His Royal Highness the political dissident
If the heir to the throne is really a 'dissident working against the prevailing political consensus' you'd expect politicians to be up in arms. I have to report that they are not.
Grumbling about Prince Charles is about as worthwhile most think as grumbling about the weather. Sure, his attacks on GM foods or nanotechnology hardly helped the Prime Minister campaign for British businesses to be at the forefront of these scientific developments.
Certainly, many Labour MPs whinge about his opposition to the hunting ban recalling his leaked letter to the Prime Minister in which he quoted a hunter as saying "if we, as a group, were black or gay, we would not be victimised or picked upon".
Others complain about his "out of date" views on education which led him into a public confrontation with Charles Clarke when he was Education Secretary.
And yet probe a little and ministers praise his work with deprived young people via the Princes Trust or his sponsoring of an Education Summer School to bring the great and the good of that world together or his work on alternative medicine. One minister told me "if he can help my cause I'm happy to enlist it. If I don't agree with him I simply ignore him" .
Just before Labour were elected Jack Straw mused out loud about creating a Scandanavian style "bicycling monarchy". All hell broke loose. I rememember as I edited the Panorama on which he said it. Ever since New Labour has steered well clear of any conflict with the monarchy. Anyone who thinks that will change once Gordon's at Number 10 are likely to be sorely disappointed.
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