A baby is born

This week, a very important baby was born. Well, actually, several very important babies were born this week, as every week. Every baby is important, every baby is of significance to their family, and some of them are important wider than those who know them.

One of those babies born was, of course, Prince George Cambridge. It has had pretty much blanket coverage in the media, which has bored most people, although I am sure that some people have enjoyed it. Nobody on my twitter feed, though.

This media coverage is something that the young family will have to get used to - it is part of being members of the royal family, celebrities of the highest order. Has it been too intrusive over this pregnancy? Probably. On the one hand, knowing that everything is OK is of interest, and important. Prince George is third in line to the throne, and - however much we may want to pretend it is otherwise - ensuring the succession is important. It is of interest, and of importance, whether you are a royalist or not. That does not mean that every last nuance of the pregnancy and birth need to be reported on.

On the other side, I hope that, like William and Harry, George will be allowed to grow up without the glare of the media. I hope that they will be allowed to have as normal a life as possible given their status, not least because it does seem to have enabled William and Harry to mature into the princes they are today. OK, maybe Harry could have done with a little longer out of the limelight. But I am proud of them, and hte way that they have turned out.

And yet George is exceptionally privileged - this is something that we cannot ignore. This is not his fault, any more than it is William's fault that he is destined to become king one day. This is the structure of our nation, and, for good or bad, that is what we have to live with. I would not consider myself an ardent monarchist, but I do think that the system does not actually work that badly. Whatever we may think, the royals are not the real problem.

The real problem is that there were many other babies born this week, and some of them have been born into poverty. The real problem is not that Prince George is privileged. The real problem is that those in real power in this country - the politicians - have abused and betrayed the poor. The real problem is not that some people are well off, it is that some people are not. And that the division between the richest and the poorest is getting greater.