Disloyal? Or Does Anyone Care?

Is Rhuthun/Ruthin one of the UK's most disloyal towns? (And, these days, does it matter?) After the controversy surrounding whether or not the town council should in some way mark the platinum jubilee, when it was decided it was to be 'low key', within last week's exhibition on the Urdd was a book of commemoration, signed by the town mayor and open to anyone to add comments. 

There was a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the book. This perhaps reflects the feeling in town. There were fewer than half a dozen of the heavy quality pages completed. Here are two of the more contentious comments:

'It is such a pity we were not able to celebrate in community cohesion... I am appalled that there are no union jacks on display in the Square... what is wrong with our council?'

'Diolch am yr arddangosfa 100 yr Urdd' 

Compare this to the diamond jubilee of queen Victoria I, which the Free Press reported thus,

'The town was bedecked with flags large and small. Even the poorest dwelling seemed to sport either a picture of the Royal family or a flag of some description. There were floral arches across Clwyd Street and the Golden Lion, Well Street, provided another. These formed an excellent backdrop for the principal celebration, a huge parade around the town, after which the participants fragmented into small groups to continue the festivities'. 

That was in 1887. 135 years later and we are in a very different political and cultural environment. It's even different to the silver jubilee of 1977.