Barbara's right royal let down

GOOD OLD Barbara Cartland. Just when everyone thought she was not going to be invited to that wedding. she was. And what icecold joy it must have been for her to have smiled her Buckingham Palace smile and said.
"No, thank you. I'm far too old — but may my son go instead?" Earthier people might have been tempted to give the sort of advice familiar at Christmas and turkey time.
Not Miss Cartland, whose honeyed well-published words probably bring in as much in a day from royalties aS the Governor of the Bank of Ireland earns in a month. Besides which. she would. of course, have upstaged everybody from you-know-who down to the poorest St Paul's mouse.
Differing outlooks
NOT SURPRISINGLY, on this newspaper we do not share the same views on everything. You may even have spotted that my opinion of a recent and raucous Gay Byrne television show did not by any means match editorial outrage
"la every contemporary situation, surely. there. is .scope for an airing of the vital Christian conviction that when the voice of the Lord is heard it brings a inessage of joy and hope? And this would very effectively have countered some of the bitterness and disillusionment so glaringly evident daring last Saturday's daniour'".
Ah me. If only that were true. Those of us who care about Christ have, in my opinion, to he very careful about speaking out, wary of misplaced courage. A television studio is not a church. Without assuming any view on his behalf. if Gay Byrne were given to airing on his show that vital conviction, not only would he have had far fewer viewers on the outside but probably no one at all on the inside to give us the view that, no matter how much we hated or feared them, they were better heard than not.
Celtic culture a 'must'
I CAN understand why Northern Ireland Protestants are sometimes frightened by Cardinal O'Fiach. He -seems to go out of his way to emphasise the Celtic culture that, for so many of them, is not part of their heritage: what you don't understand you often fear.
To read of the Cardinal saving, in Tralee, that to turn our backs on native language, music, song or dance is not merely a cultural change but a dilution of our Christian heritage. must have made some of them wonder where they'd stand with him as Christians in a united Ireland.
Marriage lines crossed
TUNING in to Mike Murphy on the car radio for some diverting frivolity. the fan was hit by Father Ferga] O'Connor. a Dominican seer. on the subject of marriage.
Thirty per cent of Dublin marriages. he said, were hell, with one partner or both. while not exactly prepared to powder the glass; very ready to welcome the demise of the other.
Filly per cent tolerated !he marital state in a civilised kind of way, sustained by outside interest in bingo or golf or work or bridge or booze or even the children, The remaining twenty-per cent were truly in love, like a horse and carriage and all that. For Dublin read the world". for fault read "the men".
A very persuasive but depressing gentleman, the said
Dominican: but on the grounds that I always run away from reality if it's too depressing or unalterable, I told myself' a joke. about the man who explained hiss ripe and robust old age.
"When we first got married, I decided that, if we ever had a row I wouldn't answer hack, bur go our for a walk. Well, I've had so much fresh air these past 50 years . .
Beauty and the bribe
SEVERAL times in different
.parts of the world have been open-mouthed to see in
showpiece palaces and museums treasures of breathtaking beauty bestowed by merchants of more gracious ages than ours.
But have they been more gracious. more sensitive to the arts and crafts than the microchip salesmen and the Japanese car exporters of today?
Take a look around your part of the world and see what you think (mind you. princes and rulers don't always pass on these pieces for inspection, and they may be in short supply in Bandon or Bradford).
In other words when is a bribe not a bribe but a thing of beauty and a joy for future generations'?
Thoughts all called to mind by seeing in the Herald Tribune that poor old pure as the driven snow Ronald Reagan "has been assailed for accepting 5270,000 from oilmen to redecorate the White House living quarters." That nasty Philistine Sen. William Proxmire. D-Wis, using the terminology -payoff in contributions to the White House" went on to thump the dictionary and describe the oil connected donations as "as blatant a presidential conflict of interest as I can recall in the more than 20 years I've been 111 congress.
Is the Senator casting something on the integrity of such custodians of America's cultural future as Michael Oilgelo. Van Gull', Petrol Picasso or even Tooloose Opec'? Each of whom in his own way wants to see the White House even whiter.
Kill one kill all
MY AGITATION here, a _ few weeks ago. about whether the eggs of killer magpies should he destroyed or not brought one devastating piece ol' "If you kill magpies, why don't you kill the cat. She kills too. '•