There are times that I feel homesick and long to be back in the UK and London especially. This weekend I’m happy to be far far away.

Over a long weekend, celebrations take place marking 600 60 years of the Queen’s reign. Four days of a royal love-in would be hard to stomach and if I was there, I’d probably need to invest in a supply of Lydia Leith’s fetching Royal Sick Bags to help me survive the ordeal.

Actually, the Queen is a weak link in my loathing for the royals probably because as the years roll on she looks more and more like my mom.

The Diamond Jubilee events are set to throw up plenty of proud flag-waving and ‘we will never be slaves’ patriotism packaged as entertainment.

Jessie J can barely contain her excitement at being invited to perform at the Diamond Jubilee Concert.

These include a special concert outside Buckingham Palace with a “stellar line up”(sic) including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Elton John, “music maestro” (sic) Gary Barlow, Paul McCartney and Shirley Bassey. The ‘youth’ are catered for with safe ‘urban’ acts like Jessie J, Ed Sheeran and JLS (“one of the UK’s fastest growing boy bands”).

Attempts by ageing punks to stage an alternative Last Jubilee Festival at Bath Racecourse as “a celebration of the true spirit of 1977”  floundered due to a last-minute cancellation. The event planners blame ‘dark establishment figures’ for pulling the plug although an official statement claims that “the organisers have failed to fulfil their contractual obligations and the racecourse has taken the difficult decision to withdraw the use of the venue due to breach of contract and health and safety concerns”.

Even Neil Young & Crazy Horse have gotten in on the act with a singular rendition of the national anthem on their new Americana album. The official video shows scenes from m’am’s  coronation this very day (2nd June) in 1953 although the video ends with shots of railroad construction workers in the USA and closes with people looking reverently at the Statue of Liberty. Is this meant to be ironic? One would like to think so.

The Guardian reports that “the unseasonably cold weather over the bank holiday may dampen the celebrations”. We live in hope.



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