Category Archives: Commentary

More Harry Please!

Spare me.

I didn’t think I would write about Harry again, but here I am. It’s like I have indigestion and have to, um, bring him up once more.

I haven’t read his book and won’t. I haven’t watched his and Meghan’s apparently exhaustive documentary and won’t. I haven’t listened to her podcasts and won’t. When, I wonder, will they decide to “won’t?”

The fact that I haven’t watched, read or listened to any of their “truth” should have kept me safe, but nope. I can’t read a paper, look at the tv or log in to Netflix without feeling inundated by them. Everywhere you look, Harry is flogging his book. I already feel like I’ve I read it because it has been so hard to avoid.

Image courtesy of BBC

It seems that Spare can be boiled down to a number of crucial events: Harry and William had a physical fight. All of his relatives dish dirt on him and Meghan to the media. Camilla is a dangerous villain. Kate made Meghan cry (apparently sobbing on the floor). Charles doesn’t love him. He froze his pecker. He did drugs and drank a lot. He killed a lot of people in Afghanistan. William is going bald.

On and on it goes, this somewhat bizarre collection of grievances that for the most part cannot be proven, but here’s my interpretation of all these breathless excerpts: Harry is a very angry, self-righteous, uber-privileged boy-man who is using his supposedly most hated institution, the media, to lob reprisals against and make money off telling stories about his family. His philosophy seems to boil down to this: trash the old life (including all the people in it) in order to finance the new life. And not just any new life; it has to be a moneyed, rarefied life.

Image courtesy of BBC

He says he’s had a lot of therapy, but it apparently hasn’t translated into any sort of empathy for anyone other than, one presumes, Meghan and his children. And his statement that Meghan deserves an apology? For what, exactly? And from whom? From the tabloids? Charles and William? Kate?

To be fair, I agree that Meghan was treated brutally by a UK tabloid press that criticised her no matter what she did or didn’t do, and that at least some of it was rabidly racial. Given that situation, Harry and Meghan made a reasonable decision to walk away and lead a more regular, private life. The problem, though, is that they didn’t. They smear – and keep smearing – themselves everywhere to try to make stacks of money.

I also agree that, while Harry – in common with many, many others – lost a parent under tragic circumstances when he was a child, few others have had to march behind their mother’s coffin in front of millions; a heartbroken child on display in front of the world. Wherever that decision came from, it was callous and cruel, for both Harry and William.

On the other side of what’s leaking out of Harry’s book, I don’t know of any brothers who haven’t had some sort of fight, either physical or verbal or both. However, that his family, and particularly Camilla, is in collusion with the tabloids to dish dirt on him and Meghan just sounds peculiar. I don’t believe that Charles doesn’t love him. According to Harry’s own words, Charles used to leave little notes on Harry’s pillow, encouraging him and expressing his affection. Is that what an uncaring father does? And his pecker? Oy. Frozen or not, do the rest of us need to know that or about his extensive use of drugs and alcohol? And the Oedipal references to putting one of his mother’s favourite creams on his penis? I’m lost for words.

Photo by Andrew Milligan

Additionally, as a combat veteran, I take serious exception to his nonchalant and boastfully airy description of his “kills” as “chess pieces.” Not only is that a safety risk, but it’s just breathtakingly inappropriate. Appalling, really. Harry is a very privileged person who is trying to be some sort of war victim. He’s not. During my time in a combat zone, I saw many victims. Victims of violence, of sexual assault, of murder, and of dispossession of all kinds. Those people are victims, and Harry should know that. In common with other veterans, my advice to him is to shut up. Now.

And that nasty balding that William keeps doing? Well, no words can describe the depths to which Harry will go, apparently, to criticise his brother. Doesn’t Harry’s negative commentary about William’s hair loss sound an awful lot like what happened to Meghan? Her skin colour, her ethnicity, her person, being criticised?

Although Harry claims that he wants to get on with his family, I doubt that anyone in that family will trust him ever again. I certainly wouldn’t. I would be very concerned about having any kind of conversation or connection with him for fear that it might wind up in a book. The irony is that despite Harry’s obsession around invasion of privacy, he has seemingly divulged deeply personal information about his family and himself. He violates his own privacy as well as the privacy of others; he certainly didn’t get their permission and lot of what he has apparently divulged comes across as libellous. Is he any better than the tabloid press that he hates so much?

