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Re: The Queen : Tue Sep 20, 2022 10:42 am  

I'm happy for Charles to represent me and my country. And William and George after him.
They are trained for this from birth. The history they bring with them is priceless.

Re: The Queen : Tue Sep 20, 2022 2:08 pm  

The thing is, she was never destined to be Queen. I'm sure someone will correct me but her uncle was next in line but declined? Then her father died fairly young?

To be thrust into the position at 25/26 and serve for 70 years can only be respected.

She was very good for this country and will be missed, the one constant in an ever changing world!

Re: The Queen : Tue Sep 20, 2022 2:45 pm  

Wollo-Wollo-Wollo-Wayoo wrote:

Took me a while but eventually found out that the march performed by the Pipes & Drums of the Scottish & Irish Regiments was called Mist Covered Mountains and was written by Mark Knopfler.

It's from the 'Local Hero' soundtrack. Glorious soundtrack. Glorious film.

Re: The Queen : Tue Sep 20, 2022 7:51 pm  

charlie wrote:

The thing is, she was never destined to be Queen. I'm sure someone will correct me but her uncle was next in line but declined? Then her father died fairly young?

To be thrust into the position at 25/26 and serve for 70 years can only be respected.

She was very good for this country and will be missed, the one constant in an ever changing world!

Her uncle was King Edward VIII.

He chose to abdicate because he wanted to marry an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. Different times!

At the time it created a massive scandal and was unacceptable both to the Church of England and politicians of the day and a lot of the public. It created a constitutional crisis and damaged the monarchy.

Both the King and Mrs Simpson where strong Nazi sympathisers as were many of the aristocracy in the 30's. They actually met Hitler after he abdicated against the advice of the government.

Due to their fascist tendencies, they were considered a national security risk and had to leave the country during WW2. The late Queen and her mother never forgave them.

Re: The Queen : Tue Sep 20, 2022 8:17 pm  

vastman wrote:

I'm not a fairytale Monarchists, as Parliamentary Monarchies and Republic's in purely political terms work as well as each other, so I've never been bothered in that respect.

However in purely financial terms the Royal Family pays its way many times over, nobody visits France in the hope of seeing Macron etc etc.

The pomp and ceremony works only because it's based on real history. The reason the Guards don't look like Disney tin soldiers is because those bearskins were not just created for effect, they were won in battle from Napoleons Republican Guard, there is real history in all this, some of it a thousand years old old.

But mostly it's not them though the Queen was exceptional. It's who they keep out. If we abolished them can you imagine what sleazy creeps would battle their way to replace them. President Blair or Johnstone or even Sir Rodney Walker anybody? Thought not.

The only power they have is to stop the above and for that I swear my allegiance all day long. Charles and William would have to be truly dreadful to blow it, so we are in safe hands from that perspective.

With two exceptions they do a great job in the full glare of a sometimes hostile press and they never complain.

We are different to the rest of the world and I celebrate that even if some of it appears truly odd. Long live the king, long live the UK and its quirky, belligerent and occasionally bonkers people.

France is the most popular tourist destination in the world and their monarchy was abolished centuries ago.

Re: The Queen : Tue Sep 20, 2022 8:33 pm  

vastman wrote:

I'm not a fairytale Monarchists, as Parliamentary Monarchies and Republic's in purely political terms work as well as each other, so I've never been bothered in that respect.

However in purely financial terms the Royal Family pays its way many times over, nobody visits France in the hope of seeing Macron etc etc. The pomp and ceremony works only because it's based on real history. The reason the Guards don't look like Disney tin soldiers is because those bearskins were not just created for effect, they were won in battle from Napoleons Republican Guard, there is real history in all this, some of it a thousand years old old.

But mostly it's not them though the Queen was exceptional. It's who they keep out. If we abolished them can you imagine what sleazy creeps would battle their way to replace them. President Blair or Johnstone or even Sir Rodney Walker anybody? Thought not.

The only power they have is to stop the above and for that I swear my allegiance all day long. Charles and William would have to be truly dreadful to blow it, so we are in safe hands from that perspective.

With two exceptions they do a great job in the full glare of a sometimes hostile press and they never complain.

We are different to the rest of the world and I celebrate that even if some of it appears truly odd. Long live the king, long live the UK and its quirky, belligerent and occasionally bonkers people.

Interesting post, vasty.
However, as the Queen was more or less politically powerless, we still managed to elect the the likes of Tony Blair, Boris Johnson and who knows, possibly a Rodney Myerscough Walker type, who effectively assumed the roll of "president."

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Re: The Queen : Tue Sep 20, 2022 8:36 pm  

Marcus's Bicycle wrote:

France is the most popular tourist destination in the world and their monarchy was abolished centuries ago.

But their tourism is built around other things.
Its a good point but not a direct comparison as we'd have to change so much it would take 50 years and we still wouldn't match France.

As Vasty says, we need to focus on what's unique about us.

Re: The Queen : Tue Sep 20, 2022 9:09 pm  

Redscat wrote:

Interesting post, vasty.
However, as the Queen was more or less politically powerless, we still managed to elect the the likes of Tony Blair, Boris Johnson and who knows, possibly a Rodney Myerscough Walker type, who effectively assumed the roll of "president."

That's the great advantage of having a parliamentary democracy. You get the choice to vote them in. Or vote them out.

Re: The Queen : Tue Sep 20, 2022 9:09 pm  

King Street Cat wrote:

It's from the 'Local Hero' soundtrack. Glorious soundtrack. Glorious film.

Interesting. Thanks

I saw that film on telly years ago and remember liking it and thinking it was a real feelgood film. I can't recall why or anything about it other than Burt Lancaster was in it and it's something to do with oil off the scottish coast.

Re: The Queen : Tue Sep 20, 2022 9:28 pm  

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