Medieval pantomime a right embarrassment on the world stage

[Taunton Blue Genie]

We could always get rid and end up like France or America with Presidents like Macron or Trump(or Biden), cos they're loved by the masses aren't they?

A president need not be one and the same as the head of government. The German President, albeit a politician, becomes party neutral on taking up the post.
The incumbent is not entitled to the job due to the bed they are born in and neither are they the apex of the class system nor the Head of Church. They also do not have the position for life.
His or her job is not to be loved nor reviled by the masses nor are they semi-deified by decking themselves in crowns and ermine. They tend not to own enormous swathes of their country, they don't own numerous palaces and they pay the same taxes as their fellow countrymen, who are not their subjects. No-one swears allegiance to them, no-one unilaterally bows and curtseys to them and they are not above the law. They are not lauded in national anthems, they are not addressed as Your Highness (and do stop to think about that one) and they are not responsible for planting gongs and titles to Lords and Ladies.
Thankfully, the young see the folly of having the medieval concept of a royal family and the latter are finding it increasingly difficult to be semi-deified whilst engaging in undue influence, adultery, sex scandals, selling their domestic problem to the world's press and media and a lot else.
Let's grow up and realise that there are mature and stable alternatives to forelock tugging, medieval concepts, embedded privilege and infantilisation.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Absolutey I'll second that.
What brought a tear to my eye today were our boys and girls, men and women, of the armed forces and voluntary services. What a spectacle, these are the true representatives of what's good in British Society.
So proud of these young ones and we can all sleep well at night, safe in the knowledge that they will be there to protect us if they were ever needed and not the likes of the "fat thumb brigade" on here and similar sites.

I am always guarded about unconditionally supporting armed services by dint of their sheer existence - as not all their endeavours are necessary laudable.
Although not equating the following examples it's the principle that matters to me: Russian soldiers doing their government's bidding and killing people in Ukraine, US soldiers killing the Vietnamese en masse and British servicemen and women taking part in the invasion of Iraq.
No doubt I'll get a thick ear on here for expressing that principle (as some may still think I am equating those examples rather than the principle involved) but people get killed by recruits sent into battle on behalf of their governments.
I don't doubt the professionalism and general integrity of our armed forces but they are not solely occupied in just conflicts.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Christopher Hitchens often said that religion can make good people do bad things. The same could be said for for patriotism and loyalty in some cases.

[Doucas]

I will never ever understand the forelock tugging towards a bunch of complete dull mediocrities. I just don’t get it. They are no better than the rest of us.

Worse.. how many have nonces in their family? How many are at war with themselves because one member stood up to racism towards his wife?

[Doucas]

Give me £2 billion tax payers. I'll create some pomp pomp and pomp for the UK.

[Pembroke blue]

France get more tourists than us and they ain't got a monarchy. If all the countries in all the world with present day monarchies became republics immediately do you think tourism would die a death? No, me neither.

Mate it’s the only thing that royalists think they can use to justify keeping the royal family they are brainwashed into believing it

[Pembroke blue]

I do not recognise Charlie boy as my king
I did not vote to have him as my king
I was brought up to believe as a child we are a democracy
We are not we live in a dictatorship

[Pembroke blue]

They don't have any legislative power whatsoever though Sludge. It's purely a symbolic head of state. I take your point on the principle nonetheless.

Maybe a party should stand on committing to a referendum? That would solve it once and for all and I am sure you would all definitely accept the result and not spend five years moaning about it!

They would never agree to a referendum I honestly think if they were in danger of losing the vote it would be rigged
You keep referring to people moaning about these parasites if something isn’t right people have the right to say so

[Pembroke blue]

I think we all know in practice that their role is entirely ceremonial. I would argue they add to our soft power abroad and I guess it would be naive to pretend that they have zero power here; they are part of civic society which all govts must keep on board. In practice I would say their influence on domestic policy is nothing compared to the civil service or religious leaders.

One could even argue that their apolitical status aids the executive as they don't present a threat where in other countries a political head of state who is different to the head of the govt may well do.

Certainly since WW2 we have seen extraordinary ranges of govt policy so I don't think the royals prevented any of that.

Nonetheless, I do remain uncomfortable with the fact that our head of state, symbolic as they may be, is unelected. I guess I view the positives as outweighing that. I accept some of the negatives you present but I think they are outweighed by the stability, sense of permanence, service and continuity that they provide.

What gets my goat is what I interpret as snooty jibes by a small minority against anyone who is supportive of it or dares to enjoy the ceremony.

The world is full of gloom and ceremonies of all kinds help to break that. There is nothing wrong with it in my opinion.

Stability??
Charlie boy having an affair with that trout camilla. Cousins marrying cousins embarrassing.peado Andy embarrassing
All those dukes earls counts countess’s So Wrong

[Taffy Blue in Berkshire]

I will never ever understand the forelock tugging towards a bunch of complete dull mediocrities. I just don’t get it. They are no better than the rest of us.

Totally agree and interesting to see a lot of good comments posted overnight.

I saw a picture last night of Charles and Camilla in full costume wearing Crowns and they looked so uncomfortable.

As I said originally a 'medieval pantomime' and here we are in 2023.

Don't worry AI will sort it out?