All families have issues. The British Royal family (which is also the royal family of Canada; I’m not happy with having to have a King Charles, ugh) has the garden-variety issues on top of a whole host of other issues generated by their weird but privileged position. But the idea of flogging those issues in order to finance a rarefied life just sounds greedy and vindictive. Is this Harry’s truth? Maybe. The words “truth,” and “fact” have taken an awful beating lately. The best that can be said is that these are Harry’s interpretations and opinions; the worst is that he and Meghan are running a sort of slow motion faked-reality tv show: trash for cash.

Image courtesy of CNN

I also find it odd that despite all the Royal family bashing, Meghan and Harry run around calling themselves “duke” and “duchess,” and are apparently moaning about not having titles for their children. Huh? Don’t you live in the U.S.? Didn’t the Americans throw all that crap out a long time ago? And anyway, why would they want to keep this silly title stuff bestowed by an organisation that they seemingly don’t like and crossed an ocean to escape? How can they continue to trade on these titles while attempting to belittle the institution that provided them in the first place? Yikes.

Still, I feel kind of sorry for Harry. I think that his “truth” is the only thing he has to sell, and people are getting tried of hearing it. What’s left for this pair then? Images of his great-uncle, a former king who also married an American, left in a decades-long useless limbo, spring to mind. Because once their story, Harry’s story, is told, nothing is left. They both lack the heft of a substantial set of achievements to underpin themselves, and those deals they’ve made with Spotify and Netflix will eventually run out.

If Harry and Meghan had dropped their titles and left the UK to live quietly and privately somewhere else, there would be a lot of support and respect for them, I think. But they really have squandered the goodwill that many people offered them, unfortunately. And on that note, I wish them good luck, because I think they’re going to need it, especially Harry.

A Good Bottle

A recent communique from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction states that “no amount of alcohol” consumption is healthy and rather is linked to cancer. However, having taken the time to find and read their report, I have to say that their research is limited and the results conflicting, so my opinion is that this warning is a bit over the top.

An Okanagan vineyard.

There is no doubt that alcohol can and does cause many, many problems, but I find this announcement, based as it is on small sample sizes, is sort of temperance-sounding and reminds me of the announcements years ago about barbecued food (among lots of other things) causing cancer.

Almost anything, if taken too far, can be a health risk. I like a good glass of wine, pairing it with meals and adding it to my cooking. Rightly or wrongly, my very French father (my parents had wine with dinner almost every evening) insisted that we children have a tiny glass (shot glass size) of wine with dinner; I was raised with wine (especially red) as a natural and delicious accompaniment to food.

As a result, I was never much interested in the teenage drunks that many of my friends indulged in; I found that whole idea silly and boring. So I think my father had the right idea. Alcohol wasn’t a mystery and it never became a problem.

A good bottle of Okanagan red.

I’m not going to change my consumption. I live in wine country and love finding great bottles for our cellar. Planning good food and picking the right complimentary wine to go with it is fun and adds to my enjoyment of the meal.

What do you think?

Ice Unsafe

There is some ice along the edges of Skaha Lake. In the shallow parts right next to the beach, the water is frozen all the way to the bottom, but about 10 metres (approximately 30 ft) further out, it’s a different story as I could see the ice undulating with the water’s movement.

The city has put up a sign reminding people that the ice is unsafe, but humans being humans, further down the beach I saw three people at least five metres away from the shore, walking on the unstable ice. Had they fallen in, they were too far away for quick help – someone else would have had to creep or crawl on the weak ice to get to them – and would likely have rapidly developed hypothermia.

Sometimes, safety isn’t only about yourself; it’s about others, too.

Happy Friday.

Boxing Day

Here in Canada it’s Boxing Day. It has nothing to do with boxing gloves or rings but rather with an old tradition that came down to us from the U.K. and through our Commonwealth ties to that country.

On Boxing Day, you are supposed to box up the leftovers from your Christmas meal along with presents you don’t want or other items you no longer require and give them to those who are struggling. As a small child, I remember vestiges of this old tradition when my parents made sure there was a box of goodies to give away to a family we knew. Another aspect of the day was to provide time to a charity.

