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Prince Philip has died

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Re: Prince Philip has died

#331

Post by parenthesis »

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #162
zpeti wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An interesting perspective I've heard is that she should have been more political in a few extreme cases. She is the head of state and her actual job should be to bring left and right together in the very controversial, almost unsolvable issues, and get them sorted out. She should really be like a couples therapist for political leaders. She never did this. She always stayed out of politics.

The Queen holds a weekly audience with the Prime Minister. It's unlikely they make chitchat about the weather. The monarch also vets laws while they're being drafted and can make suggestions for changes if they affect their interests. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/08/royals-vette... The Queen isn't just the head of the armed forces - they swear an oath of loyalty directly to the Monarch, not to the peo…

The stories the Queen could tell, if only she could, from fourteen prime ministers and countless heads of state …

Re: Prince Philip has died

#332

Post by opwieurposiu »

nmca wrote: post #312

Now seems as good a moment as any to raise a proposal for the UK's adoption of constitutional necro-monarchy. We ought to declare, as a matter of principle and beyond all dispute, that Queen Elizabeth is alive and well, if unfortunately unavailable at the moment. Keep her on the money; politely decline to comment on any foolish concern for her health and certainly cut off and disparage any efforts from the more recen…

This is such a bizarre idea, I love it. It reminds me of how Lenin still holds court and receives visitors at his Tomb on the Red Square.

Re: Prince Philip has died

#333

Post by gumby »

blackshaw wrote: post #303
gumby wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

She sent the card (it’s a card now) to her mother (also Queen Elisabeth) when the latter turned 100. I believe my grandmother waited around for this, at the end. She had never been particularly interested in the monarchy, I’d thought, but when she got older and had trouble reading I noticed that among her large print gardening books were a couple on the monarchy.

The question I want answered is, if she lives to 100 will she send a card to herself?

I have also long wondered about this Bertrand Russell paradox.

Re: Prince Philip has died

#334

Post by cbfrench »

k__ wrote: post #212
dr_dshiv wrote: post #53

Because Prince Charles is heir to the throne (and has been portrayed more negatively in the news media than any other living person), some in the HN community may be surprised to know that he wrote a book on philosophy . https://www.amazon.com/Harmony-New-Way-Looking-World/dp/0061... I found the book to be astonishingly good. It takes a design approach to Platonism and western esotericism. It goes deep into "sacred g…

As the next head of a big church, some philosohical work is probably expected from him.

As an Anglican priest, I can confidently say that our expectation and hope runs rather the opposite direction, given the—ahem—somewhat questionable mental faculties of many who’ve served as Supreme Governour of the Church of England since the Act of Supremacy, lol.

Re: Prince Philip has died

#335

Post by throw0101a »

533474 wrote: post #241

99 years of tax subsidies, he surely had a good life without many regrets. It's beyond my comprehension why humans still keep these hereditary regimes, constitutional or absolutist, alive

> It's beyond my comprehension why humans still keep these hereditary regimes, constitutional or absolutist, alive

7 of the Top 10 democracies are constitutional monarchies:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index#By_country

As a Canadian, I have no particular issue about getting rid of the monarchy, but anyone pushing for that will have to demonstrate that the new system will keep us in the Top 5 (or at least 10).

Re: Prince Philip has died

#336

Post by yardstick »

533474 wrote: post #241

99 years of tax subsidies, he surely had a good life without many regrets. It's beyond my comprehension why humans still keep these hereditary regimes, constitutional or absolutist, alive

They are just figureheads these days. No role in politics aside from ceremonial.

They draw in crowds of tourists to the UK, and they aren’t that expensive to maintain.

Their £67m yearly grant[1] works out to about £1/year per person in the UK. That’s pretty cheap for a fantastic PR service. Yes there is probably added costs on top like police/security but overall/net they don’t feel like a massive burden on the finances. Maybe £5-10/pp in the UK? (Just me guessing!)

1. https://britishheritage.com/royals/royal-family-cost-british...

Re: Prince Philip has died

#337

Post by dragonwriter »

dr_dshiv wrote: post #53

Because Prince Charles is heir to the throne (and has been portrayed more negatively in the news media than any other living person), some in the HN community may be surprised to know that he wrote a book on philosophy . https://www.amazon.com/Harmony-New-Way-Looking-World/dp/0061... I found the book to be astonishingly good. It takes a design approach to Platonism and western esotericism. It goes deep into "sacred g…

> Because Prince Charles is heir to the throne (and has been portrayed more negatively in the news media than any other living person)

Unless your scope of attention is limited to the British Royal Family, I’m not sure how you come to approximately that conclusion. And even if it was, Prince Andrew easily beats him out.

And if we’re going by intensity of negative portrayal, and considering just the British media, the Duke and especially Duchess of Sussex is at least in close competition with him, too, and probabyl way ahead if we are just looking at current coverage.

Re: Prince Philip has died

#338

Post by TheCoelacanth »

Accacin wrote: post #276
andrepd wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Excuse me? Generational inheritance is the basis of the entire monarchy. It's how they justify their position and privileges. Invoke generational privileges when it suits them and cry about generational guilt when it does not??

But he's not just talking about the Royal Family. How far do I go back before I don't feel guilty anymore? Should the Italians feel guilty for the Roman Empire slaughtering native Britons? For me there's little point making people feel shame for what country they happened to be born in - we do not get to choose. However it's important that we do not forget what caused these awful atrocities and make sure that we neve…

If you continue to directly benefit from the atrocities, then you should feel guilty.

Re: Prince Philip has died

#339

Post by fastball »

danielrpa wrote: post #173
andrepd wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Spending his life serving the country. More like spending his life having the country serve him.

It cuts both ways. The life of a British Royal is better than almost anyone else's. At the same time, they don't really have a lot of freedom in the usual sense - a lot of ceremonies, formal parties, events etc. You might have a better life as an retired, anonymous millionaire with some US$5M in the bank (which would also make you extremely privileged).

They can leave whenever they want.

Golden handcuffs are not actual handcuffs.

Re: Prince Philip has died

#340

Post by msla »

533474 wrote: post #241

99 years of tax subsidies, he surely had a good life without many regrets. It's beyond my comprehension why humans still keep these hereditary regimes, constitutional or absolutist, alive

In the words of the eminent philosopher Johnny Rotten, "'cause tourists are money"; there's nothing quite like a royal family to provide high-class galas and tabloid fodder.
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