The death of Diana

 

Subject: The death of Diana.

The anniversary of the death of Diana is being broadcast this morning and it's a bit of a shock to be reminded how the influential opinion now in this country, the 25 year olds were born after the event. They didn't have that moving experience of the day of the funeral which effected so many of us. The sea of flowers, the highly critical eulogy given by her brother who was critical of the attitude of the Royal Family towards her. The immensely poignant moment when the applause out, outside the Abby in response to what Earl Spencer had to say. The sound of Elton John singing 'Candle in the Wind' reverberating through the old crusty antiquated tradition seated in stiff rows according to rank and finally, the sight of oceans of emotion as men and women lining the route of the funeral corsage wept openly without any sign of embarrassment. From the well known landmark streets in Whitehall to the more humble streets now strewn with flowers and finally on to the ubiquitous motorway with people standing in silent mourning on the bridges hoping to catch sight of the procession and, in their own way, wished to wave goodby.

I was in Birmingham on that day making ready to drive home from a weeks work when the broadcast started. I too became emotionally riveted watching the television broadcast of events as they unfurled. I too had tears in my eye, not because of Diana but because, for once,  we were seeing people unite in their emotions. It was a rare truly moving sight, it joined  me with the thousands of others, not at a football game which is manipulated emotion by league tables which act as a flag to unite the troops in battle. This fragile young women linked to an emotionally stunted member of a family, itself stunted by protocol who had become the victim of the newspapers in their search for headlines. Her courage to strike out against aids that scourge of the gay community her willingness and ability to place her arms around someone who had AIDS and not be concerned she might catch it was so ironic that it took a beautiful young women to elevate the issue so we could start talking about it.

Where has that emotional moment gone in a society which is now falling apart in some sections of society where young men set  off on a night out, tooled up with weapons. Young kids being stabbed on the street or women being molested as part of some sort of cultural safety valve, it’s all a far cry from that moment we all came together twenty five years ago.