To be unreasonably annoyed at Royals at the pantomime

[Gigheimer]

I post knowing I’m totally unreasonable (probably) and you’ll all shout but I got both angry and sad and rage at seeing the press stories of Kate and Wills at the pantomime in the West End.

I’m normally a fan, and of course I don’t begrudge those cute kids a pantomime.

But my kids don’t get that this year, no Santa experiences, no pantomime no fucking nothing because we are tier 3 and if our local pub or theatre ever open again I’ll die of shock.

But we are in the North so who gives a fuck right?

I just have the absolute unreasonable fury tonight.

I think the Windsors would do well to remember that opinion of them in the early days of the Blitz was quite vile, and it was only Buckingham Palace being bombed which cooled tensions somewhat. When Queen Elizabeth (Queen Mother) said "now we can look the East End in the face" she wasn't kidding. Until that point, they'd effectively lost the public.

They're doing it again, but with no Blitz in sight to save them this time.

I’m more cross schools in London are getting mass testing but not the North. One pantomime is neither here or there compared to that. Plenty of other safe ways for children to be entertained on the Christmas period.

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should though.

I am a little confused here as to what exactly people are complaining about.

Unclear rules that seem to allow the government to keep certain areas in the north in high tiers despite low case numbers. This follows a period of almost arbitrary regional restrictions in places such as Leicester and Manchester. Poor financial support for regions outside the south east who have seen significantly harsher restrictions imposed for longer. Lack of mass testing in tier 3 schools allowing the virus to remain endemic and cause significant disruption, but rapid roll out of mass testing in Tier 2 London after a rise in cases. Special rules for rich people who want to travel abroad, many of whom live in London.

@mathanxiety

Is there absolutely nothing else you and your DCs could do to celebrate the season besides switching on of lights, pantos, etc?

I am a little confused here as to what exactly people are complaining about. Do you understand that this isn't a case of the government randomly picking on certain regions of the UK just because they feel like it? Do you want to go to a panto and catch covid?

(I agree with Cam2020 that pantos are shite).

Like what? Pretty much Everything here has been cancelled and it’s a very very real possibility that one of my kids will be isolating over Xmas. No outings, no family. The weather is very cold and wet. We have been stuck in for weeks and are fed up with the house and each other quite frankly.

@Eleganz on the odd occasion we’ve been to the cinema in recent months, they’ve been empty. I just hope they survive.

But the ignorance shown on this thread shows that theatres do need more promotion. PP thinking this was a one off show only put on for the Royals, not realising theatres are open in other parts of the country, thinking that this ‘one off’ show was paid for by the Lottery and why aren’t they funding shows elsewhere when in fact they are.

All the pressers are clear that this was a special one-off event held in London. I don't doubt that the National Lottery are funding the arts in the regions, but that doesn't make this not a one-off show in London rather than a series of regional performances.

I would like to know which open theatres were struggling to sell seats for their pantos. All the friends I know in Tier 2 areas have struggled to get tickets.

@Eleganz on the odd occasion we’ve been to the cinema in recent months, they’ve been empty. I just hope they survive.

Cinemas == theatres.

It was a work outing for them. Bringing the children added some extra publicity to the event. That’s all.

@Eleganz

Should the National Lottery refrain from funding projects such as this, because not everyone can access them?

The only London factor I can see here is population level - if you are going to support a project such as this, do you put it in London, where there are 8m residents within easy travel distance and a lot of public transport? Or somewhere else ?

It's a lazy excuse to not do anything outside London that has been used for decades.

The National Lottery could have funded a series of regional events undertaken in a COVID secure way compliant with the tier restrictions in force in that area. This would have provided support for regional theatres and companies and ensured that a larger, more representative section of key workers could have benefitted.

Instead they appear to have funded a single event in London and presumably covered the cost of public figures like wills and Kate and their kids to attend for no real purpose.

That’s really not what’s happened. The National Lottery have supported many theatres across tier 1/2 by essentially buying the panto seats which they have to keep empty for social distancing reasons. The Palladium panto, which is running until January, is just one of them, and includes this one-off performance for key workers but it’s absolutely not a single event.

Since pantos are the tent pole event which keeps regional commercial theatres in the black for the rest of the year, and since pantos are mostly attended by family groups which makes social distancing more cost-effective, and the older demographic of the audience for straight plays may well not be prepared to come out to the theatre regardless, I can see the financial logic.

I’m personally not convinced it’s safe from a transmission POV, but that’s a whole other question.

