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Prince Philip has died

royal.uk

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Re: Prince Philip has died

#91

Post by nindalf »

crossroadsguy wrote: post #32

Rest in peace! I have always felt strongly against monarchy. Especially against the British royal family, more so as I am an Indian. They never apologized for any of the massacres (Jallianwala is just one example) or pogroms committed at their behest and in their name. I do believe they are a disgusting symbol of colonialism, racism, subjugation. It is very disturbing that a good part of the world and an entire natio…

I think it’s interesting that you’d blame this family for the horrors of colonialism. They haven’t had a say in British policy for around 2 centuries. Although the monarch meets the Prime Minister every week, they cannot tell the PM what to do, unless it affects the royal family personally. The PM listens to what they have to say but charts their own course.

If you’re looking for someone to blame, Churchill deserves some. Many Prime Ministers before him as well.

But I don’t think Philip deserves any. You call them a symbol, that’s all they are. They’re someone to point at and say “yeah that’s our country”, so no single politician can claim that mantle. As an Indian you must be aware how easy it is for a politician to claim they’re the personification of the nation (“India is Indira and Indira is India”). That cannot happen in the UK because the PM is merely a temporary caretaker appointed by the monarch. The symbolism matters.

Source: The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot (1867)

Re: Prince Philip has died

#92

Post by mFixman »

zpeti wrote: post #70
celticninja wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It will only really get interesting after the Queen kicks the bucket. For most non monarchists she isn't a bad sort to be in charge. The rest of them are a shower of shites.

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.

Can you think of a single case where this is true?

King George VI publicly praised Chamberlain for appeasing Hitler and apparently preventing another world war. I'd be wary of making _any_ public statement of that sort as a royal with that kind of precedent.

Re: Prince Philip has died

#93

Post by [deleted] »

owenmcfadzen wrote: post #6

Let us remember some of his grace: “If you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed.” (to British students in China, during the 1986 state visit) “I declare this thing open, whatever it is.” (on a visit to Canada in 1969) “I hope he breaks his bloody neck.” (when a photographer covering a royal visit to India fell out of a tree) “Do you still throw spears at each other?” (in Australia in 2002, talking to a su…

[deleted]

Re: Prince Philip has died

#94

Post by atulatul »

nickkell wrote: post #4
krembanan wrote: post #2

Rest in peace. 99 isn't a bad age to go, what a life he had.

Narrowly missed getting a telegram from his wife

You get the tele-message (not a telegram) from the Queen when you turn 100. But it seems you have to apply for it.

https://youtu.be/7Quyte7zN70?list=PLkX9Ba6AAK_2g3Y9Y8MdLbbcT...

Re: Prince Philip has died

#95

Post by mattowen_uk »

zpeti wrote: post #70
celticninja wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It will only really get interesting after the Queen kicks the bucket. For most non monarchists she isn't a bad sort to be in charge. The rest of them are a shower of shites.

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.

There's a reason for this, I'm a bit vague on the details, but when Parliament took control of the country from Charles II, one of the agreements was that the monarch would keep out of political affairs.

Re: Prince Philip has died

#96

Post by [deleted] »

gadders wrote: post #80
smcl wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a Brit I agree wholeheartedly with your first paragraph. Re your second, you are a much more mature and compassionate person than I am about this. I am completely ambivalent about his death. He was a very old man who lived a spectacularly privileged life and had little to no worries. I care not a jot whether he found peace.

I think that says more about your character than that of the Duke of Edinburgh.

[deleted]

Re: Prince Philip has died

#98

Post by philistine »

zpeti wrote: post #70
celticninja wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It will only really get interesting after the Queen kicks the bucket. For most non monarchists she isn't a bad sort to be in charge. The rest of them are a shower of shites.

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.

I argue that because she focused so hard on being seen positively that she hurt the monarchy in the long run. Her son has nowhere to go but down. She also forced the British Supreme Court to invent the idea that advice given to her can be unlawful, and did not stay out of politics as you said: she was laser-focused on making sure her privileges and money didn’t get touched by denying Queen’s consent. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/08/royals-vette...

She didn’t want to have to wear seatbelts on public roads passing through her property. That’s being involved in politics; it’s just the public didn’t know about it.

Re: Prince Philip has died

#99

Post by chongli »

zpeti wrote: post #70
celticninja wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It will only really get interesting after the Queen kicks the bucket. For most non monarchists she isn't a bad sort to be in charge. The rest of them are a shower of shites.

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.

Yeah. She dedicated her life to her own likability. A never-ending schedule of official state visits and wreath-layings. Venturing into politics would have pissed off a lot of her fanbase.

Re: Prince Philip has died

#100

Post by ephextom »

owenmcfadzen wrote: post #6

Let us remember some of his grace: “If you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed.” (to British students in China, during the 1986 state visit) “I declare this thing open, whatever it is.” (on a visit to Canada in 1969) “I hope he breaks his bloody neck.” (when a photographer covering a royal visit to India fell out of a tree) “Do you still throw spears at each other?” (in Australia in 2002, talking to a su…

The full context of the "spears" comment in Australia:

"[Prince Philip and the Queen] were coming down the [cable car] and we were putting on a special performance," Warren Clements recalled.

"We had royal fever so we said 'Let's go out the back and throw some boomerangs and spears and hopefully we'll get a glimpse of them as they come down'.

"They waved and we were showing off. I think Prince Philip took that in and that's why he said it.

"He's been taken out of context."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-03/prince-philip-was-not...

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