THE LAST RITE OF THE POMS
The rightists are upset that there will only be orchestral versions of Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia on the last night of the Promenade concerts. They will not be able to sing along to the celebrations of the British Empire, with its military might, colonialism, exploitation, brutality, and slavery.
But why this half measure by the BBC? Why not finally pull the plug on the sunset industry that is known as the British Empire? How about a complete make-over?
A new, popular, set of songs could be chosen that reflect a quite different outlook.
“Redemption Song” by Bob Marley and “The Fields of Athenry” would be two top contenders for the finale. Then there could be “Imagine” by John Lennon, or even “Border Song” by Elton John.
Room could also be found for “Chimes of Freedom” or “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” by Bob Dylan. The former includes a reference to refugees and would be a good antidote to constant vilification of these desperate people by the British establishment. The latter would be particularly relevant in the wake of the death by starvation of Mercy Baguma, a Ugandan refugee in Glasgow, or the death by drowning in the English Channel of Abdulfatah Hamdallah, a Sudanese refugee.
Not much hope or glory in a land that lets such things happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment