UK Politics Thread (Part 2)

[JU97ICE]

EDIT: Sorry Deneb. That was supposed to be in reply to @Mascot

@Mascot

The queuing to see the coffin is fucking mental. It’s a national sickness. There are people standing in the street for 30 hours to see a body, which you can’t see because it’s in a box, which you can’t see because it’s covered in flags. I saw one picture and a woman is stood in line with a pram.

I think most of those going there are merely for the celebrity side of it - “I was there for the longest reigning British monarch’s funeral procession”. Is there a single person not videoing the car driving past in this photo? It looks like a match at Anfield:

That’s the very first picture that came up in a Google search. I imagine this will be a replica of the crowds on Monday. Social media feeds getting updated about how fortunate they are to have seen the Queen’s coffin. Pathetic.

[RedWhippet]

@JU97ICE

Social media feeds getting updated about how fortunate they are to have seen the Queen’s coffin.

FOMO?

There are some people who are genuinely upset about the Queen’s death. I can understand that as it is quite a big change and I suspect that there are a lot of people with unresolved grief of their own for which this opening old wounds. I also expect that the wall-to-wall organised grieving isn’t helping them.

[Mascot]

@deneb

And why shouldn’t people have the right to express grief or respect in whichever way they see fit? If people want to queue up for 30 hours, how does that affect your life in any way whatsoever?

It doesn’t.

Doesn’t it?

I’d say at this point in time all our lives are affected by this period of enforced, mandatory grieving.

I can’t watch the football this weekend because the police are barely able to cope with the numbers defending on London.

[deneb]

Which would be the same in the event of President Boris Johnson dying.

But in answer to your question, no, a specific person waiting for 30 hours on a street in London doesn’t affect your life unless you choose to let it.

[RedWhippet]

@deneb

Which would be the same in the event of President Boris Johnson dying.

No it wouldn’t.They’d dump him in a ditch. It’s what he would have wanted.

[redfanman]

@Arminius

It is kind of an interesting question for Britain itself, but we have seen the transition to a Republic elsewhere - as recently as earlier this year for Barbados. Parliament passes a law, and where required amends the Constitution to remove the sovereignty of the Crown.

Crexit?

[Klopptimist]

You’ll point me to Boris’s “competence checks”

[redfanman]

@gasband

And at this point of time, its hard to see that there is a overwhelming majority who wants the monarchy out, if I am reading the overall sentiments right.

Yes, polls suggest a third in favour, a third not in favour and a third dont know.

[Mascot]

@deneb

But in answer to your question, no, a specific person waiting for 30 hours on a street in London doesn’t affect your life unless you choose to let it.

You are being very granular about this. You are focussing on a single person going to London to grovel and scrape…sorry…pay their respects to the Queen.

What about the challenges of millions doing that?

You can’t say the grieving doesn’t impact on anyone else. This public expression of mawkish rememberance, with its bank holiday, its pageantry and pomp is going to cost the country billions. We’re seeing people arrested for holding up blank pieces of paper. Sporting events are being cancelled because the police can’t cope with the numbers of people defending on London. Today I’ve read heartbreaking stories of people who have waiting months, if not years for hospital appointments, surgery and procedures having those appointments cancelled because of the bank holiday.

Of course there is an impact.

[deneb]

I already answered this. If you don’t want to click the links and read them, fair enough.

[Mascot]

@deneb

I already answered this. If you don’t want to click the links and read them, fair enough.

Who is this a reply to?

[JU97ICE]

@Rambler

But they have no power

@Klopptimist just pointed out that the Monarch has power over the army. Remember the King can live into his 90’s and lose his mind along the way (I’m sure its just stress but Ive seen him outwardly aggressive the last couple of days). If a PM loses his mind, there are ways to remove him.

[Klopptimist]

Went to Berlin a few years ago. Whilst they play very heavily on the wall, checkpoint charlie and the cold war, there are phenomenally somber memorials to what happened. The Holocaust memorial is something to see once in life.

[deneb]

You

[Mascot]

@JU97ICE

@Rambler

But they have no power

@Klopptimist just pointed out that the Monarch has power over the army. Remember the King can live into his 90’s and lose his mind along the way (I’m sure its just stress but Ive seen him outwardly aggressive the last couple of days). If a PM loses his mind, there are ways to remove him.

In my lifetime at least one PM has gone mad and dragged us into an illegal war. I don’t remember the Queen doing much to stop him.

[Mascot]

@deneb

You

In which case, I don’t think you’ve answered anything I’ve said.

[Klopptimist]

You’ll be working standard rate on Monday then? On principle? Didn’t think so.

[JU97ICE]

The Tories have a robust checklist for competency:

1. Hasn’t directly killed anyone
2. Is not Labour

Johnson passed with flying colours.

[deneb]

Well I’m not going to go over it again. Presumably you’ll just ignore it again.

[Arminius]

Well, to be fair, it is one condition more stringent that the Fit and Proper Persons test at the FA.