The Queen

[ootlg]

It's a grey area. Plebiscites are usually government proposals concerning changes to the constitution; referendums tend to be concerned more with policy.

[perrykneeham]

Pish. It's just a subjective thing. "Plebiscite" carries additional meaning, but they're the same thing. Like cur and dog, perhaps.

[flatandy]

Look, even if, hypothetically, we had a anti-monatchy party who stood on a specifically anti-monarchy platform, and they got elected and Charles made them the government; and even if they were then able to somehow appoint a majority of anti-monarchy members into the House of Lords even though each Lord requires Charles’s sign off; and even if they then organised a referendum on removing the monarchy and won a majority, there’s still no process for removing the monarchy. Any such thing requires the monarchy to accept the result of such a referendum, to not try and skew the outcomes. We can’t vote Charles out at the next election, nor can we even create a situation where Charles could be removed.

[perrykneeham]

Sorry, missed this. You're utterly wrong.

[flatandy]

While I really wish to not have an opinion on anything monarchy related beyond "they shouldn't exist", it's been impossible to avoid the headlines over the last few weeks.

People like Piers Morgan and organs like the Daily Mail are doing everything they can to make Prince Harry seem like a decent bloke in a near impossible situation.

But I think over the last few days Harry has really been making an utter cunt of himself.

They really are all utterly rotten people. It's not just the institution, which conceptually is indefensible and vile. It turns out that the members of the institution - all of them, as far as I can tell - live up to the institution itself.

[perrykneeham]

Dunno. Agree that Harry is a dead man, but I'm not sure William is a terrible bloke. He seems to have played a blinder here really.

[perrykneeham]

Also, he gets to shag Kate Middleton.

[mids]

Yep, it's plain that the American side of the Royal Family are utterly utterly awful, in contrast to the British lot who (apart from Andrew) seem a decent bunch.

[perrykneeham]

Andrew is actually only guilty of keeping bad company. Americans.

[mids]

That's true. Andrew's one of the American lot.

[flatandy]

Jan 9, 2023 18:49:25 GMT perrykneeham said:

Dunno. Agree that Harry is a dead man, but I'm not sure William is a terrible bloke. He seems to have played a blinder here really.

The only blinder he's playing here is the theoretically incredibly simple play of saying f**k all. Let's hope they can all learn the value of this particular move.

[perrykneeham]

Good strategy. TBF it takes some doing to stick to the doctrine of "never complain, never explain" and they're being sorely tested.

[mids]

But then you contrast a dignified silence with the American approach which is to just spew every half-arsed thought that pops into your head. Even the far extreme left are starting to dimly wonder if the American approach is the right one.

[flatandy]

Jan 9, 2023 19:07:44 GMT perrykneeham said:

Good strategy. TBF it takes some doing to stick to the doctrine of "never complain, never explain" and they're being sorely tested.

It doesn't take a whole lot. I've never been in the media whining. I've never wanted to be. It's very simple.

[flatandy]

Jan 9, 2023 19:17:34 GMT mids said:

But then you contrast a dignified silence with the American approach which is to just spew every half-arsed thought that pops into your head. Even the far extreme left are starting to dimly wonder if the American approach is the right one.

Disturbingly, apart from characterising the monarchy as "the far extreme left", I can't find much fault in this post.

[voice]

I struggle to care one jot about any of them on a personal level. Non appear to gave any redeemable qualities. They should have retired the whole concept of the hereditary monachy as head of state the day Brenda pegged it.

[flatandy]

They should have retired it in the late 18th century when everyone else worked out what a farce it was.

I struggle to care one jot about them on a normal day, but every now and again - like right now - they make so much noise and such cunts of themselves that I am reminded that they're a bunch of cunts. Although it remains true that the thing I most hope they do is shut the f**k up so I don't have to hear about them again.

[voice]

Suppose if you put it like that, the Restitution was a terrible idea, having done away with the whole thing, it's a shame a bunch of reactionaries managed to shoehorn them back in.

[flatandy]

Yeah. f**k**g Cromwell. If only he hadn't been such a miserable god-bothering cunt.

[moggyonspeed]

An institution past its Best Before date. Let the current Soap Opera run its course, then consider a plebiscite to either reform or remove it.