Trooping the Colour!

[Burnley Ace]

It’s no wonder we once ruled the World

[ElectroClaret]

Magnificent spectacle.

[Burnley Ace]

Magnificent spectacle.

Is it something you start to appreciate as you get older?

[Nonayforever]

It's the foundations. The basic fundamentals.
Get that right and everything else will be right.
That's why we are, and have been world leaders in so many aspects of democracy and decency.

[claret2018]

Ridiculous and outdated pageantry that serves no purpose.

Can’t help but think this sort of thing will decline once the queen pops off.

[ClaretAndJew]

It also helped having a huge army and navy that didn't really care about murdering everyone and stealing things and razing countries and splitting them up.

[DCWat]

Ridiculous and outdated pageantry that serves no purpose.

Can’t help but think this sort of thing will decline once the queen pops off.

I’ll bet that it won’t.

[beddie]

Ridiculous and outdated pageantry that serves no purpose.

Can’t help but think this sort of thing will decline once the queen pops off.

You omitted to add “imo”.

[Burnley Ace]

It also helped having a huge army and navy that didn't really care about murdering everyone and stealing things and razing countries and splitting them up.

Every advantage helps! What do the kids say now - “chat sh1t,get banged!” - that’s what happened when the British came over the horizon

[Venkys4eva]

It also helped having a huge army and navy that didn't really care about murdering everyone and stealing things and razing countries and splitting them up.

Im actually laughing thank you

Fantastic to watch today makes you proud to be British

[bobinho]

Is it something you start to appreciate as you get older?

I don’t think so mate. I think it’s something you appreciate when you finally understand what it is, why it happens and what it means. Add that to the fact we are the envy of the world when it comes to celebrating our heritage, our history and the fact that the British military are regarded as the best in the world (or at least have been in the not too distant past) you will be closer to getting it than you are now.

It may well be that you never appreciate it, and that’s your prerogative and absolutely fair enough.

YMMV.

[Billy Balfour]

I'm fairly ambivalent towards the monarchy, but there is no doubt that the Queen has been a good monarch and is widely respected around the world. 70 years and hardly put a foot wrong when it comes to constitutional matters, and that can't be sniffed at. The Royals also put on a good show when it comes to this sort of thing. Mind you, to survive well into this century, they need to slim down and ditch the hangers-on, imo.

[Colburn_Claret]

Ridiculous and outdated pageantry that serves no purpose.

Can’t help but think this sort of thing will decline once the queen pops off.

There's enough people out on the Mall, and millions more watching at home, that show you are in a minority.
This pageantry is the glue that hold the majority of us together. A common cause. We have a lot to be proud of in our Royal Family.
If we ever lost them the country would be a lot meaner, cheaper, selfish place to live. I doubt it would survive, because the anarchy between left and right would rip this country apart.

[LeadBelly]

I'm fairly ambivalent towards the monarchy, but there is no doubt that the Queen has been a good monarch and is widely respected around the world. 70 years and hardly put a foot wrong when it comes to constitutional matters, and that can't be sniffed at. The Royals also put on a good show when it comes to this sort of thing. Mind you, to survive well into this century, they need to slim down and ditch the hangers-on, imo.

My views too. I take each of the Royals as they come (as per anybody else). I have great admiration for HM the Queen - great patience/fortitude and dedication to duty. Her immediate male heirs leave something to be desired on the whole with one being more or less a parasite.

[Duffer_]

There's enough people out on the Mall, and millions more watching at home, that show you are in a minority.
This pageantry is the glue that hold the majority of us together.

A minority? I doubt very much that over 30 million are watching the pageantry. There is a lot of warmth for the Queen that will not survive beyond her and with support for the monarchy currently at 62% (in latest poll), and declining, perhaps its time we found a new glue based on social justice.

[Billy Balfour]

Wasn't that flypast outstanding, especially the 70 formation.

[Mrpotatohead]

A minority? I doubt very much that over 30 million are watching the pageantry. There is a lot of warmth for the Queen that will not survive beyond her and with support for the monarchy currently at 62% (in latest poll), and declining, perhaps its time we found a new glue based on social justice.

If there was a referendum (heaven forbid ) on the monarchy I'd wager at least 75% would be in favour of it remaining.

[bobinho]

A minority? I doubt very much that over 30 million are watching the pageantry. There is a lot of warmth for the Queen that will not survive beyond her and with support for the monarchy currently at 62% (in latest poll), and declining, perhaps its time we found a new glue based on social justice.

And who will be the yardstick for this social justice? Politicians?

[Lancasterclaret]

Queen rightly very popular

Big fan really, but anyone pretending that there won't be significant pressure on it when the Queen dies isn't being realistic

I like Charles, but he's no way near as popular as the Queen is

[bfcjg]

It also helped having a huge army and navy that didn't really care about murdering everyone and stealing things and razing countries and splitting them up.

