How to sense meaning of the public consciousness

There is a problem in talking about a public consciousness when two juxtaposed events are not exactly cohesive in our understanding of the world.

The Royal Wedding had dominated the press for the best part of a week. Then suddenly, no photos of smiling Brits waving flags; replaced by the new story - the 'Osama bounce' that Barack Obama was enjoying.

Despite the enthusiasm on our screens, there was a quiet grumble from the republican minority. Was it surprising that American tourists were aplenty in the London parks? Who exactly are taken in by the pomp and circumstance of it all? In the party atmosphere, many of the questions of constitutional significance and the British soul were all but forgotten.

And for those who are not politically inclined, what does the death of Osama Bin Laden mean? It depends what you make of the Arab Spring I guess. Or perhaps whether you think the soft power idealism of Obama is more effective than those in the Kissinger school of realism or even the Leo Strauss school of neo-conservatism.

If the media had an overriding narrative, it may be slightly schizophrenic.