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[Davidtav]

The Queen is still dead

[Fiddlesticks]

30 minutes ago, Davidtav said:

The Queen is still dead

A comment on the 24hr news cycle,  or just sore you'll never see that fiver you lent her again?

[Davidtav]

Comment on the 24 hour news

[billy sugger]

I haven't watched, listened to or read any news since I first heard of  her death from a colleague. Even The motorbike show was replaced with Flipping horse racing 

[KiwiBob]

Its a good job there' no crises happening in the country or the world! .. The government has shut down for the next 10 days!

[S-Westerly]

Actually no it hasn't.  

[Gerontious]

Conversation tonight.

 

why is the queen on the telly?

she has died.

oh… that’s sad.

 

5 minutes pass.

 

why is the queen on the telly?

she has died.

oh… that’s sad.

 

5 minutes pass.

 

why is the queen on the telly?

she has died.

oh…. That’s sad.

 

5 minutes pass…

 

now, I have to admit this conversation if you could call it that, with a man with advanced dementia is rather more interesting than watching constant wall to wall coverage detailing the pros and cons of extreme privilege and wealth dressed up as service to the nation. Only in Britain!!

[onesea]

It was when the radio weather forecast started: "The weather today is going to be like the mood of the country...."

 

I am guessing all the streaming services are getting afew more viewers.

 

Listen to a radio at work and can I just suggest you don't listen to long for your own mental health.

[S-Westerly]

We've got another week of this......

[KiwiBob]

[S-Westerly]

Not sure why we need a debate or discussion about a hereditary monarchy (perfectly legitimate to have one but just seems a bit pointless) as that's what we have and the succession is automatic. Most people who aren't republicans don't care. I'd be interested to know what percentage of Brits are republicans; somehow I don't think it's the majority- if it was there'd be a much bigger groundswell of opinion against the monarchy than there is.

[Davidtav]

Well we claim to live in a democracy. But I didn't vote for Liz Truss or King Charles. ......I accept my view is not the popular one. But I think this country needs to modernise

 

 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

33 minutes ago, Davidtav said:

Well we claim to live in a democracy. But I didn't vote for Liz Truss or King Charles. ......I accept my view is not the popular one. But I think this country needs to modernise

 

 

We are a parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy. I didn't vote for Liz Truss either, nor her party. We do not vote in an American style for a President. We vote for a local MP and whichever party gets the most of those is called for form a government, with the parties having less MPs forming the opposition.

 

We can look for change but as Churchill pointed out what we have when compared to the alternatives is the least worst option.

[Davidtav]

9 minutes ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

We are a parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy. I didn't vote for Liz Truss either, nor her party. We do not vote in an American style for a President. We vote for a local MP and whichever party gets the most of those is called for form a government, with the parties having less MPs forming the opposition.

 

We can look for change but as Churchill pointed out what we have when compared to the alternatives is the least worst option.

I do understand what you say.  I am sure King Charles will perform his duties well and admirably. As the Queen did. However it does seem that we rely on chance to have the right person in the role. An accident of birth 

 

And with Liz Truss, I again agree with your points. But I do think if the ru!ing party changes it's leader then it wouldn't be unreasonable to require a general election. 

 

It's just my view. I know most folks won't agree

[Gerontious]

A very strange democracy, where a party gets voted in by a minority and then gets 100% of the power. Not really very democratic. Not very fair.

[onesea]

Am I Royalist I guess because I feel they have a place, they are good ambassadors for the country as a whole. They make the UK standout from other countries that in itself is not a bad thing.

 

As history tends to repeat itself it’s one of the reasons I was sad to see hereditary pears go. They where a stable base to reduce knee jerk reactions and unthought out legislation brought in by MP’s.  If royalty helps in even in a small way on that it’s a good thing.

