world

Flood of tributes for Queen Elizabeth on her 90th birthday

15 Comments
By MARTIN BENEDYK and JILL LAWLESS

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

15 Comments
Login to comment

"We love our queen".

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Not everyone in Britain has succumbed to royal-mania.

The monarchy seems to enjoy around a 65%-75 approval.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Happy Birthday Queen Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

"God Save The Queen/ We Mean It Man !!!"

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"Not everyone in Britain has succumbed to royal-mania."

"The monarchy seems to enjoy around a 65%-75 approval."

The percentage of flag-waving sycophants or sad individuals sleeping outside hospitals would be much lower. Many of the 65-75% just can't be arsed with the hassle or expense of changing things.

-2 ( +5 / -6 )

Long live the Queen, but sadly not Prince...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Jimizio,

Other than international football, the Queen seems to be the only other occasion for flag-wavers to do their thing.

You seem to be very bitter, yet the royals are an economic asset to Great Britain. I think they're even more popular here in France and they sent their royals to the Guillotine...

3 ( +5 / -2 )

@Madverts

The idea of the royals as value for money, particularly when you take into account what could be done with their land and assets, is not a settled question.

There is a fascination with royals in countries where they don't have them ( or got rid of or executed them ) but I think if you asked those countries if they would like a hereditary head of state with all the hangers-on in enormous properties subsidised by the taxpayer, I don't think the majority would agree. I'm pretty sure most of the citizens of France wouldn't care to be called 'subjects' either.

I'd probably find them weird and wonderful too if my taxes hadn't been used to fund this pantomime.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

I'm in agreement about stately homes. They can and should pay their own way.

The French are subject to their own slavery by the socialist nanny state like the rest of us if we're willing to be honest. Power is handed down to generation after generation of elitists that must go to les grandes écoles.

Think of countries not as countries but farms. The ruling classes learnt some time ago that giving the plebs a notion of democracy and freedom simply makes us more productive.

Try not paying your tributes to the government, see how they treat you ;)

3 ( +4 / -1 )

yet the royals are an economic asset to Great Britain

This is often asserted, but cannot be substantiated for the very simple reason that the cost of maintaining the Royal Family -- allegedly foremost of which is security -- is a state secrete.

Allegedly, because, as I say, your government has refused for decades to disclose that information, though, arguably, required to do so by your Freedom of Information Act.

Now, I am an American, as you may know. And I generally follow the maxim that the American Revolutionary War largely settled the issue of whether the people of our respective countries ought to butt in on the other's choice of government.

After all, whereas we prefer a republican form of government, you Brits chose a monarch.

And whereas we prefer to be citizens, you chose to be subjects.

Come to think of it, said that way, perhaps I have stuck my nose in where it is not wanted....

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

"After all, whereas we prefer a republican form of government, you Brits chose a monarch."

I can't remember the people of the UK choosing the head of state.

"And whereas we prefer to be citizens, you chose to be subjects."

When was that?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I can't remember the people of the UK choosing the head of state.

None-action is a choice. There is a republican movement, y'know.

Again, to hammer the point: demand the release of info on how much it costs to keep the Royals. I assume a quarter are strong monarchists, a quarter are strong republicans, a quarter could go either way, and the last quarter couldn't be bothered either way.

The middling mug-wumps continue to have favor the monarchy seem to commonly think its not that bad, and kinda good in some harmless ways. Key to the -its-no-that-bad way of thinking is not only does it not cost that much, it brings in money! But, as I pointed out above, this is impossible to substantiate, because your government refuses to let you know how much it costs.

Where I a British republican, I'd first work very hard to having that info released.

Second, to the its-not-that-bad is the belief that the Royals do not intervene in public affairs. Again, often claimed, but simply untrue. Prince Charles, most obviously, but also your Queen on occasion.

These are the kind of points not often made in your media. Which, of course, raises the question of why? Which leads to the further question, is the Crown really as neutured as they would have you believe...?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Dan,

You can butt in whenever you like. As one American politician recently said in regards and opposition to the Brexit, "friends don't allow friends to drive drunk".

To be fair the Queen does seem to make a total disengagement from politics, sometimes to the bemusement of the people like the Iraq fiasco I mentioned the other day.

Journalists went crazy today because the lunch between President Obama and the royals - and therefore their views on the Brexit - remains between the walls of Windsor Castle.

Perhaps people like the Queen more these days than since when Diana died because she offers an old skool stability. Experience. When you see that the Obamas brought a photo album of the Queen's US visits as a present, and that the first mention is when she met Harry Truman the mind boggles for this millennial.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Diana's death saved the Windsors.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

In the long run? Maybe I dunno.

They were intensely disliked whe she died. The Queen crtisized for her lack of emotion, many people people still believe they were actually involved somehow in her death.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites