The Glorious 25th

Sir Terry Pratchett wrote interesting and entertaining books; there's no doubt of that. But whilst PTerry was writing about the Discworld, he was also providing social commentary on this Roundworld.

“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly.

'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.

There was some nervous laughter, but Reg looked offended.

'In the circumstances, Sergeant, I think we should set our sights a little higher--'

'Well, yes, we could,' said Vimes, coming down the steps. He glanced at the sheets of papers in front of Reg. The man cared. He really did. And he was serious. He really was. 'But...well, Reg, tomorrow the sun will come up again, and I'm pretty sure that whatever happens we won't have found Freedom, and there won't be a whole lot of Justice, and I'm damn sure we won't have found Truth. But it's just possible that I might get a hard-boiled egg.”

Lofty ideas are things to aim for, but a hard boiled egg can be grasped. 

In the Ankh Morpork, on the Discworld, corruption was rife, and the people were revolting. The government sent in the soldiers. Barricades were erected in Treacle Mine Road to keep the soldiers out. Gradually, more and more of the city was behind the barricades. People started thinking about their demands. Of the demands presented, 'a hard boiled egg' was the most achievable.

In PTerry's world, when the fighting broke out between the government forces & the government controlled sections of the City Watch, and the People's Republic of Treacle Mine Road, there was a need to be able to tell who was on which side. The lilacs were in bloom, and the Treacle Mines adorned their helmets, hats and clothing with a sprig of lilac. (Rather reminiscent of the story that the Welsh wore leeks in their hats/helmets when fighting against the Saxons. The Welsh and Saxons wore very similar armour at the time. And it's always good to know who is your friend on a battlefield.)

The Glorious 25th was the day the people triumphed over the government. The 26th was the day everything was more or less back to normal. There was no addition freedoms, no extra truth, justice was for those who could pay for it. But, there was a hard boiled egg.