Dilemma: how to suggest that the wider British ESTABLISHMENT has snubbed York, without leaving us open to accusations of having either an inferiority complex, or a proverbial chip on the shoulder!

Wednesday, 30th November: the Archbishop's ordination:

1. Where were the Royal Family?

Did they, en bloc, have insufficient time to rejiggle their official diaries to accommodate this ceremony?

Open letter to HM The Queen:

Are you not the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and therefore the wider Anglican Communion? Isn't Dr John Sentamu your representative in the Northern Province, or See, of YOUR Church?

If the idea of heading 200 miles north at relatively short notice was 'oppressive' for you and The Duke (or were you concerned about his saying the wrong thing to our increasingly eminent Ugandan Asian immigrant?) then where were the other leading members of 'The Firm'?

Whither the Heir Apparent, Prince Chas, The Prince of Wales and his consort, The Duchess of Cornwall? With all of his built-in advantages, one might have expected him to have 'his ear to the ground'!

Failing that, whither the Heir Presumptive, Prince Wills of Wales? Still on Work Practice with HSBC?

As prospective King, might this investiture in York not represent a worthwhile exercise in long-term Work Practice?

Scraping the barrel a little ...how about the black sheep of the family?

Some 20 years ago Ma'am, without apparently caring to canvas the prior opinion of the people of York, you inflicted Prince Andrew on us as Duke of York, when he married that redhead Fergie ...I mean Titian, of course, Ma'am, as Prince Andrew instructed us at the time! Could HRH not have honoured this City -the Second City of YOUR realm- whom you honoured by giving him OUR name, by being present?

Or did he have a pressing golfing appointment, elsewhere?

So papering over the cracks, the Duke of Gloucester was meant to be coming, but something more pressing resulted in his chopper facility at St P's School being superfluous to requirements! And the Duchess? Coming by train ...but unable to make it to York in time ...because some poor soul decided to 'end it all' by jumping in front of a train.

Conclusion: "Not Bloody Good Enough, Ma'am"!

2. H.M Government. As the leading Ugandan dignitary present is reported to have asked, "Where is the Prime Minister, Tony Blair?"

After all, Margaret Thatcher, when PM, had managed to find York and had attended a previous "Ebor" enthronement!

Answer, well, "Our Tone" was 'out on the road' playing at 'shuttle diplomacy': trying to save his British Bacon, no, that should be EU Presidency (his swansong?) from ignominious failure. Apparently over the inability to agree an EU Budget. Let alone accommodate those changes he wants to see in the CAP, in return for acquiescing to the reduction in, or disappearance of, the UK's notorious budget rebate.

So if Blur was unavailable ...how about the Deputy PM?

Wasn't the prospect of a picnic or barbecue in The Minster sufficient inducement to dine for "Two Jags"?

Well then, how about the Home Secretary? Wouldn't HE have been the appropriate Senior Cabinet Minister, if PM & DPM were both unavailable?

Also 'the PM in waiting' Gordon Bruin missed an opportunity to score some Brownie Points locally.

Par for the course: not good enough! More Governmental complacency!

3. The Church of England/those organising Wednesday's event.

I hear York's MP Hugh Bayley was NOT invited. He arrived and was, apparently about to be turned away ...as he did not have 'the best ticket in town'. 'Huge' Bayley stood his ground, stomped his feet ...and was eventually accommodated.

Well there MUST have been a couple of available seats ...if the Gloucesters couldn't make it!

How absurd NOT to invite York's Westminster representative. An outrage!

Your comments:

Nick Blitz is just having a rant.

York is way outside Londoners' contemplation.

If they think of York at all it will be of a town in the far north with some history and walls. Old and staid.

The tube lines do not run to York and not even Silverlink County trains reach that far.

Royal Ascot only came to York once, no future meetings will be allowed 200 miles from London.

It's the same with public spending.The same amount can be spent on refurbishing a London station as is NOT to be spent on the Leeds Metro.

So the absence of royalty is not surprising...

Why should royalty have to suffer the cold at the end of November (and it is nearly always a good coat colder in York than in London) when they can stay put in the Home Counties with longer, warmer days and the trappings of civilization close at hand.

Charity begins at home.

A York archbishop's enthronement would only give them grace for the day.

In London, the grace and favour apartments last royalty a lifetime.

Annie Wright, Birmingham (just south of York)

So Annie W, writing from Brum, thinks that I was 'having a rant' ...or even just 'flogging a dead horse' here.

Good to hear the recognisably succinct tones of another former 'Clifton Sausage Factory' slave!

Annie is surely quite right. Back in the late '90s, BBC R4's 'Any Questions' came to York for a Friday evening, hosted by the former Queen Anne School, Clifton. (This was back in the days before 'Chelsea Tractors' posed problems locally, ploughing their twice-daily furrow along Queen Anne's Road!)

For those present on the night, it proved entertaining for reasons that the BBC might not have anticipated!

Before proceedings started, when conversing with a young-ish woman who clearly worked for 'Auntie', I commented on the absence of any local, or regional, newspapers ...among the giants of (former) Fleet Street. They were strewn around the place, in order to stimulate we attending local bumpkins into asking acceptable and semi-intelligent questions. Wit was probably NOT expected!

My point was entirely lost on said pivotal broadcaster, so I spelt it out for her: the programme IS stimulating BUT suffers from being 'metropolitan-centric'.

She went into immediate, extremely vocal, denial! It was actually only at this point that I discovered that she was the programme's Producer!

So, later, before introducing Dimbleby and the panel, she addressed the audience in the hall and mentioned my comment about HER programme. Clearly she expected support and hoots of derision for my view, which she clearly considered ...to be arrant nonsense. She actully met with a stony, embarrassing silence!

But THEN the coup de grace: so this was NOT a metro-centric prog eh! There were hoots of laughter, not understood by Dimbleby and Co ...when one of the topics discussed, ad nauseum, was the then future prospect of having an ELECTED Mayor of London ...and the likelihood of a certain amphibian-loving, Ken Livingstone, being London's popular choice!

Ah yes, so VERY relevant for listeners NOT living in the capital! As for York having an elected mayor, why the leaders of York's two principal Political Parties kicked THAT one into touch ...after all we might follow in footsteps of another northern city and elect a third monkey ...seeing no evil!

Welcome aboard Annie! Let's make this site rock! Look forward to your next northern appearance ...after you extract yourself from the antedeluvian slime and drains in Wembley.

As for Brum: your new BULL Ring ...has certain quite unreal atractions for me!

Nick Blitz, York

Updated: 15:46 Friday, December 02, 2005