Duke of Edinburgh dies

[Gofer Blue]

I don't suppose many on this MB watched the funeral this afternoon, or if they did, would probably not admit to it! I did watch the actual funeral ceremony from about 2.45pm. What I remember most was not the military parade and the general pomp but seeing a little old lady dressed in black sitting all by herself in a cathedral-like building and feeling very sad for her. Sorry if that offends.

[Bluebirdman Of Alcathays]

I don't suppose many on this MB watched the funeral this afternoon, or if they did, would probably not admit to it! I did watch the actual funeral ceremony from about 2.45pm. What I remember most was not the military parade and the general pomp but seeing a little old lady dressed in black sitting all by herself in a cathedral-like building and feeling very sad for her. Sorry if that offends.

That's not offensive but compassionate, and I imagine most people seeing that picture would think the same, once you get to the heart of the matter. So why stop there? Maybe we should let her retire. She's 94; if she had another job she could have retired years ago. Also, why after the death of a parent, the heir must take his/her job? All that grief and now you have to be head of state until the day you die. It's a callous arrangement and it seems to be in the bones of this country.

People might think republicanism has a French revolution vibe but it's about equality, including for the royals. How many people yesterday, in their sympathy and sorrow, thought about the way those individuals have to live their lives?

[Gofer Blue]

That's not offensive but compassionate, and I imagine most people seeing that picture would think the same, once you get to the heart of the matter. So why stop there? Maybe we should let her retire. She's 94; if she had another job she could have retired years ago. Also, why after the death of a parent, the heir must take his/her job? All that grief and now you have to be head of state until the day you die. It's a callous arrangement and it seems to be in the bones of this country.

People might think republicanism has a French revolution vibe but it's about equality, including for the royals. How many people yesterday, in their sympathy and sorrow, thought about the way those individuals have to live their lives?

Exactly.

One poster in this thread wrote about a semi-deified group of people who are put on a pedestal merely due to their being born in the right bed. I would ask anyone who has posted in this thread to search their hearts and ask themselves would they have preferred to have been born into that group of semi-deified people (i.e. the royal family in this case with all their wealth and status) rather than the family in which they find themselves? I for one am eternally grateful that I was not! Likewise I am eternally grateful that I was not born into abject poverty like a child in Yemen.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Exactly.

One poster in this thread wrote about a semi-deified group of people who are put on a pedestal merely due to their being born in the right bed. I would ask anyone who has posted in this thread to search their hearts and ask themselves would they have preferred to have been born into that group of semi-deified people (i.e. the royal family in this case with all their wealth and status) rather than the family in which they find themselves? I for one am eternally grateful that I was not! Likewise I am eternally grateful that I was not born into abject poverty like a child in Yemen.

Surely it's yet another reason in abandoning a system if the public is infantilised on the one hand and those bowed down to are unhappy with their gilded cage on the other hand, a dehumanising situation for both parties perhaps.
Other royal families in Europe took a step down from such semi-deification and retained a great deal of wealth so it's not as if they have no choice whatsoever.
Unilaterally bowing to another human being or referring to them as 'Your Highness' is absurdly medieval in my opinion.

[Gofer Blue]

Surely it's yet another reason in abandoning a system if the public is infantilised on the one hand and those bowed down to are unhappy with their gilded cage on the other hand, a dehumanising situation for both parties perhaps.
Other royal families in Europe took a step down from such semi-deification and retained a great deal of wealth so it's not as if they have no choice whatsoever.
Unilaterally bowing to another human being or referring to them as 'Your Highness' is absurdly medieval in my opinion.

I met the queen when the company I was with at the time won the Queen's Award to Industry and myself and two colleagues went to Buckingham Palace to collect the award. As a Christian I will not bow to another human being so I simply shook hands with the queen and it was fine (by me anyway!). I can confirm that the Duke could be a grumpy old codger as he asked me to repeat the name of our company as he didn't hear the announcer. When I gave it to him he replied in a rather gruff manner: "Never heard of them"!

[Citizen's Nephew]

Exactly.

One poster in this thread wrote about a semi-deified group of people who are put on a pedestal merely due to their being born in the right bed. I would ask anyone who has posted in this thread to search their hearts and ask themselves would they have preferred to have been born into that group of semi-deified people (i.e. the royal family in this case with all their wealth and status) rather than the family in which they find themselves? I for one am eternally grateful that I was not! Likewise I am eternally grateful that I was not born into abject poverty like a child in Yemen.

