Strictly, Last Night

 Last night on BBC television I watched the first of a new season of Strictly Come Dancing and the Last Night of the Proms (so shoot me). Oddly I found both experiences quite heartening, offering some grounds to believe that just possibly – could it be? really? – the woke tide is turning at last.
  The scandal-prone Strictly gave every appearance of having cleaned up its act, projecting wholesome good fun all round, with not a drag queen in sight, no same-sex couples, and the alleged bad boys among the professionals duly absent. There were the usual ghastly dance routines from the pros, as frenetic as they were incomprehensible, but less risqué, and the usual displays of ecstatic joy when the couples were paired up. There were even a few celebrities I'd heard of. The whole thing was still as camp as Christmas, but not as camp as Christmas at Ru Paul World. And the star of the show, so far, is Chris McCausland, the quick-witted blind comedian. When we were told that one of the contestants was combining Strictly with working as a GP, he remarked: 'None of us can believe we've managed to get in the same room as a GP.' Brilliant. 
   But what of the Last Night of the Proms? Here too things were looking encouragingly back-to-basics. Union Jacks were present in abundance, outnumbering the EU flags that some of the more addle-pated were still waving. The genial Finnish conductor, Sakari Oramo, was proudly sporting a Union Jack waistcoat, and the Last Night soloist, the American soprano Angel Blue, wore a splendid Union Jack jester's cap. I didn't seen any signs of LGBTQ+ or BLM symbolism, and the final run of patriotic and seafaring songs was conducted with due verve. Listening to songs like 'Land of Hope and Glory' (a great melody, whatever Elgar thought of it), 'Jerusalem' (an even greater melody) and 'Rule, Britannia' becomes a sadder experience with every passing year, as we drift ever further from the England they represent, or even from the aspirations they express. All that is over now, but, well, thank you for the music.