God for Harry?

[callmemadam]

The news media have been devoting a ridiculous amount of time to the return of Prince Harry from Afghanistan, IMO, but I suppose it's their reward for keeping the bargain. Now, I am no great fan of Prince Harry. I also think it quite wrong for our troops to be out there when the merest acquaintance with history shows that it is impossible to win a war in Afghanistan. Ask the Russians. Still, I am really shocked to find this morning that the story is being treated as if it were a publicity stunt for the royal family. Right. 'People think I'm a useless Hooray who gets drunk all the time, so I know what. I'll go off to one of the world's toughest environments and allow some of the world's fiercest fighters to shoot at me. That should improve my image.' I don't think so. He signed up to do a job, he's been out there with the others doing his duty, that old fashioned concept. And it's not just his safety that's been considered in bringing him home, but that of all the others who would become targets. I actually feel sorry for the lad, and for his family. When Prince Charles says he is relieved to have his son home in one piece, he feels just the same as all the other parents do. Can anyone really imagine he would willingly sacrifice his boy on the altar of good publicity?

Comments

[wardy.livejournal.com]

From what I can gather, Harry would still be there had the various news media types who found out he was there not made it known. He was there incognito as it were and doing a damn good job from the sounds of it but now he's been pulled out. As you say it's not just for his sake but those around him. Fair play to him, says I.

Wardy

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Quite. He must be really sick about it but I haven't watched any of the interviews so don't know how much he has actually said in public.

[wardy.livejournal.com]

Well at least he's been there and copped the flak along with the rest of our soldiers. I heard him talk briefly about his experiences and it struck me that, although he's naturally happy to be alive, there was an underlying bitterness at the fact he's been "outed" and so has had to come home whilst his comrades are stuck there taking more flak.

Wardy

[mimmimmim.livejournal.com]

I feel very sorry for the Royal family. Whatever they do, some people are determined to criticise them for it. Half of those bitching now are probably the same ones who got steamed up when Harry wasn't sent to Iraq because the media was constantly watching him and he'd have been a bullet magnet. (Those people seem to be completely unaware that he'd be functioning as part of a team and it'd be incredibly dangerous for the people around him as well as Harry himself. Presumably had Harry stayed and he and many of his comrades been killed, the whingers would've then had a field day calling him irresponsible for being there and blaming him for the deaths of the other soldiers.)

I live near a barracks town. Soldiers like to drink. (Harry did come out boozing in Trowbridge when he was stationed at Warminster!) I don't know what the whingers think soldiers do in their spare time - curl up with a volume of Proust or work on the next great British novel?

FWIW, I don't think we need a head of state at all, but if we've got to have one, I'd rather have the Queen than Presiden Posh'n'Becks or - the horror! - President Blair.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I'd rather have the Queen

That's how I feel, too! They can't get it right, as you say. Some of the comment over the weekend was quite unnecessarily spiteful, I thought.