I understand your sentiments but I think it's disingenuous to suggest that it's not possible to be humanitarian towards members of the Royal Family and loathe everything they represent. Love thy enemy and all that. To be fair, I know plenty of people who have been born into awful family lives and would swap in a heartbeat with any of them. And, you don't have to go to Yemen to find a child living in poverty. There are plenty close to home.

[Gofer Blue]

I understand your sentiments but I think it's disingenuous to suggest that it's not possible to be humanitarian towards members of the Royal Family and loathe everything they represent. Love thy enemy and all that. To be fair, I know plenty of people who have been born into awful family lives and would swap in a heartbeat with any of them. And, you don't have to go to Yemen to find a child living in poverty. There are plenty close to home.

I do wonder about that, really?

BTW IMO there is no one "close to home" or even living anywhere in the UK who has any experience of living in abject poverty.

[Citizen's Nephew]

I do wonder about that, really?

BTW IMO there is no one "close to home" or even living anywhere in the UK who has any experience of living in abject poverty.

Please, let's not do this - it's too depressing. My wife's background in psychiatric and social services means I've got to know of the most horrendous families and the lives of children and adolescents growing up in sexually and physically abusive homes. The home is still one of the unsafest places when it comes to child or domestic abuse. At least one child is killed a week in the UK

And the way the term abject poverty is used feels uncomfortably like referring to the deserving and undeserving poor.

Yes, child poverty is close to home - in Wales and even parts of Cardiff. Wales has the worst child poverty in UK.

Look, I just wanted to point out that there are other sides to all of this disproportionate wealth and privilege and that is irrefutable.

So, with respect, I encourage you to find out more about the issues I'm concerned with and I'll read a bit more about HRH Prince Phillip et al. You can't get fairer than that.

[Gofer Blue]

Please, let's not do this - it's too depressing. My wife's background in psychiatric and social services means I've got to know of the most horrendous families and the lives of children and adolescents growing up in sexually and physically abusive homes. The home is still one of the unsafest places when it comes to child or domestic abuse. At least one child is killed a week in the UK

And the way the term abject poverty is used feels uncomfortably like referring to the deserving and undeserving poor.

Yes, child poverty is close to home - in Wales and even parts of Cardiff. Wales has the worst child poverty in UK.

Look, I just wanted to point out that there are other sides to all of this disproportionate wealth and privilege and that is irrefutable.

So, with respect, I encourage you to find out more about the issues I'm concerned with and I'll read a bit more about HRH Prince Phillip et al. You can't get fairer than that.

I hope I would never be found guilty of using the term deserving poor! I have direct experience of what I would describe as abject poverty from times spent in Uganda, Malawi and (briefly) in India and also poverty in the UK as a volunteer in a food bank but I agree, let's leave it there, otherwise this could descend into a Dutch auction style discussion.

[xsnaggle]

Please, let's not do this - it's too depressing. My wife's background in psychiatric and social services means I've got to know of the most horrendous families and the lives of children and adolescents growing up in sexually and physically abusive homes. The home is still one of the unsafest places when it comes to child or domestic abuse. At least one child is killed a week in the UK

And the way the term abject poverty is used feels uncomfortably like referring to the deserving and undeserving poor.

Yes, child poverty is close to home - in Wales and even parts of Cardiff. Wales has the worst child poverty in UK.

Look, I just wanted to point out that there are other sides to all of this disproportionate wealth and privilege and that is irrefutable.

So, with respect, I encourage you to find out more about the issues I'm concerned with and I'll read a bit more about HRH Prince Phillip et al. You can't get fairer than that.

Trust me Wales does not have the worst child or family poverty in the UK, nor has it had in the last 50 years. I have seen families of 8 living in a 2 up 2 down with no bathroom ,a toilet in the yard and no furniture except in the so called sitting room. sleeping on matresses on the floor and taking it in turns to sleep because there are not enough matresses. Families that didn't bath from one month's end to the next, kids and adults with ringworm and scurvy, no food in the house, never saw fruit from one week to the next.
A 6 yr old boy walking around the town in the pouring rain at 3 AM because "It's not my turn to sleep.
I get annoyed sometimes when I think of what I've seen in this country and hear people shouting about poverty. I realise it is hard for them but they are luckier than they will ever know.