Thursday, December 10, 2009

Incongruity...



This is the main gate at Her Majesty's Prison in Preston. As I was driving past it the other evening on my way home, my eye was drawn to the pictured section of it by the presence of three sets of festive lights, two of which - each easily three feet or more in height - were flashing the words 'Merry Christmas' intermittently in gaudy red neon. As far as I could ascertain, the third, central montage appeared to depict a reindeer, or something similarly seasonal.

HMP Preston is a Category B prison, situated on the periphery of the city centre. Is it just me, or is the presence of these lights, charming as they were, not just a little out of place at the front gate of a penal institution such as that?

Just a thought...

3 comments:

New Brunswick Barry said...

Well, at least they were saying "Merry Christmas," not Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings or some such smarmy PC nod in the direction of this time of year. Considering a good number of the inmates are likely Muslim, I'm surprised the prison had the nerve to put them up at all. If all UK government institutions had flashing lights unambiguously acknowledging this most joyous of Christian festivals, you Brits might be on your way to reclaiming "this royal throne of kings." And, incidentally, I speak as an atheist (who nevertheless is happy to honour one of the foundational structures of Western civilization). In short, your charge of incongruity is, I feel, misplaced.

Anonymous said...

...please where can I buy a unicorn?

Anonymous said...

unicorns R us, where else?