The S-Files

Poor Prince Harry

Contra Celsum has nominated Prince Harry for an S-Award.

According to recent news Prince Harry is facing an Army investigation into his conduct after his racist reference to a comrade as a "little Paki friend" in a video diary obtained by a Sunday newspaper was met with a barrage of criticism.

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Prince Harry has been outed. He has been found to have uttered some racist words in a video while upon active duty in Afghanistan three or so years ago. He actually called one of his comrades “Paki”—apparently because that was his nickname. He actually was a Pakistani.

The media are in high dudgeon. The “paki’s” father is reported to be deeply offended.

Actually, when you watch the video you cannot help shake your head. How unbelievably crass. How boorish and stupid. How could such an event as this have actually occurred? We do not, of course, refer to Prince Harry’s rather lame humour but the self-righteous moral outrage of the “wowsing” media and their legions of PC fellow travellers.

Now we would hazard a guess that not to many of those morally indignant have ever actually served in the military, or in armed combat. One of the things which normally occurs in close quarter units, the members of which patrol together and depend upon one another for survival, is a mutual loyalty and admiration and respect for the really important stuff—that is, that one’s comrades are effective and able at their jobs, that they can be trusted and relied upon, and that you can entrust your very life to them.

Such exigencies usually lead to a deep bond of mutual loyalty and high regard. An additional facet of conduct in such units is most often a constant banter amongst the members of the unit. In the English and Anzac versions this usually takes the form of persistent and ceaseless mockery of one’s origins, personality, abilities, name, parents, sexual activities, talents, abilities and so forth. It also occurs in US military units as well, if the hit television show, MASH is any guide. Such humour kept audiences entertained for years: the re-runs still do.

The existence of such humour is usually the sign of high morale and a deep bond of affection and mutual loyalty. In fact, the humour is designed to give evidence of just such a state of affairs. If it were not there, if there was not mutual honour and loyalty, offence would be taken. For example if one is Irish the fact of Irish descent would probably mean that one would be mocked as a stupid “mick”. Such name calling would not be regarded as an insult in the slightest.

Of course one would tolerate only one’s comrades using such language. The loyalty of the unit would mean that if any outsider tried to insult in a similar fashion, he would face the outrage and hostility of the whole unit.

Having watched the video of Prince Harry mocking his comrades, it gives the strong impression of just such banter and comradeship. To take is seriously, to take umbrage, to express moral outrage is to be humourless at best. At worst it betrays a thorough ignorance of how men who are constantly exposed to danger and who rely on each other for survival operate—in fact, need to operate if they are to be effective and survive.

The only reasonable conclusion to draw is that the media and their PC fellow-travellers have become irrelevant. They have shown themselves to be boors: ignorant, monochromatic, shallow, superficial, prating prigs. They do not merit a moment’s serious consideration. But Prince Harry and all his comrades in the armed forces who are willing to give their lives for the sake of others are to be honoured and thanked.

The statement from St Jame's Palace says all that needs to be said: "Prince Harry used the term without any malice and as a nickname about a highly popular member of his platoon. There is no question that Prince Harry was in any way seeking to insult his friend." What we are then left with is the completely thuggish and unacceptable clucking of the critics.

One cannot help but be sickened by the response of David Cameron, the Leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition, when he piously intoned that the language used by the Prince had been "completely unacceptable". If that sort of nonsense gives a measure of the man, David Cameron does not deserve to lead the third division Bingo Team of Lesser Reading let alone the Conservative Party.

So, Contra Celsum expresses genuinely felt gratitude to Paki, Harry, and the rest of the boys. Keep up the good work, and thank you for all that you have done.

Prince Harry, S-Award, Class I for actions in the course of duty that have been Smart, Sound and Salutary