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Queen Elizabeth II has died

bbc.com

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Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#591

Post by nmz »

sofixa wrote: post #418
UncleOxidant wrote: post #384

Not to mention that she was the last monarch to have any memory of WWII and served as an ambulance mechanic. Now that generation that remembered the horrors of fascism has mostly passed and we find ourselves in a period that seems to have many echos of the 1930s with a new rise of authoritarianism and fascism around the world.

> Not to mention that she was the last monarch to have any memory of WWII That's probably not true. There's the Dalai Lama and Simeon II of Bulgaria, who were minors but at least Simeon surely remembers (his father died in suspicious circumstances, he had an unconstitutional regency, and then he was dethroned, expelled and spent his life in exile). > Now that generation that remembered the horrors of fascism has most…

> It's honestly infuriating that with the wealth of information available at everyone's fingertips so many people are so easily making the same mistakes as a century earlier.

Alas, there is no algorithm yet for "truth".

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#592

Post by ikurei »

bambax wrote: post #539
PaulDavisThe1st wrote: post #198

I was born in the UK, in 1963. Because of my step-father's love of first-wave UK punk, the first thing I did on hearing this news was to play the Sex Pistol's "God Save the Queen". It is remarkable how much the Queen's standing has improved during the time since that song (1977). My (UK) family are (as far as I know) staunch republicans, but the last couple of decades have seen all of us soften our disgust with the m…

> We might still want the whole concept destroyed Be very careful what you wish for. As a French, living under the rule of an elected monarch who changes often, but doesn't answer to anyone during their reign, there is something extraordinary to see the British PM bow to the Queen, and do that (I think?) every week.

I'm curious about this; I don't live in a republic.

The PM bows to the Queen, but that doesn't mean they have to listen to the people more than they do in France, no?

Doesn't the French Prime Minister answer to the President? How is that worse than having a monarch? Are they often from the same party, thus rendering this answering to the president less powerful? (I know the current PM and President are, not sure if that's the common case.)

My impression is that just by being less involved in politics, and generally (not 100%) staying away of corruption and other sorts of scandals (unlike others, looking at you Juan Carlos I) for a few decades, the figure of the Queen can be less jarring or seems more trustworthy than a President usually would.

To be honest, I live in a monarchy, and if I could choose we'd transition to a republic... but I've never felt like it would make a huge difference in the quality of our government or our electoral politics, so I just don't really care.

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#594

Post by greenthrow »

citilife wrote: post #414
PaulDavisThe1st wrote: post #198

I was born in the UK, in 1963. Because of my step-father's love of first-wave UK punk, the first thing I did on hearing this news was to play the Sex Pistol's "God Save the Queen". It is remarkable how much the Queen's standing has improved during the time since that song (1977). My (UK) family are (as far as I know) staunch republicans, but the last couple of decades have seen all of us soften our disgust with the m…

Not to dive into politics particularly; but there are advantages and disadvantages to every form of government. What are the particular disadvantages your family dislikes? Is it the principal of it or something in particular? One clear advantage of monarchs that I can see, are that they have an incentive to grow and expand their tax base. That typically means long-term planning (but doesn't ensure it, which is a disa…

No post body was provided.

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#595

Post by criddell »

snapetom wrote: post #448
criddell wrote: post #322

Does the royal family do anything non-ceremonial? Do the royals have real power?

The non-ceremonial stuff is PR and goodwill for the UK. She's essentially fostered economic cooperation between the Commonwealth for decades. That has been quite important and should not be understated. The American view that her duties are fluff is a lazy take.

Can she set her own agenda, or does she essentially work for the elected government?

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#596

Post by hnarn »

Now begins the crucial and cringeworthy task of C-level executives (and those mimicking them) all over the world posting about this on LinkedIn and emailing all employees regardless of how many of those receiving the message have any connection to the UK or the Commonwealth.

I’m not saying this doesn’t matter, of course it does. It’s sad like any death is, and it’s meaningful to many people. But there are many kings and queens out there, and just because this one meant a lot to you doesn’t mean you should start roleplaying a member of the British nobility.

