuals that's not, that are not exactly magnanimous. Queen Elizabeth II was a pretty nice gal it seemed. She seemed to do right by most of it. I think Princess Diana would have made something of of. Civic and historical pride does has some place and value. The Pomp and Ceremony is weird, the pomp and ceremony is cool. I think it should be respected, but wound down. So much going on here
It's a constitutional monarchy, probably the best form of government for my country. I an no strong royalist and don't particularly like the individuals of the Royal Family. However, every time I witness a big state occasion something is stirred in me. I can't even explain it but it seems to connect us to the history of our country and its traditions, which, and some will disagree, have been a force for good in the world. Our values tend to be the right ones, especially our love of freedom and democracy. In addition the alternative is an elected president, which makes me shudder with the calibre of politicians we have witnessed recently, so probably better to leave well enough alone.
The US presidential campaigns cost around $1 billion at the last election. That's a staggering figure. I'm not sure you can really call it a democracy when you have to either raise that or get given that amount of money. And then it seems to come down to a popularity contest as messed up as some TV show. I'm not a fan of the royal family but if the alternative seems likely to be Boris then I am at a loss. Some third option is the only answer.
Exactly. Who do you think pays for the $1 billion spent on US elections? Do you think corporations are literally spending profits? No. The shareholders would have fits. The money spent by corporations will ultimately come from prices being raised to offset that corporate "spending". So the average citizen is really footing the bill. Is that really any better than the UK sending tax money on some royal events?
I watched a little of it with my daughter Saturday morning (tape delayed, of course). The moment when the camera caught Nick Cave in the church was really weird to say the least. Anyways, apparently there was a "royal playlist" for the coronation. I include it below because it's an interesting selection of songs. Do you think Charles had any say in this? Apparently the songs were chosen by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to inspire celebrations/parties. So I'm guessing he had no say or wasn't involved. "Come Together" by The Beatles "Daddy Cool" by Boney M. "A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay "Let's Dance" by David Bowie "Celestial" by Ed Sheeran "One Day Like This" by Elbow "Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra "Starry Eyed" by Ellie Goulding "Starlight" by Emeli Sandé "Dance All Over Me" by George Ezra "Slave To The Rhythm" by Grace Jones "Treat People With Kindness" by Harry Styles "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" by Kate Bush "Our House" by Madness "It’s A Beautiful Day" by Micheal Bublé "All over the World" by Pet Shop Boys "We are the Champions" by Queen "People Get Ready" by Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart "SPACE MAN" by Sam Ryder "Gold" by Spandau Ballet "Say You’ll Be There" by Spice Girls "Shine" by Take That "Waterloo Sunset" by The Kinks "I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers "Love Reign O’er Me" by The Who "Green Green Grass Of Home" by Tom Jones "King" by Years & Years Surprising number of songs about stars/sky. Who/Kinks/Bowie/Beatles made it but not Stones. Any other observations?
A playlist selected by AI. They messed up though. Scots and Welsh get a track but no-one from Northern Ireland I think?
If they had paid attention to the above playlist, Charles could have walked down the aisle with 'We are the Champions' playing. Or 'Mr. Blue Sky'. That would have been unique in the annals of coronations. 'Love Reign O'er Me', however, might have been a bit awkward.
If you have not found this - Youtube Charles Coronation should yield several choices. Some lengthy. Good luck.
My mom is old enough to have seen Elizabeth's Coronation as a little girl, so it IS literally history for her, with some personal resonance.