@Eleganz this was a one off event for key workers but the actual panto is on until January. The National Lottery are funding seats in a number of regional theatres.
lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/pantoland-at-the-palladium/

The reason why in the North West we are feeling better:

We had additional restrictions imposed on us at the end of July when our numbers were around 20-40 per 100000. There was advice that people should neither travel to or from our area. We could not stay overnight with anyone, go in anyone's house or garden. People had their holidays cancelled and we have been unable to visit family who live outside the area (eg my parents are 5 hours away. Much too far to drive, go for a walk in a public place, then drive home). Since JULY.
In September/ October/ November our schools have been like revolving doors. Our children have repeatedly been sent home, including our year 11 and year 13 children. No one cared. The government just keeps saying "exams are the fairest assessment" - not if you have had a disrupted term on top of a disrupted year.
We were given very limited extra financial support. We were put back in tier 3 at the end of lockdown so we STILL cannot have tea in a friend's garden. In my area (Trafford) we are now at 84 /100000 which is half the national average. Makes no difference.

Meanwhile London , especially East London, had numbers 5-10 times higher than we were at when we were given these penalising restrictions which destroyed our Summer holidays, but they are not subject to the same level of constraint even now. And no sooner does it get endemic in their schools, but mass testing is brought in, which would have been SO beneficial here back in October.

Is it any wonder we are so angry and upset?

@crumpet

It was a work outing for them. Bringing the children added some extra publicity to the event. That’s all.

You think they took the DC along as a cynical PR ploy? That they didn’t think the DC would enjoy it?

Totally agree with @RosesforMama

PP commented that it isn't a case of the government picking random regions for restrictions. It certainly feels like it from the North West! The goalposts are constantly changing with the effect that we are continually heavily restricted and it's wearing thin.

But my kids don’t get that this year, no Santa experiences, no pantomime no fucking nothing because we are tier 3 and if our local pub or theatre ever open again I’ll die of shock

Just because you are in tier 3 doesnt mean you can’t take your dc to see Santa.

Christmas grottos are open in tier 3

It was a work outing for them. Bringing the children added some extra publicity to the event. That’s all

It would have looked mighty odd if they had turned up without the children

@Chickychickydodah

It’s not only the royals, on Instagram there is mrs hinch , Stacy Solomon , Sam faiers and many others going out shopping and spending time out and about with friends and family. I’m in tier 3 and all I want to do is have an hour or 2 with my family 😡

Stacey did nothing wrong. She provided childcare to her sister and brother in law which is allowed. As for shopping, it's Christmas, of course people are out doing some shopping, in fact she went at 3am to avoid crowds. She is also an ambassador for Primark so it's work for her.

You cannot like Stacey to the Royals, she does a huge amount to up the profile of small family businesses through her Instagram.
Kate turning up with her blow dry and clothes that cost more than a nurse earns in 2 years is a slap in the face not a worthy exhibition. One could argue the best thank you is decent wages and investment in the places they work, not Kate and Will turning up.
Where I live they came to the local hospital. People were not impressed. You couldnt get near the road surrounding and as a result people who had already had appointments put off by covid couldn't access the hospital and thus missed their spot.

Charlotte looked positively thrilled to be there!! 😂😂 She even batted Dad's hand away from her at one point!! Saucy little madam!!

Very unreasonable to say "We are in the North so who gives a fuck"

The tier restrictions are to do with numbers of cases, not to do with you being in the North. I am northern myself and I think it's stupid that so many people have this grudge.

YABU. You are in the North. The North is not important. HTH

on a serious note - how can they attend. performance with the sky high figures on London?

I was about the royal train visit and traveling between tiers ( and second homes etc....). Clearly the Scottish and Welsh governments were not so keen. That trip really altered my view and DH's views (DH NHS keyworker). With the pantomime ( if it is allowed in that tier) I feel okay with it. I think it publicises people going out to performances ( and this could help cinemas as well) in industries that are really suffering.

@wildraisins

Very unreasonable to say "We are in the North so who gives a fuck"

The tier restrictions are to do with numbers of cases, not to do with you being in the North. I am northern myself and I think it's stupid that so many people have this grudge.

The tier restrictions were imposed on us at the end of July when our numbers were very low indeed compared to East London (hell, ANY of London) now.

We are now significantly below London and the South East but have to stay in tier 3 because someone somewhere said they would review in 2 weeks; meanwhile London numbers spiral up but they have to stay in tier 2.

You clearly don't follow the numbers closely or you would see how unfair this is.

"FGS give the London bashing a rest won’t you."

London bashing. Jesus wept. Is there anything people don't get offended about these days?

Here we had 97 cases to London's 265 and still we've remained in tier 3. It's blatant and has destroyed local business but we remained lumped in to a tier 3 postcode because the powers that be failed to acknowledge the 30 miles between our town and the next.

It’s the different treatment that has upset me.

I’m in Lancashire in an area with very few cases. But lumped into tier three despite the councils best efforts. Yet they managed to carve Berkshire up. Funny that!
I work in a tier two area in a frontline clinical role and find it offensive really that I am good enough to service the population but not to go out for dinner there.

Here is the chart of cases in tier 3 vs tier 2.

As you see, the vast majority of London as high as, or higher than, areas currently tier 3.