The Royal Wedding: an unmitigated and unifying triumph for British tradition

Some thoughts about the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton:

1. What a great day to be British. The eyes of the world were on London, which looked fantastic on television, full of happy, good-natured and patriotic crowds. A coup for UK plc, to boost (as well as be further boosted by) next year’s Olympics. It even didn’t rain!

2. The pomp and circumstance was exceptional. It is a cliché – but an accurate one – that foreigner visitors, especially Americans, love it, and you can see why. The carriages were wonderful, Westminster Abbey looked amazing and my friends, even those sceptical about the value of the monarchy, were in awe at the processions and fanfare afforded to the Royals.

3. It was pleasing to see that so much of the country got into the spirit of the event. 35 million Brits followed the event on television or online, hundreds of thousands took part in street parties, one million lined the route and other festivities and bunting is hanging everywhere. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the college bar was packed with those watching the events.

4. It was so overwhelmingly successful that I don’t feel particularly annoyed at the eejit MP and columnist who tried to politicise the event (and I haven’t named them so that I don’t fall into the same trap).

5. This country is so much the better for having a monarchy. Yesterday showed their value, both at uniting the nation as well as their ability to boost our fragile economy. Why some say we should get rid of it, I cannot fathom. Tradition is so important; the very fabric of the United Kingdom is based on having the Royals (one clue being in the name of the country) and to switch to a Republic would be such a shame.

6. Incidentally, it is interesting to note that a large proportion of the world’s richest (per capita) and most developed countries are constitutional monarchies: Andorra, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden. Surely no coincidence!

7. Finally, congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their families.

P.S. Is it just me, or does Michael Middleton look a lot like an older Fischer, from the film Inception?

Message to the Labour Party over PM's remarks: Calm down, dear

There seems to be a massive overreaction to David Cameron telling shadow chief secretary to the Treasury to "calm down dear".

Labour sources have apparently called the remarks sexist and patronising. OK, so perhaps the PM had no need to give that impression, but his jibe was no more than a light-hearted reference to the Michael Winner insurance advert. Ms Eagle was being particularly annoying, too - the video of the incident makes clear the shrill barracking that she was engaging in while Cameron was trying to speak.

This is Prime Minister's Questions, after all - it's not surprising he was frustrated with her unneccessary and frankly rude efforts at undermining Cameron's answers.

The PM has been noted in the past to have a genial and polite manner in his dealings with MPs' questions, including those on the opposition benches. He has not given the impression of being a bully (unlike his predecessor in Downing Street, perhaps), and today's outburst was simply him snapping in response to uncalled for heckling.

If the Labour Party attempts to make political capital out of this throwaway comment, it will say more about them than the PM (although, in fairness, Ms Eagle has not demanded an apology herself).

Remembering the sacrifices of the ANZACs

“And young people ask me, ‘What are they marching for, and I ask myself the same question’… And the band played Waltzing Matilda… And the old men still answer the call.”

The above is a lyric in the moving song by Eric Bogle, ‘The Band Played Waltzing Matilda’, which refers to the story of an Australian veteran of the First World War who is maimed by the conflict.

Today is ANZAC Day, the Antipodean equivalent of Remembrance Day. Originally commemorating the 80,000 Australians and New Zealanders who died in World War One, it now recognises the sacrifices made by so many members of the Commonwealth for the sake of their allies.

Another almost 200,000 ANZACs were injured, and the impact was profound for such relatively small countries. Australian and New Zealand soldiers were praised highly by many British commanders for their dedication, bravery and their quick adaption to the particularly challenging condition of the Gallipoli Campaign.

When I visited New Zealand in 2008, I attended an ANZAC Day ceremony and cathedral service in Dunedin. We sang three anthems – God Defend New Zealand, Advance Australia Fair and God Save the Queen. It was a moving experience, and one in which the sense of gratitude was profound and almost tangible.

Dawn services and marches are common events that take place every 25th April, as Eric Bogle’s song lyrics alluded to. Commerce is limited, and the whole day is – rightly – dedicated to those who fought for their country and the Commonwealth.

Every 25th April, we should remember and be grateful for the efforts and sacrifices of these allies, who travelled thousands of miles and fought on our behalf.

Super 15 rugby - very refreshing

I watched most of the Super 15 clash between the Crusaders and the Higlanders this morning. Since I visited New Zealand I have felt that the Super 15 is a much better spectacle for fans than anything European club team offer (the French Top 14 runs it the closest) - although it is sometimes perhaps too like an NFL match with gimmicks such as in the picture below (Crusaders v Lions, AMI Stadium, 2008).

Today's game did nothing to change my mind. The High- landers, from Dunedin, beat their Canterbury- based hosts 26-18 in a typically high-tempo, skillful and generally entertaining encounter which contrasts markedly with British club rugby, and especially the dire tournament that is the Magners League.

There were a few cracking tries as well as a large number of line breaks. On the other hand, the defences were generally disciplined, and counter-rucking was used, especially by the Highlanders, to great effect.

The game was blighted neither by constant kicking, which is what the European game seems to have descended to, nor by scrummaging problems, which was a real negative of this season's Six Nations championship.

Even the commentators, led as always by Tony Johnston (almost undoubtedly the best in world rugby at the moment), put ours to shame. Brian Moore and Stuart Barnes actually hinder my enjoyment of a rugby game.

By contrast, the Super 15 has it all, in nearly every aspect of the spectacle. It is a wonderful thing for the rugby fan to wake up to every Saturday morning.

One thing, though. The match was held in Nelson's Trafalgar Park, due to the continued concerns about Christchurch's AMI Stadium after the recent earthquake. Nelson has taken an enlarged role in this year's World Cup as a result of Christchurch's inability to host games. But it is really not a stadium New Zealand would want to showcase to the world.

Liberals slip further in Canada

There are a number of polls coming out in Canada, with less than a fortnight until the general election. Canada has had minority Conservative governments since 2006, and there is nothing in the new polls to suggest that that is definitely (at least imminently) going to change.

Two such polls, both of which were carried out by Ekos- iPOlitics, have caught the eye in particular, and paint an interesting picture as to what could happen on 2nd May. One, carried out between Monday 18th and Thursday 21st, had the following figures:

Conservatives 34.4%
Liberals 24.7
New Democrats 24.7
Greens 7.8
Bloc Quebecois 6.5

Giving a likely result in terms of seats - ON A UNIFORM NATIONAL SWING - of:

Con 134
Lib 88
NDP 47
BQ 36
Grn 0
Oth 3


The other poll, albeit published on Tuesday, had Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Tories surging:

Con 37.4%
Lib 24.9
NDP 20
Grn 8.4
BQ 7.8

which would translate into the following number of seats (same caveats):

Con 147
Lib 78
NDP 38
BQ 43
Grn 0
Oth 2

The polls tell us two things. Firstly, Harper looks almost certain to form another government, but that he is close - but not close enough - to that elusive majority government.

Secondly, the Liberals are in danger of being overtaken by Jack Layton's left-of-centre NDP, which is not good news for another hapless Liberal leader, Michael Ignatieff.

Thirdly, the Bloc Quebecois is struggling - with some reports even suggesting they trail the NDP in Quebec.

Interesting times.

Yes to Fairer Votes?

Just a quick post, but the graphic below shows the fallacy of AV being a more proportional system, something that many will infer from its self-titled campaign of 'Yes to Fairer Votes'.

The graphs show the results of the 1997 general election in percentage of votes (left) and percentage of seats (right). On the right-hand graph, the lighter shades demonstrate the results under AV - Labour getting even more seats (nearly 70 per cent of all seats), and the Conservatives' 30 percent of the vote accounting for just 15 per cent of the seats, or 96 constituencies. Only the Lib Dems' seat share is more proportional - is it any wonder they are the only party united in favour of AV?

P.S. Calculations of what 1997 AV result would have been are from here.

Newcastle United 0-0 Manchester United

Some points:

1. Hernandez's booking for diving should not have been a penalty, whatever Man United officials and fans will claim. From a consistency point of view, perhaps a booking was harsh. On the other hand, though, I would be happy if refs gave yellows every time a player made such a meal of any contact as Hernandez did, though I am aware this might be unworkable.

2. So Lovenkrands' penalty decision. It could easily have been a spotkick, although I don't feel too bitter about it. But if you watch the replay, is the referee even looking?

3. Aside from the controversy, it was a good point for Newcastle. Of course, the Toon are now at the fabled 40-point figure, and are all but safe from relegation. Manchester United started to assert themselves in the second half, but the Magpies had done enough in the first half to ensure that the point was justified.

4. Having said that, though, Ryan Giggs had a poor miss towards the end of the second half, and really should have give his side the lead.

5. Tim Krul was excellent in goal, and for a relatively inexperienced keeper, did especially well at the feet of Hernandez twice. The first of those, inside 90 seconds, was crucial to ensure the Red Devils did not almost immediately have something to defend.

6. Jonas Gutierrez was also very good, causing problems for Man United in ways in which Geordie fans must be somewhat frustrated that he doesn't produce every week.