As we prepare for our blissful release into freedom and a well-earned pint in outdoor beer gardens, it was a relatively quiet week in the news as headlines were dominated by the passing of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Before we get into the stories that defined the past seven days, we as always pick a moment which put a rare smile on our faces - this time it was EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's 'sofagate' moment which gets the nod, after she was snubbed of a seat before a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan:
Awkward...
The biggest story of the week was of course the death of Prince Philip, the Queen's husband, aged 99. With the BBC, ITV, and Channel 5 all interrupting their broadcasting to cover the story, it was difficult for all to avoid the news, which garnered perhaps a more mixed reaction than the chiefs of said channels might have anticipated. Though many naturally turned to mourn the Duke, describing his good humour, charitable work, and the establishment of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, many took a more celebratory tone, especially on Twitter. Plenty of anti-Royalist, often hateful, messages arose, pointing out his antiquated views towards race and sexuality, among other things.
The attention will now inevitably turn to the Duke's funeral, set to be held on Saturday, with family only in attendance in a private, Royal ceremony, rather than a State funeral. The British press has naturally been quick to look on the Sussex's, who have said that Meghan will not travel to the funeral with Harry, as advised by doctors, due to her pregnancy. I'm sure the Daily Mail will find some way to pin his death on Meghan...
Whatever your thoughts of the Duke, as with all historical figures we must take into account the good and the bad when looking back on the legacy they leave behind, appreciating the positive contributions they have made to society, while acknowledging and criticising the negatives.
In other news, violence continued in Northern Ireland this week, with loyalist riots breaking out across the country over increasing anger towards what they see as rising nationalist sentiment in the country's politics. They say the DUP are not doing enough to defend Northern Ireland as part of the UK, allowing a hard border in the Irish Sea after Brexit, and not punishing nationalists who flouted lockdown rules by attending the funeral of IRA and Sinn Fein leader Bobby Storey. Ultimately, these young, angry loyalists feel like they are losing the fight to those who want a united Ireland. All political parties involved, including President Joe Biden, have called for peace, but Boris Johnson has refused a summit despite the risk of returning to the kind of sectarian violence which characterised the Troubles.
Elsewhere, a little light was shed on the effects of the pandemic on the nation's mental health by the ONS this week, after they published findings into loneliness which make for grim reading. Almost one in fourteen people 'often' or 'always' feel lonely, up 40% on last year according to the survey, which amounts to some 3.7 million people in total. Given the debilitating effect of loneliness, as well as mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, the kind of rise we are seeing, especially in young people, is incredibly worrying. This pandemic will last far longer than the virus itself - the impact of lockdown will also need to be addressed, else a generation of young people will suffer the long-term consequences.
We were sadly reminded of this effect by the passing of Yeovil Town F.C. captain Lee Collins, who was found dead on March 31 in his hotel room aged just 32. Described by team-mates as the 'heartbeat of the dressing-room', the case reinforces the need for better mental health support in football and society more widely. There is a reason why suicide is the biggest killer of men aged under 45 - it is the culture which prevents us opening up about how we feel, the same culture that leads to the 'lad' behaviour which means 97% of women have been sexually harassed. It is not a case of men's issues vs. women's issues - it's an issue for all of us, and one which we must tackle together.
Finally, the Grand National saw it's first female winner as jockey Rachael Blackmore rode Minella Times to victory at Aintree. Given it was only relatively recently that women were even allowed into the sport, let alone given half a chance, horse racing seems to be fast becoming an unlikely trailblazer in the effort towards greater gender equality in sport. Take notes, Premier League football execs...
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