Culture and Life
by Rob Gowland
A right royal wit
Mrs Windsor's husband Phillip certainly has unerring aim: every time he shoots off his mouth he hits himself in the foot. But then, since his foot is so often in his mouth, I suppose that's only to be expected. Recently, while being shown around a high-tech electronics plant in Edinburgh, he said of a fuse box in a corridor with cables going up into the ceiling: "It looks as though it was put in by an Indian." Went down a treat with the Asian community, and the anti-racism movement. The Chairman of the National Assembly Against Racism, Kumar Murshid, said: "The reality is that they [the royals] still have considerable influence, so it is absolutely abysmal and disgraceful for him to say such a thing." His use of "still" suggests that Mr Murshid at least does not see the royals as a permanent part of British life. The Scottish National Party pointed out the iniquity that Phillip is permitted to get away with racist jibes that would have "far more severe repercussions" if they were said by anyone else. Phillip is the clever johhny who once thought it witty to caution British students going to China against developing "slitty eyes". And earlier this year he insulted a group of deaf students who were presented to him during a noisy festival in Cardiff. With all this loud music around, said the master of tact, it was no wonder they were deaf. The students, most of whom had had to cope with their disability since birth, were not amused. If Phillip were an elected public official he would have been out on his ear years ago. But his arrogant, extremely reactionary views are merely "embarrassments". They may cause a bit of buzz in the tabloids momentarily, but nothing like the serious criticism that son Charles aroused when he attacked the genetic modification of food. Charles' wrote an article in a leading newspaper in which he got stuck into the dangers represented by genetically interfering with food, dangers to both farmers and consumers and dangers to the environment generally. The article was well informed and showed that Charles or his advisors were well acquainted with the case against GM food. This time the heavyweights were called in. Racist cracks were one thing, but progressive political views — especially ones that threatened the profits of the agri-chemical business — were quite another. Charles got roasted, sneered at and generally abused. Agri-business "experts" smugly commented that this is what you would expect when "amateurs" comment on complex questions about which they know nothing. In short, the heir to the throne had overstepped the mark. He had shown that "considerable influence" which Kumar Murshid referred to behind the anti-GM food campaign, and the right wing, including the British Labour government, were furious. The "inappropriateness" of Charles' interfering in the nation's political life — which as future King he is supposedly above — was used to shut him up. That and a media blackout on his troublesome views. Royalty has its place and its place is helping the capitalist establishment to stay on top. Charles had better learn his place if he ever wants to actually become King.* * * Racist, sexist or wot? Since we started out with a British item, we'll stay there for the rest of the column, with a couple of small matters. One concerns another prominent conservative with his foot in his mouth. Jeffrey Archer, Tory politician and candidate for the post of Lord Mayor of London no less, shared his views on "changing race relations in Britain" with a radio audience. Said the unprejudiced Jeffrey: "If you look at, particularly, African-Carribbeans 30 years ago, they had the worst jobs, were not well dressed and they were eating the wrong food and you were very aware of it. "Your head did not turn in the road if a black woman passed because they were badly dressed, probably overweight and probably had a lousy job. "If you walk down London streets now there are the most staggeringly beautiful girls of every nationality. That is part of getting rid of prejudice and making things equal."* * * You can't be too right-wing If the capitalist establishment in Britain protects the indiscrete but right-wing Prince Phillip and gets cross with Charles for not being right- wing enough, there are other people it also protects. One, of course, has been General Pinochet, the blood-stained former dictator of Chile. Margaret Thatcher paid a well-publicised visit to poor Pinochet, bravely enduring confinement in a country mansion with hot and cold running servants, visitors, advisors, and bodyguards. He was, she was keen to tell everyone, and old and dear friend. Another right-winger enjoying British hospitality is Roberto Fiore. A neo-fascist terrorist implicated in the 1980 bomb outrage at Bologna station that killed 85 people, he has lived in Britain since 1985 when an Italian court sentenced him to life imprisonment. Margaret Thatcher was PM at the time and — surprise, surprise — her government refused to extradite him. So he was a terrorist? At least he was fighting communism. More recently he has been Trustee of the St George Educational Trust and the Trust of St Michael the Archangel. They are registered as charities in Britain, but have been linked to a network of extreme right-wingers and paramilitaries. Last month, after a year-long investigation, the Charity Commission cleared Fiore to continue his "charitable" activities. Surprise, surprise again.