The only decent and respectful way to approach this for all parts involved in my mind is to acknowledge it, pay your condolences and move on. That’s the respectful and sane common ground we can all agree on.

As soon as you start making business decisions based on this for a global company (like global days of mourning, for example) you are, in my humble opinion, treading on thin ice.

This type of cultural hegemony kills the employer-employee relationship.

Be professional. Be reserved.

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#597

Post by istjohn »

marricks wrote: post #487
dang wrote: post #329

All: please don't post flamebait, including ranting against monarchy or railing against "the nobility" like it's 1770. Such reflexive comments are not on topic here. We want curious conversation. Please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html . This story is on topic because it's a major historical event and history has always been on topic here. If it doesn't produce an intellectually curious respons…

> please don't post flamebait, including ranting against monarchy or railing against "the nobility" like it's 1770 > Positive-empty comments aren't substantive either, but as pg pointed out way back when HN was getting started ( https://news.ycombinator.com/newswelcome.html ), those are benign Pro status-quo bias. Monarchy isn't as relevant as it used to be but trusting the judgment and leadership of the elite is as…

The monarchy is still politically relevant in the UK[1]. But it seems dang prefers to have pages of saccharine platitudes than allow any discussion of the desirability of monarchy in the modern world or any critical discussion of the Queen's legacy. Curiosity is only encouraged if it doesn't put wealth and power under it's microscope. Then it becomes tedious.

As I wrote here three years ago[1]:

> Indignation isn't shallow or boring, it's the driving force behind social progress. Indeed, lack of indignation indicates either the inability to imagine a better world or perhaps the natural satisfaction with the status quo of someone who finds themself sitting on the upper rungs of society as currently structured. The latter no doubt describes many of us here.

Indignation isn't the arch-enemy of intellectual curiosity; apathy and bovine conformity are. This status-quo bias is what you would expect of a forum run for the benefit of a Silicon Valley for-profit institution, but it's still disappointing.

1. https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/jan/14/secret-papers-roy...

2. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21831016

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#598

Post by citilife »

JAlexoid wrote: post #437
citilife wrote: post #372

Fun facts: - She ruled for 30% of the time since the American Revolution - She oversaw the largest reduction of landholdings of any empire in the history of the world. Notable because it was also one of the most peaceful transitions in history -- Australia, Canada, South Africa, Israel, Egypt, etc. - She oversaw the loss of Sterling the world reserve currency and the rise of another (the USD, EU).

> She oversaw the largest reduction of landholdings of any empire in the history of the world. Notably, without loosing their royal power over those landholdings.

India, South Africa, ... etc

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#599

Post by braingenious »

dang wrote: post #329

All: please don't post flamebait, including ranting against monarchy or railing against "the nobility" like it's 1770. Such reflexive comments are not on topic here. We want curious conversation. Please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html . This story is on topic because it's a major historical event and history has always been on topic here. If it doesn't produce an intellectually curious respons…

> please don't post flamebait, including ranting against monarchy or railing against "the nobility" like it's 1770.

I am kind of curious about what this means exactly. Is any criticism of the monarchy off limits? Is the purpose of this thread for people to air their positive thoughts about this lady?

For example, I find non-British people that are genuinely sad about her passing to be pretty bizarre. It’s a fascinating event to look at how we tend to form parasocial relationships with carefully curated depictions of people.

It’s even more bizarre when we make actual rules to enforce orthodoxy and stifle criticism of parasocial relationships with carefully curated depictions of people.

This insistence on an arbitrary standard of decorum and the compulsion to play out a socially-prescribed bit of theater is pretty odd. Queen Elizabeth was paradoxically both not powerful enough to warrant lumping her in with British failings and at the same time so powerful that we are compelled to speak highly of her.

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#600

Post by Hallucinaut »

I'm echoing what others have said but as a Commonwealth citizen turned British citizen with a grandmother who was the same age but died last year, I can't help but feel an extended member of my family has passed.

I am not a monarchist by any means, but I felt an attachment and affection for the Queen that made me value the institution. I know she led a privileged life but ceaseless service and consistency across literal generations is, to my view, no easy ride.

Rest in peace

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