20 August, 2010

Fresh Prince

The Prince of Wales has made a list of twenty lifestyle changes for the average family in the blurb to his new environmental movement Start. They include taking fewer baths and recycling used paint tins.

I am not saying this is wrong: if you believe that unrecycled paint tins caused the flooding in Pakistan it is your duty to do something about it and the heir to the throne is helping you.

It’s just that...immediately this stuff was issued, reporters wanted to know whether the Prince never took baths, and of course his staff didn’t feel able to discuss his toilet with the riff raff on the streets (or the ‘great unwashed’ as they used to be called).

Queen Elizabeth I, in a 16th century PR démarche, announced that she took a bath once a month whether she needed it or not. But we live in more genteel times now.

What I am against is that this is all going to bring the PoW under scrutiny and make him look a twit, which is something he really doesn’t need right now.

For me, there is a strong similarity between the Prince of Wales and the State of Israel: instinctively I want to support them both, but each seems intent on making it as difficult as possible for me to do so.

No comments: