Peter Rhodes on kingly bling, re-branding the Beacons and the ethnicity issue in the armed forces
In the grand tradition of pointless re-branding exercises, Brecon Beacons National Park will be known by its Welsh name, Bannau Brycheiniog. Thus, we lose a name that everyone recognises, everyone can pronounce and everyone can spell and replace it with something confusing.
The reason for the change is baffling. Apparently “Beacon,” with its overtones of burning wood, does not sit easily with a commitment to zero-carbon. The name Bannau Brycheiniog means the peaks of the realm of a legendary fifth-century king, Brychan. He descended from Welsh kings and Irish princes, reputedly had up to 63 children and lived at a time when slavery was commonplace.
So the park authorities have scrapped the word “Beacons” as un-woke, yet replaced it with a celebration of Brychan, an unelected despot whose power came through the male line, who clearly regarded women as baby-machines and quite possibly owned slaves. Still, at least he wasn't English.
How come the cops can grab, cuff and shift protesters from the Grand National course at Aintree in a matter of minutes but dither around for hours when faced with similar protesters blocking the M25? It seems that one set of rules applies to the sport of kings and entirely different rules to the King's highway.
According to a report this week, more than 90 per cent of officer cadets training as leaders in the Army and Royal Navy are white. In the RAF only 8.1 per cent are from ethnic minorities. This is a dismal record. Yet, given that these young people have been through an educational system which preaches that Britain grew fat by plundering the Empire and oppressing people like them, isn't it amazing that any of them volunteer to serve King and Country?
“King's highway,” “King and Country.” Still look odd, don't they?
Meanwhile, His Majesty has decreed that while he will be clad in lavish coronation robes, wearing a crown and bearing the orb, sceptre and all the other kingly bling, peers attending the Coronation are invited (in the military sense) to wear plain lounge suits. There will be only one peacock in this menagerie.
