Cry Harry and let slip the knobs of war
There is much to say about the tawdry stunt of Prince Harry in Afghanistan. That the MoD should gleefully leap on the opportunity to produce such revolting propaganda is only to be expected.
That the media, after all this time and all it should have learned, lapped it up like a dog returning to its own vomit, should be more surprising but isn’t really. There’s a twinge of sympathy for the Prince, I suppose - he’s a puppet in all this. But then that was the role allotted to him at birth and he’ll be one until he dies.
You think he’d be aware of that by now. The fact that he says that he needed to go to Afghanistan and call in air-strikes in order to feel ‘normal’ would suggest not. The way this has been choreographed down to the minutest detail I’m amazed we’re not seeing photographs of the less-than-private shits Harry boasts he’s been taking over the last ten weeks. Fancy that, a member of the royal family needing to defecate! Lawks! I fort that kind of fing was only for the loiks of me and you, Mary Parpins.
Anyway, Marina Hyde in the Guardian says it all better:
On the one hand, it was nice to see Prince Harry in a British army uniform, as opposed to one of Hitler’s. It’s a little bit like Pokemon, really. I’m hoping he’ll give us a highly collectible Hutu warrior snap soon. Gotta catch ‘em all! On the other, is there anyone over Pokemon-playing age who believes it was really worth it? The sheer number of man-hours and money lavished on allowing one young man to experience job satisfaction is mind-boggling. It has to be the most fatuous use of Ministry of Defence resources since Geoff Hoon.
According to the executive director of the Society of Editors, who helped establish the controversial media blackout, it was not designed to mislead readers and viewers but to ultimately give them “a deeper insight into a new side of Prince Harry”. But how completely intriguing. And yet, is he basically still a fairly dim, fairly affable chap, you might ask? It would appear so. But he’s being fairly dim and fairly affable in Afghanistan. Or rather, he was until the news broke, at which point a detailed, prearranged plan to get him out - how many logistical brains are wasted on this nonsense? - was mobilised. So at least we have an exit strategy for Prince Harry, if not for the actual war.
Wouldn’t it have been cheaper and caused less damage to the psychological well-being of the nation to just give him an X-Box and a copy of ‘Call of Duty’?
Posted on March 1st, 2008 at 9:47 am
Since Harry is of stock other than Charles, this was a bonafide attempt at obliterating that bloodline. I now reckon the red tops will dare Willy to go further in demonstrating Britishness on the battlefield.
Christ, were you having a moment or something when you wrote this - it really is beneath you.
Harry (propaganda coup or not) is fighting for YOU and everyone else reading this - whether you agree with how we got in this mess in the first place - or not.
Hyde’s piece is up to her usual standards, I see - including a little class-fuelled pop at Harry, by calling him “fairly dim” - she must know him quite well to make such an assessment!
As for X-boxes and Call of Duty - your attempt to infantalise him doesn’t show you in a particularly good light either.
My guess is Harry just wants to get on and do what he trained for, with his comrades in one of the nastiest theatres on the face of the planet.
Deference I would never show, but respect - in buckets, mate. In flipping buckets.
Considering that before this week the image of Prince Harry established in the public imagination was one of him drunk in clubs, groping women and dressed as a Nazi, I’d argue that it’s him that’s been doing most of the infantilising.
As for wanting to get on and do what he’s trained for, all the evidence suggests that he was all to happy too play along with media blackmail and the quid pro quo in return for them keeping schtum about his whereabouts. He’s third in line to the throne, you would have thought he could have told any and all the parties to stick it up their arses at any given point, mate.
I doubt anyone was crude enough to use the word ‘propaganda’ in front of him, but his picture postcard trip to Afghanistan helps nobody, least of all those of us with a foot in the reality-based community who want to see more come over to our side.
He may be, as you say, fighting for ME, I just wonder what I’m getting out of it. What with heroin production being way up, NATO squabbling amongst themselves, experts claiming Afghanistan is being lost, deals with warlords and butchers, and a resurgent Taliban and rumours of us doing a deal with them - one of the worst crews on the planet.
Considering that before this week the image of Prince Harry established in the public imagination was one of him drunk in clubs, groping women and dressed as a Nazi, I’d argue that it’s him that’s been doing most of the infantilising
An image created by the media, I mean - you never got drunk as a kid? Made a mistake (even a pretty big one)? I did, loads - but I was fortunate enough to be able to do it in a relative privacy not afforded Harry.
As for wanting to get on and do what he’s trained for, all the evidence suggests that he was all to happy too play along with media blackmail and the quid pro quo in return for them keeping schtum about his whereabouts. He’s third in line to the throne, you would have thought he could have told any and all the parties to stick it up their arses at any given point, mate
Where does the blackmail come into it? From what I’ve read it was a pretty unanimous (if pained) decision of the editors to help?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/mar/01/royalsandthemedia.military
Why then, would he want to tell them to shove it, I mean he WANTS to go?!
I doubt anyone was crude enough to use the word ‘propaganda’ in front of him, but his picture postcard trip to Afghanistan helps nobody, least of all those of us with a foot in the reality-based community who want to see more come over to our side
You’re not giving him much credit here, he may well have spotted for himself, anything that looked like being propaganda and at any rate if you think either Charles or the Queen would sanction Harry being used in a stunt, I reckon you’re way off mark.
Whether you or I like it or not their exists an appetite amongst a limited number of people to see those kinds of photos - I don’t see how this cheapens the brutality of it.
He may be, as you say, fighting for ME, I just wonder what I’m getting out of it. What with heroin production being way up, NATO squabbling amongst themselves, experts claiming Afghanistan is being lost, deals with warlords and butchers, and a resurgent Taliban and rumours of us doing a deal with them - one of the worst crews on the planet
It’s a mess. Agreed. And a fucking huge one, but I still don’t see this as part of a propaganda exercise to convince us that it isn’t - when by all reasonable measures, we know it pretty much is. I also see much of the mess as being political rather than military - decisions and resources; both piss-poor.
Superb piece of writing, Justin. Really, really good - better even that Marina’s, which was pretty good as well. Can’t believe the money and press time that has been devoted to allowing young Harry a little fiddle around on the front.
Have you thought about posting this over at LC - there isn’t anything there on the topic yet, and this is great. We’re certainly loving it @ our house. Woke up this morning to all this other fawning shite about the great giver Harry, and wondered what was wrong with everyone.
Cheers,
Kate
Cheers, Kate. I might try and flesh it out a bit for LC.
Harry ….is fighting for YOU and everyone else reading this
No he isn’t. It’s not remotely clear what or who he’s fighting for but it certainly isn’t us. He may, in a legal sense, be fighting on our behalf, but that’s a different thing entirely.
Were we being invaded by Afghans rather than the opposite, it would likely be true. As it is, it is not.
My dear chap, one doesn’t fight for anything. One simply fights.
Harry … is fighting for YOU
No he isn’t. No Afghan ever called me honky!