Monarchy and Royalty

[Rockmeister]

Whose got the popcorn?

 

[Tony L]

Btw, as anti-elite, I assume you voted Leave.

No idea what distorted logic leads to that conclusion. The EU is a proportional democracy, the UK is not (it isn’t even a real democracy). Basically we left the EU for Bullingdon Club rule for the foreseeable future and are back to being “subjects” of a monarch. It is very telling that at present the only real opposition or representation we have is crowd-funded legal challenge (Good Law Project etc) against our thoroughly corrupt and rotten elite rulers.

 

[ks.234]

Perfect for Socialism Today. So, the purpose of the monarchy is to be compliant to itself? Society, like nature itself, is hierarchical; nothing will change that, despite the best efforts of Marx. Hierarchy as expressed through class, e.g. feudal, money, celebrity, etc - is a fact of life and won't change either. Even meritocracy is class based and therefore hierarchical. And some of the most progressive democracies in Europe - some might even called them socialist - retain monarchies, as does the UK - among other reasons, because the majority of their populations are ok with both the idea of monarchy and its real-life representatives. They also willingly comply with 'the elites, the powerful, the privileged', etc and their societies seem settled and all the better for it.

Hobbs dealt with this argument better than I can

 

[puddlesplasher]

As I say we get a vote every five years and then told what to do. A carrot gets thrown in at election time and we vote Conservatives back in. Every now and then we finally wake up and give Labour a turn. They screw up and let the Conservatives back in to carry on where they left off.

 

[Kirk]

No idea what distorted logic leads to that conclusion. The EU is a proportional democracy, the UK is not (it isn’t even a real democracy). Basically we left the EU for Bullingdon Club rule for the foreseeable future and are back to being “subjects” of a monarch. It is very telling that at present the only real opposition or representation we have is crowd-funded legal challenge (Good Law Project etc) against our thoroughly corrupt and rotten elite rulers.

PR for the UK - will we end up like Holland and have a parliament full of sofa parties?

 

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

PR for the UK - will we end up like Holland and have a parliament full of sofa parties?

At the moment, I’d take that.

 

[Tony L]

PR for the UK - will we end up like Holland and have a parliament full of sofa parties?

I’d take that over the thieving oligarch kleptocracy we have at present any day. I take it you intensely dislike democracy?

 

[tonerei]

PR for the UK - will we end up like Holland and have a parliament full of sofa parties?

That's the lame excuse by Tory and Labour supporters to maintain the status quo.

Even with PR the behaviour would remain but Liberals, Greens, SNP and Welsh party will hold the balance of power. You might make progress unless the Tories manage to hold power with DUP and Liberal support. It is a moot point as I can't see the UK ever managing to get to PR. Too many people who should know better a bit like Brexit will always vote the wrong way.

 

[Kirk]

I’d take that over the thieving oligarch kleptocracy we have at present any day. I take it you intensely dislike democracy?

Spent a number of years working all over the world in the democracy/democratic development fields - I'm a true believer.

Not dissing Holland - there are advantages to their system. Just curious whether the same might happen here. With regards the sofa party comment, arguably the Tories are a party of many small factions in the making.

 

[Tony L]

With regards the sofa party comment, arguably the Tories are a party of many small factions in the making.

As very obviously are Labour. For me this is the strength of the whole thing in that it allows people to vote by conviction not compromise. I’d unquestionably vote Green. Not with any expectation of achieving power or control, but safe in the knowledge my vote had been counted and was being represented on environmental, sustainability, animal rights issues etc. I would have a voice, whereas now I do not. I’ll happily take that and accept the rest as it falls according to true democracy. At present I feel entirely disenfranchised and will likely not bother voting at all in May, which is a first in my voting life.

 

[laughingboy]

I'm not quite sure what any of it has to do with my original post but please carry on if you so wish. Always an interesting read.

No thanks. In your interactions with others, I've seen a pattern of sealioning in your posts. So I won't be engaging.

 

[Kirk]

No thanks. In your interactions with others, I've seen a pattern of sealioning in your posts. So I won't be engaging.

A win-win then.

 

[Joe Hutch]

Oh well, at least I've learned one thing from this thread.

Being an old codger, I'm frequently baffled by the use of new-fangled slang terms that everyone is supposed to understand, so that news headlines need to come with footnotes or subtitles. The other day I read one about person A 'shading' person B. It appeared from the context of the story beneath the headline that this did not refer to person A offering person B the use of their parasol.

 

[Seeker_UK]

The other day I read one about person A 'shading' person B. It appeared from the context of the story beneath the headline that this did not refer to person A offering person B the use of their parasol.

I just Urban Dictionaried that. I wish I hadn't.

 

[laughingboy]

This is not Philip's fault, so I won't post this in the RIP thread, but the government usually publishes the SAGE papers on a Friday. Not so today, even though it is rumoured that the COVID R number in London may have gone back above 1.

Twitter (Rachel Wearmouth of HuffPost):

Govt line is that SAGE papers (which are usually released on Fri alongside R estimates) are not being published due to the Prince Philip mourning period. Can't help but feel uneasy.

 

[Brian]

No thanks. In your interactions with others, I've seen a pattern of sealioning in your posts. So I won't be engaging.

Good one.

Oh well, at least I've learned one thing from this thread.

Being an old codger, I'm frequently baffled by the use of new-fangled slang terms that everyone is supposed to understand, so that news headlines need to come with footnotes or subtitles. The other day I read one about person A 'shading' person B. It appeared from the context of the story beneath the headline that this did not refer to person A offering person B the use of their parasol.

The forum was introduced to the sealioning term nearly a year ago, ironically by Colin L, also ironically in some instalment of the Brexit thread given a colony of sea lions gather there on a daily basis to repeatedly demand a benefit of brexit they know does not exist.

I think you were away at the time so missed the fun. I even changed my avatar for a time to a picture of a very handsome sea lion.