The charitable origins of Boxing Day now seem to be completely lost in an overload of after-Christmas sales that are akin to a shopping orgy, mostly for things many of us probably don’t need.

Too bad. A little selfless charity is a good thing, and especially in this tight economy. I won’t be spending any money today, but maybe some time.

Happy Boxing Day.

A Short Drive

Yesterday we took a short drive from Penticton to Westbank (just outside Kelowna) to do an errand. On the way, we saw that Lake Okanagan was displaying some rather interesting weather effects.

There had been sun, but a huge dark cloud swept in to accentuate the very unsettled lake.

The weather in the Okanagan Valley has been unusually and unexpectedly cold and snowy, the result of a widespread Arctic front that has affected much of North America.

Although it’s nothing like what I experience in the Northwest Territories where I work, it’s still difficult when many people aren’t used to this level of cold. The infrastructure to deal with it isn’t available. Plows and sanding trucks are in short supply, people aren’t used to driving on ice and snow and they’re likely lacking the proper clothing and footwear to stay warm. Their vehicles may not be the best for dealing with the conditions. It’s a shock, to say the least.

Lake Okanagan was producing a lot of water vapour as it came into contact with the much colder air above it, and especially with this dark cloud.

This cold spell is supposed to be very short-lived with temperatures predicted to rise above 0°C by Sunday or Monday. I hope so!

Remembrance Day

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 11

30 Days of Gratitude- Day 11 (Photo credit: aussiegall)

I first published this post on November 11, 2013, a second time in 2015 and again today. As a tribute to my family’s veterans and all those many, many others, I think it holds as true this year as did when I first published it nine years ago. Thank you for your service. We will remember.

In Canada, today is Remembrance Day. Today, we remember those who have given their lives to preserve the greater good, those who gave us what we have today.

Both my parents were veterans of World War II. My dad escaped from Dunkirk and later, in 1944, helped to liberate France and the Netherlands. He went all the way to Hamburg, Germany, before being sent back to England and to my mother.

My mother served in the British army as a radar operator during the London blitz. Her father, a World War I veteran, was a “spotter” who alerted higher command that enemy planes were coming across the channel.

One day, a fighter saw him and killed him.

Three of her brothers served in the army, one of whom was captured. He spent four years in a prisoner of war camp and was finally liberated in 1945. According to my mother, he was completely changed and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder for the rest of his life.

Another brother died during his service to the navy, and a third in France. A sister-in-law died in a bombing raid.

My parents worked hard while escaping attacks and facing every kind of rationing imaginable, to say nothing of the constant fear of death. This left them with an enduring determination that their kids would never face the same fears, privation, or responsibility. There had been no guarantees that they would be successful with the task they were given.

But they were successful. And we enjoy the benefits of that success today, a success written in blood.

In Canada, the following excerpt from For the Fallen is recited at Remembrance Day services around the country. Here, this recitation is known as The Act of Remembrance.

For the Fallen ~ Laurence Binyon

They shall not grow old, as we who are left grow old:

age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.

Yes.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. It was originally held in November but the date was changed about 60 years ago so that it wouldn’t conflict with Remembrance Day which is held on November 11.

The history of this day of thanks, while related to British and European harvest festivals, is also said by historians to come from the first celebration of Thanksgiving in North America during the 1579 voyage of explorer Martin Frobisher while he was in the Arctic looking for the Northwest Passage.

Another explanation is that French settlers, having arrived with Samuel De Champlain in 1604, held a thanksgiving feast with the neighbouring First Nations.

Whatever the history, the point is that we should recognise and appreciate the advantages that we have in life.

Many thanks.

Evening on the Lake

After a mostly sunny day, the weather became overcast, but it was still about 20C (68F) and very comfortable for an evening walk.

We saw this sailboat heading into the Penticton marina for the night, which seemed a good idea to me as the wind was coming up quite strongly. It seems we are getting some residual effects from the typhoon that just crossed the Pacific and bumped into the coast. That interaction is much farther north in Alaska, but apparently, this is leading to significant weather impacts in the south, wind included.

Happy Sunday.

The Queen Is Dead

The world’s longest living monarch (and queen of Canada) passed away earlier today at the age of 96.

