Bread and circuses

So, yesterday there was a royal wedding.

We were out all day orchiding, having pub lunches and generally avoiding it all.

I remember Princess Anne's wedding in 1972; we had a colour TV, there was a day off school and my Grandparents came to watch. It was like a religious experience, for my relations. For me it was a day off school.

Same in 1981 when Charles married Lady Di; although taking place in July, and at the end of the 5th year, I was off anyway. Wished them well.

Since then the modern world has moved on, people became savvy, Di and Chuck got divorced, and it all got messy, ending when Diana got killed in Paris with an almost peasant revolt about the Royal Standard not being half mast.

The Royals exist only to live in gilded cages and the Queen to sign bills into law. They may open the occasional bridge or open a shop.

Junior royals have no careers except in the armed forces, unless they are not good enough to finish the course. Stand still, Andrew.

That a mixed race lady from the colonies, as was, has married into the House of Windsor hand increased the gene pool is a good thing, but as homeless people in the town were cleared off in the days before the wedding, so people dressed in Union Jack suits could take their place for a night, and so the less fortunate could not be see on international TV, well, its all a bit bread and circuses, isn't it?

It was proved this week in a survey that the fact there is a royal family living in the various palaces and big houses has no effect on visitor numbers mean that as a country we really stop fawning over this horrible soap opera and give the money these skivers and wastrels take up to single parents, the sick, the disabled?