The Weekly Cardigan: 5 Posted by Damp Cardigan on February 9, 2013 · Leave a Comment

The death of irony, for a bit.

I think we can agree that a more interesting week was had by all this time. Well, I say all but I’m referring directly to the people that bother to taken an interest in the act of reading the news as opposed to viewing it as arbitrary act. More on them another time. I suppose the source of any information can directly influence whether one takes and interest or not given that said information is commonly twisted to fit an organisations own agenda. For example, gay marriage has almost been legalised which should be seen as the death of bureaucratic and religious homophobia but The Daily Mail would have you believe that it’s actually the death of morality and an advertisement for Britain’s trend for guilt based tolerance.

The gay marriage bill was passed in parliament and looks certain to become law once it’s been dragged through the House of Lords later this year. This is a very real victory for equality but, as we have come to expect from the Tory Party, this certain triumph was overshadowed by an unimaginable display of homophobia. David Cameron, charged by his own party with the job of restoring their imagined popularity, faced a fierce revolt and failed to get a majority vote from his own people. How embarrassing must that have been for him?

Among the horrendous displays of awfulness Edward Leigh offered this as an argument against two people spending there lives how ever they want to.

“We should be in the business of protecting cherished institutions and our cultural heritage otherwise what, I ask, is a Conservative Party for? We are alienating people who have voted for us for all their lives, leaving them with no one to vote for.”

This is a very good question and I’m glad that a party member is as confused as the rest of us. What is a Conservative Party for? They provide us with ONE public service and that is the role of the pantomime villain. I need someone to detest just as much as the next guy so it might as well be someone who truly deserves every ounce of my hatred.

Speaking of Mr. Cameron (boo) he had this to say on the subject before completely disappearing while the bill was fought over. He stood over the decomposing corpse of irony, feverishly grinning at his own insolence and offered this eulogy.

“I don’t support gay marriage in spite of being a conservative. I support gay marriage because I am a conservative.”

Here lies irony, killed by a moon-faced Prime Minister. R.I.P

Victories for the gay community were happening all over the shop weren’t they? My favourite story of the week came in the guise of one of the most prominent members of the Westbro Baptist Church defecting with her younger sister after realising how much pain they cause people. For those who don’t know who they are, see the above picture, now Google them and join me, and the rest of the sane thinking universe, in hating them with every ounce of energy possible. Megan Phelps-Roper was in charge of the social media arm of the movement so it seems almost fitting that it was a conversation with a Jewish man on Twitter that finally had her questioning the morality of living by the God Hates Fags slogan. Enough has already been said about these detestable people so lets concentrate on the positive aspect of this (it’s pun time) revelation.

It’s a victory for social media and that is a rare thing and also a Jesus style resurrection of irony. They put their most impressionable follower in charge of the one thing that had the power to change her mind and when it did, like good Christians, they cast her out into the world of sinners and tolerance. Again, hopefully for the last time before they fade into theological obscurity, Jesus kissed a bloke once.

So what to expect from the next week? The right-wing media will probably find a new enemy to take their indignations out on and the left-wing media will enjoy the ease at which they can mock them for it. It really can be a playground game of tit for tat. The very real positive aspect is that even if it’s an exercise in self-promotion and pandering to popular opinion the world has become a slightly more tolerant place and an even bigger source of comedy.

Phil Watson