This should be on the thread re Russia.
All empires have bad aspects from the Roman empire onwards, not sure if other countries beat themselves up as.much as we do and issue apologies for things that happened hundreds of years ago.

[dsr]

A minority? I doubt very much that over 30 million are watching the pageantry. There is a lot of warmth for the Queen that will not survive beyond her and with support for the monarchy currently at 62% (in latest poll), and declining, perhaps its time we found a new glue based on social justice.

Will President Boris be that glue?

Jodi Taylor, the author, points out in one of her books that the great thing about the monarchy is not what it does, but what it stops other people doing. The Armed Forces swear allegiance to the monarch. So do the courts, and the police, and parliament. All that power is vested in someone who isn't allowed to use it.

Without a monarch, there is a greater chance of someone else holding all that power. How many European countries have had to change their system of government in living memory? Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, all of Eastern Europe (especially Yugoslavia). Most if not all of those changes had to come because some individual had too much power.

[Lancasterclaret]

https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/stat ... 6398298118

Touching tribute to the Queen from Emmanuel Macron

[Chester Perry]

This should be on the thread re Russia.
All empires have bad aspects from the Roman empire onwards, not sure if other countries beat themselves up as.much as we do and issue apologies for things that happened hundreds of years ago.

lots of Empires before the Romans, all quite ferocious and nasty in their way - the approach has effectively been the same over many millennia

Ours gets the focus it does because it was the biggest of the most recent and we have continued to milk it in much more subtle ways (i.e the commonwealth), the prominence of being the language of business and the role sport has played, particularly the values associated with it (no matter how much the French have tried to take control of them). We also probably divested ourselves of much of it (since the war at least) in less volatile and ferocious ways than the Belgian, Dutch, French, Portuguese and Spanish have.

[BurnleyFC]

It also helped having a huge army and navy that didn't really care about murdering everyone and stealing things and razing countries and splitting them up.

Israeli army?

[Lancasterclaret]

lots of Empires before the Romans, all quite ferocious and nasty in their way - the approach has effectively been the same over many millennia

Ours gets the focus it does because it was the biggest of the most recent and we have continued to milk it in much more subtle ways (i.e the commonwealth), the prominence of being the language of business and the role sport played it's role also (no matter how much the French have tried to take control of them). We also probably divested ourselves of much of it (since the war at least) in less volatile and ferocious ways than the Belgian, Dutch, French, Portuguese and Spanish have.

Er, can I just clarify that "less volatile and ferocious ways" still means we were pretty volatile and ferocious about it

Malaya, Kenya, India/Pakistan, Yemen etc etc etc

Course, if we'd not been top dog empire, then someone else would have been, and they would have been more likely to have been a lot worse (see Japanese treatment of ex-British empire possessions for an example)

Empires are just a bit s**t really, and there isn't any justification for them, whatever people say

[conyoviejo]

Absolutely wonderful stuff. Long live the Queen.

[Hipper]

It also helped having a huge army and navy that didn't really care about murdering everyone and stealing things and razing countries and splitting them up.

We've never had a huge army.

[Hipper]

Edit - unless we needed it as the the two World Wars.

[Lancasterclaret]

Nice and quick there Hipper!

About to post that!

[KateR]

I love the spectacle and really wish I could have seen it.

[Burnley Ace]

I don’t think so mate. I think it’s something you appreciate when you finally understand what it is, why it happens and what it means. Add that to the fact we are the envy of the world when it comes to celebrating our heritage, our history and the fact that the British military are regarded as the best in the world (or at least have been in the not too distant past) you will be closer to getting it than you are now.

It may well be that you never appreciate it, and that’s your prerogative and absolutely fair enough.

YMMV.

Doesn’t that come with age? In my 20’s I doubt I would even have it on in the background, now I’ve just sat for 2 hours enraptured, whilst knowing NZ are getting skittled out on the other channel!!!

[Burnley1989]

Agree, I love it all.

To be fair everyone I know that hates the monarchy in tends to be an argumentative type, that hates everything

[Colburn_Claret]

A minority? I doubt very much that over 30 million are watching the pageantry. There is a lot of warmth for the Queen that will not survive beyond her and with support for the monarchy currently at 62% (in latest poll), and declining, perhaps its time we found a new glue based on social justice.

One man's social justice is another man's greed. Its why I said, left and right will rip what's left of the country apart.
Every country needs something to stand together by, be it a monarchy, a flag, a history. The left already despise the flag, disdain the history. If we lost the Monarchy we'd go to the dogs.

[mkmel]

Im actually laughing thank you

Fantastic to watch today makes you proud to be British

I'm proud to be English. Is that the same?

