RIP equality

So last week we waved goodbye to Margaret Thatcher and some people were, predictably, more thrilled at the occurrence than others.  Reactions to her passing seemed to vary; some were literally dancing in the street, others were openly venerating her and talking about what a fantastic person she was, whilst others just couldn’t give a shit.

I have to admit that I did actually watch bits of the funeral.  Whilst I cannot claim to be her biggest fan (OK, I thought that in many ways she was an absolute disaster for this country and for the working classes in particular), I found it interesting from a modern history point of view.  I also like to see where my taxes are going and since I was generous enough to contribute to the funeral fund I thought I should at least show some interest.  By contribute I mean that part of my taxes had been creamed off in order to pay for the anger inspiring vomit fest.  I’m still not entirely sure why I was forced to contribute towards the funeral of somebody I didn’t even know or like.  If you ask me (and nobody did), it should have been something that was conducted in private for her family, friends and colleagues rather than as a grand media circus.

I haven’t actually been to or witnessed that many funerals but I couldn’t help but note the contrast.  The limited number I have attended have been simple affairs in a church or a crematorium with very little fuss.  I know that this is probably going to be the same for my own goodbye.  I certainly won’t be hauled onto a gun carriage and paraded through the streets of London accompanied by police and members of the armed forces.  David Dimbleby won’t be narrating my coffin’s progress or interviewing my friends and colleagues about what a wonderful person I was.  I won’t have flags flown at half mast or an adoring public clapping as I make my final journey.  In short, nobody will give a shit because not being pretty, rich, powerful or famous, I am just not that important.  I am just a number and when I finally do give up the ghost not that much will change as a result. 

We tell children that everyone is important but the older I get the more I realise that this clearly is not so.  We have had governments that will happily surrender tax payers’ money to fund lavish royal weddings and lavish funerals for royals and ex prime ministers, whilst allowing ordinary people to die of cold and lack of food.  All around us, the poor and disabled are dying because of cuts to benefit and the disgusting prices being charged by greedy utility companies.  Yet, very few people are out on the streets bewailing their deaths.  The BBC are not reporting on their suffering with the same vigour as they did the royal wedding or the death of the queen mother.  One would almost think that, unlike the parasitic royals and evil politicians, these people do not matter.