[The Bloop]

A president need not be one and the same as the head of government. The German President, albeit a politician, becomes party neutral on taking up the post.
The incumbent is not entitled to the job due to the bed they are born in and neither are they the apex of the class system nor the Head of Church. They also do not have the position for life.
His or her job is not to be loved nor reviled by the masses nor are they semi-deified by decking themselves in crowns and ermine. They tend not to own enormous swathes of their country, they don't own numerous palaces and they pay the same taxes as their fellow countrymen, who are not their subjects. No-one swears allegiance to them, no-one unilaterally bows and curtseys to them and they are not above the law. They are not lauded in national anthems, they are not addressed as Your Highness (and do stop to think about that one) and they are not responsible for planting gongs and titles to Lords and Ladies.
Thankfully, the young see the folly of having the medieval concept of a royal family and the latter are finding it increasingly difficult to be semi-deified whilst engaging in undue influence, adultery, sex scandals, selling their domestic problem to the world's press and media and a lot else.
Let's grow up and realise that there are mature and stable alternatives to forelock tugging, medieval concepts, embedded privilege and infantilisation.

Which is why it is important to establish what the country and its head of state will look like once the monarchy is no more.
Charles's time I think will see the whole establishment dimish. Now that Liz and Phil are gone, several nations, particularly those in the Caribbean and possibly Australia, will become Republics and the monarchy's influence and importance will become less and less over time.
It'll be a gradual process, but one day we will have an elected head of state.

[JamesWales]

They would never agree to a referendum I honestly think if they were in danger of losing the vote it would be rigged
You keep referring to people moaning about these parasites if something isn’t right people have the right to say so

If course they do. People can moan about what they like. It's more powerfully done by making a positive case rather than slagging people off, hoping community events are rained off and biking anthems etc.

There is nothing whatsoever stopping any party from standing on a platform of a referendum on the monarchy. Why don't you start one?

[NYCBlue]

I don’t think so , most kids love this kind of thing probably because they are not bitter and twisted at the age they are

Exaxtly. They're children. They behave like children. And they don't understand.

[JamesWales]

Exaxtly. They're children. They behave like children. And they don't understand.

Mate you are kinda criticising children having a nice time here. On Friday we saw people wishing for rain on a Bank holiday. Yesterday we saw people jerking themselves off over grown men booing an anthem and angrily labelling anyone with a different opinion as a bootlicker, forelock tugger and worse, whilst relishing a generation dying out.

And you think the royalists are the strange ones?!

Again, make a coherent case for change by all means. I for one would listen and I would agree with some of it. But the bitterness, anger and plain rudeness is not attractive at all - and hands up, many of us on here are guilty of that, but on this topic at least it's come from one direction and is aimed in many cases at people just trying to have a nice weekend.

And that's my mind made up. I'm gonna take the family to the castle today for the picnic thing. Your post has literally decided that for me!

I hope everyone has a lovely day whether you go to a nice community event, stay at home watching Liverpool fans boo on YouTube or do anything inbetween. 👍

[Baloo]

Mate you are kinda criticising children having a nice time here. On Friday we saw people wishing for rain on a Bank holiday. Yesterday we saw people jerking themselves off over grown men booing an anthem end angrily labelling anyone with a different opinion as a bootlicker, forelock tugger and worse, whilst relishing a generation dying out.

And you think the royalists are the strange ones?!

Again, make a coherent case for change by all means. I for one would listen and I would agree with some of it. But the bitterness, anger and plain rudeness is not attractive at all - and hands up, many of us on here are guilty of that, but on this topic at least it's come from one direction and is aimed in many cases at people just trying to have a nice weekend.

And that's my mind made up. I'm gonna take the family to the castle today for the picnic thing.

I hope everyone has a lovely day whether you go to a nice community event, stay at home watching Liverpool fans boo on YouTube or do anything inbetween. 👍

To be honest I think you’ve spent more time on this thread than anybody else. Have a nice afternoon.

[JamesWales]

To be honest I think you’ve spent more time on this thread than anybody else. Have a nice afternoon.

Definitely up there! But not this afternoon!

Have a nice one too 👍

[Vindec]

I'm in a minority as I really liked the Coronation spectacle yesterday. Parts of the ceremony were ridiculously outdated but overall the arrangements went off a treat and were much to be admired by me at least.

[jon1959]

royalists.jpg

[Vindec]

royalists.jpg

Just because people disagree with you doesn't mean they are wrong and you are right.

[jon1959]

Just because people disagree with you doesn't mean they are wrong and you are right.

An interesting viewpoint.

[TWGL1]

I'm in a minority as I really liked the Coronation spectacle yesterday. Parts of the ceremony were ridiculously outdated but overall the arrangements went off a treat and were much to be admired by me at least.

You’re unlikely to be in the minority outside of this message board. I watched some of it ,not my thing but the wife really enjoyed the bits that she watched and is looking forward to the concert tonight.

[Tuerto]

Just because people disagree with you doesn't mean they are wrong and you are right.

You're sort of saying that it works both ways then?

[Vindec]

You're sort of saying that it works both ways then?

What I'm implying is that people are free to have their own views and opinions.

[the other bob wilson]

We really do need a forelock tugger emoji.

[TWGL1]

We really do need a forelock tugger emoji.

Why ?