Prince Phillip Kicks the Bucket

Until I moved to England, I thought Britain had kept its Royal Family mainly because it was a great tourist attraction. After all, other imperial powers had done away with their royal families or pushed them tot he sidelines of public lifeline. Colonialism doesn't require a royal family. It was only after I moved to England that I realised what a big deal the Royal Family is. Or, rather, there are so many livelihoods dependent on keeping it a big deal. But, even I was surprised by the death of a 99-year-old royal who has been in and out of hospitals for the past few years. he had one foot in the grave, so to speak. On my mid-day walk, I noticed that the Union Jack flying over the Ministry of defence was at half mast. As the day wore on, the situation became even more ridiculous. Parliament was called back from Easter recess early to mourn his death, while the Labour Party suspended its campaigning for local elections. Several BBC radio stations switched from their regular programming to playing insipid instrumental music. All this for a man who was a proud racist. Its not like I have ever felt or I will ever feel that I belong here. But, on days like this, this country feels completely alien to me.