The Queen always wore a her famous maple leaf pin and dressed in the national colours when visiting Canada.

Although I am not a monarchist (and frankly would like to see us give it up), I have long admired the Queen’s prodigious work ethic and commitment to duty. She passed away today. Two days ago, she was still working.

She did a job that was unexpectedly thrust upon her, no doubt upending all the plans she had for a much more conventional life. I hope she rests well.

Good-bye.

Harry and Meghan … Again

I am quite tired of seeing these two – whatever they are calling themselves – the Royal Formerly Known as Prince? the Fresh Princess of Montecito? – in the news, especially her.

The constant harping on their vacuous, shallow self-victimisation is so annoying, but for Meghan to make the claim “that a cast member from South Africa [an actor in The Lion King] pulled her aside to tell her … ‘I just need you to know: When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same as we did when Mandela was freed from prison’ ” [The Cut: Meghan of Montecito, by Allison P. Davis https://www.thecut.com/article/meghan-markle-profile-interview.html ] is ridiculous. In fact, Mandela’s own son has come forward to deny that Meghan’s claim is true.

They’ve been living and working (do they work? I’m not sure what they do.) in the U.S. for longer than they lived in the U.K. as working royals, but they Just Can’t Stop Complaining about how awful it was and how much damage they suffered.

Or maybe that’s the point.

If the griping and whinging stops, people might forget about them and they might face … yikes! … anonymity. But isn’t that what they wanted? No, wait, maybe what they’re really concerned about is irrelevancy. So I guess the plan is to constantly remind everyone of how hard it was, how bad it was, how tooth-grindingly nasty it was to work as a member of the royal family, with ever more tales and howls of woe, racism, and bullying. Wait! Wasn’t it Meghan doing the bullying? Oy. This is giving me a headache.

Next up will be Harry’s book. I understand that it’s going to be a real doorstopper … er … showstopper. No doubt full of breath-taking and tear-jerking accounts of his life of deprivation and want. Maybe Meghan will interview him for her podcast series so that they can do some more public communing about extremely personal details in order to further finance their life of privileged “total privacy.”

Why should anyone listen to anything either of them have to say? Take away the royal fripperies and what are they? He’s a former second-rate prince who served in the military. Many, many of us have done that. (Not the prince part. The military part. 😉)

She’s a second-rate actress who, while she no doubt worked hard, got paid to pretend to be someone else. Most of us work pretty hard, and frankly, at jobs that are a lot more important – especially those of us who were uncomplainingly run ragged through a pandemic.

Why are they in a position to hold forth on anything? The fact is, they aren’t. Who cares what Meghan thinks about women’s issues or parenting? Her opinion is not worth any more or any less than anyone else’s, and given that she’s not really accomplished anything extraordinary, (is marrying a famous person extraordinary?) why should anyone listen?

Harry thinks his family is dysfunctional and that they all need to be freed from their royal shackles. Oh boy, where should I start? Ahem, Harry? We knew that about your family long ago. But you know what? It’s their choice, not yours. You made your decision, now stop complaining about theirs.

I really felt sorry for Harry and William when they lost their mom. It was heartbreaking and terrible watching those poor kids walk behind their mother’s coffin. But many, many kids have lost a parent, or both parents, or live in tragic, dire circumstances.

Eventually, excusing Harry’s behaviour because his mom died when he was young becomes an excuse in itself. Amidst the trappings of the Sussexes’ luxurious lifestyle – a conspicuously direct result of their royal family antecedents – their constant carping is wearing thin and is beginning to sound more and more angry and vengeful. It seems that they want the public to side with them against the nasties across the pond. In doing so, they are invading their own privacy (isn’t privacy largely the reason they quit?) and showing themselves as selfish and self-absorbed.

So, Harry and Meghan, listen up. Stop using your connection to the royals to make money off them while you complain about them at the same time. Stop giving people advice. You don’t know any better than most of us and a lot less than many of us. Stop yipping about privacy as you constantly stick yourselves in front of the cameras and microphones and then whine for the British taxpayer and/or UK police to provide a protection detail. In fact, just stop. Go live the ordinary life you said you wanted. At the very least, give it a good try. Most of us like it. We like it very much.