[Lancasterclaret]

I'm proud to be English. Is that the same?

You should be proud to be British and English

In the nicest possible way, we are British first, and we are British because we are an equal partnership of four nationalities, and its up to us (as the largest group in that) to make sure that everyone recognises the benefits of that

Have I mentioned before that I don't like nationalists?

Biggest reason I have for intensely disliking what is going on at the moment is that it makes me realise that the likes of the SNP etc have a point

[Duffer_]

And who will be the yardstick for this social justice? Politicians?

Our current politicians are symptomatic of the problem of a lack of social justice. Our "democracy" includes a monarch, unelected peers, and a privileged Etonian ruling elite. If you don't trust yourself to make decisions that is your prerogative but I'm a grown up

[Billy Balfour]

Andy has tested positive for Covid and won't be attending tomorrow's Service of Thanksgiving. This was his one and only public Jubilee event. Seen as controversial when it was first announced, but HM wanted him there. Charles and William weren't supposed to be too happy about it. Make of that what you will.

[claret2018]

One man's social justice is another man's greed. Its why I said, left and right will rip what's left of the country apart.
Every country needs something to stand together by, be it a monarchy, a flag, a history. The left already despise the flag, disdain the history. If we lost the Monarchy we'd go to the dogs.

Big lol at the idea that the monarchy is the only thing stopping the country falling into civil war.

[bobinho]

Andy has tested positive for Covid and won't be attending tomorrow's Service of Thanksgiving. This was his one and only public Jubilee event. Seen as controversial when it was first announced, but HM wanted him there. Charles and William weren't supposed to be too happy about it. Make of that what you will.

Of COURSE he has….

[Cirrus_Minor]

Britain has not had an empire since the end of WWII and probably was on decline since the end of WWI which makes all this pomp and circumstance/ pageantry more of a spectacle than a demonstration of power. It is true that all empires have a violent past and Britains was no different.

[Volvoclaret]

Will Covid cause Andy to sweat?

[fidelcastro]

A load of pretentious crap.

[Beagle]

It’d be a waste of money even if it there weren’t people dying of poverty in this country. Have they shut the Foodbanks so that everyone can enjoy the Jubilee weekend?

[bobinho]

Our current politicians are symptomatic of the problem of a lack of social justice. Our "democracy" includes a monarch, unelected peers, and a privileged Etonian ruling elite. If you don't trust yourself to make decisions that is your prerogative but I'm a grown up

I’d trust myself before any politician I’ve ever come across. But I don’t have the option of doing anything for myself. I’m old enough to know I have no real control over anything, despite being allowed to vote for change that isn’t ever what it claims it’s going to be.

HM has more honour and integrity in her little finger than all the politicians and unelected peers put together. She leads by example, when leaders (elected or not) shame themselves daily, and we (that includes you) allow them to get away with it time after time.

If you aren’t keen on our style of “democracy” feel free to discuss it with the other grown ups and create a viable alternative. Until then, you’ll just have to shout at the clouds like the rest of us.

[Lancasterclaret]

I, despite being allowed to vote for change that isn’t ever what it claims it’s going to be.

Crikey mate, is that a veiled criticism that Brexit isn't all its cracked up to be?

[bobinho]

Crikey mate, is that a veiled criticism that Brexit isn't all its cracked up to be?

A wiser man than me once said, “if voting actually changed anything, they’d abolish it.”

We all vote for the change we want, but rarely do we get it.

Take the threatened ban on lead. The EU are going for it massively, and it looks like we are going to do exactly the same thing in parallel with them. I’d prefer us to look at it and decide if it is good for us and our economy/industry or not, as opposed to just blindly adopting the EU legislation and swapping out the title. That’s the brexit I wanted.

See, you’ve got me started now…

[bfcjg]

Andy has tested positive for Covid and won't be attending tomorrow's Service of Thanksgiving. This was his one and only public Jubilee event. Seen as controversial when it was first announced, but HM wanted him there. Charles and William weren't supposed to be too happy about it. Make of that what you will.

Your highness, you have Covid, Covid19.
Ding dong bit old for me but send her in anyway.

[Lancasterclaret]

https://twitter.com/GrumpyGreyhead/stat ... 4562035712

*snort*

[Bosscat]

https://youtu.be/wQ3dAXqQ-d4

[Steve1956]

Andy has tested positive for Covid and won't be attending tomorrow's Service of Thanksgiving. This was his one and only public Jubilee event. Seen as controversial when it was first announced, but HM wanted him there. Charles and William weren't supposed to be too happy about it. Make of that what you will.

They would simply been better saying nothing,nobody would have missed him and the public would understand why he wasn't there,to come out with bullshlt saying he has covid is embarrassing.