 

As for the nature of our democracy the last 5-10 years have been interesting times Brexit COVID & Ukraine.  Brexit I am still on the fence about and have strange views over, Britains place should be in Europe.   However without us leaving the EU (which is less democratic than us IMHO). The EU would stroll of been stammering and stuttered about Ukraine, COVID.

Both of which Britain has been quicker to react to than the EU.  Maybe Britain is best placed as a thorn in Europes side, we have done well out of it since Henry VIII decided he didn’t want us to be ruled by The Pope.

[Davidtav]

24 minutes ago, onesea said:

Am I Royalist I guess because I feel they have a place, they are good ambassadors for the country as a whole. They make the UK standout from other countries that in itself is not a bad thing.

 

As history tends to repeat itself it’s one of the reasons I was sad to see hereditary pears go. They where a stable base to reduce knee jerk reactions and unthought out legislation brought in by MP’s.  If royalty helps in even in a small way on that it’s a good thing.

 

As for the nature of our democracy the last 5-10 years have been interesting times Brexit COVID & Ukraine.  Brexit I am still on the fence about and have strange views over, Britains place should be in Europe.   However without us leaving the EU (which is less democratic than us IMHO). The EU would stroll of been stammering and stuttered about Ukraine, COVID.

Both of which Britain has been quicker to react to than the EU.  Maybe Britain is best placed as a thorn in Europes side, we have done well out of it since Henry VIII decided he didn’t want us to be ruled by The Pope.

I don’t actually disagree with most of that. 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

I think @oneseahas got the best solution - governance by hereditary pears. If we don't like them we can always eat them. 

 

@Davidtavthe point about the vagaries of the person who ends up as monarch is a valid point. What if Andrew had been the heir to the throne instead of Charles? I think we'd be feeling a bit different about that prospect! If you look at history there's plenty to say that previous monarchs were dodgy. But this time round I think we've been lucky, and looking at Charles and William things seem to be in good hands for as long as most of us can worry about. We've certainly had better leadership via the monarchy than by the folks us plebs have gone an elected recently.

[Fiddlesticks]

All of this is to miss the wider point that the real King of England is a bloke called Simon who lives in Australia.

[MikeHorton]

I think the whole issue with politicians these days is they have no sense of comittment and most only represent themselves don't see themselves as servants of their constituents. It should be a real honour to serve as a politician and for them to have a sense of being there till the end and going the extra mile but they don't. You listen to the debates and see the way they act like children, show little respect for each other. Hardly any of them can just say sorry when they get things wrong and vow to put it right. They all deny things until proven hardly right honorable is it? 

[S-Westerly]

Sad to say Johnson was one of the worst offenders for this kind of behaviour. 

[Grumpy Old Git]

15 hours ago, Fiddlesticks said:

All of this is to miss the wider point that the real King of England is a bloke called Simon who lives in Australia.

His name is Eric!

 

And - He lives in Bergen!

[KiwiBob]

What is the establishment frightened of?

 

A barrister who held up a blank piece of paper near the Houses of Parliament was told he risked being arrested if he wrote ‘not my King’ on it.

 

https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&cx=012545676297898659090:wk87ya_pczq&q=https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/13/man-threatened-with-arrest-if-he-wrote-not-my-king-on-blank-sign-17362896/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjq7cjF0JH6AhUhx4UKHSi2A_EQFnoECAAQAg&usg=AOvVaw2YQAWP8STbq5Tr_nU5yuP9

Edited September 13, 2022 by KiwiBob

[S-Westerly]

I don't think the establishment really gives a rat's ass if one individual wants to protest. Over zealous jobsworths may but these are probably the same people who were threatening people who had the temerity to actually go out in lock down.

[Tiggie]

My guess is they are more worried about keeping the whole thing peaceful. Even if the protestor is the nicest calmest man in the world he is going to provoke a reaction from the rest of the crowd. 

 

Seeing how quickly these sort of things have turned to riots over the last few years I can understand why for an occasion like this they are wanting to nip it in the bud asap