MY RECENT TRIP TO BATH, to take the waters and jolly about in the company of my good lady wife, met with the fortunate coincidence of the opening, in nearby Bristol, of the Banksy vs. Bristol Museum exhibition. This is probably the most spectacular showing of works by someone who is without doubt the most relevant popular artist of recent decades. The opening of the exhibition, in keeping with the foolhardy approach adopted by “Banksy”, also known as Robin Banks, had been kept an absolute secret, and thus, when I was watching the BBC news, I almost gagged on a forkful of my “Somerset apple and beef sausages on a bed of garlic, chive and aromatic mustard mash with thyme and coriander”.
THE NEWS ITEM WAS FOLLOWED by one of far greater import; this was the good soul Ban-ki Moon, announcing that the dreaded swine flu was now about to, and I quote, “overcome all humanity within weeks”. Ban-ki showed all of his power as the head of the most powerful Quango in the world when he mumbled that, and I quote, “We must all be very careful, or we all risk death.” I will take his words to heart, although to my mind there is something very “Prince-Charlesish” about all of this fuss.
BUT THIS JUXTAPOSITION OF BANKIES served to highlight the similarities between these two gentlemen. In both cases they are utterly unknown to the public at large; both make ephemeral, puzzling statements that may disappear the next day; even those who hear their messages have no idea of what they wish to convey; no one wants them to do what they do; they would not be missed were they to be vaporized into oblivion in completion of their own dreadful predictions; they both make enormous amounts of money for doing nothing; and they have both put their names and reputations on pigs.
THE NEWS ITEM WAS FOLLOWED by one of far greater import; this was the good soul Ban-ki Moon, announcing that the dreaded swine flu was now about to, and I quote, “overcome all humanity within weeks”. Ban-ki showed all of his power as the head of the most powerful Quango in the world when he mumbled that, and I quote, “We must all be very careful, or we all risk death.” I will take his words to heart, although to my mind there is something very “Prince-Charlesish” about all of this fuss.
BUT THIS JUXTAPOSITION OF BANKIES served to highlight the similarities between these two gentlemen. In both cases they are utterly unknown to the public at large; both make ephemeral, puzzling statements that may disappear the next day; even those who hear their messages have no idea of what they wish to convey; no one wants them to do what they do; they would not be missed were they to be vaporized into oblivion in completion of their own dreadful predictions; they both make enormous amounts of money for doing nothing; and they have both put their names and reputations on pigs.
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