Queen mother dead (UK)

[netDB]

The Queen Mother has die. R.I.P. ITs all over the TV.

she died peacefully in her sleep.

Bbc1. bbc2 and Itv.!

RIP

(Queen mother of the queen in the UK)

[shizzle]

does the queen actually have any pollitical power in the UK?

[SimonMc]

Originally posted by Ragzz
does the queen actually have any pollitical power in the UK?

No.

[cheatpark]

Actually you are wrong. If there is an ellection the prime minister has to get permission from the queen. Its stupid but true. I'm a UK citizen so I know what I'm talking about.

[Giancarlo]

That is different than Spain. The only thing the royalty has done was stop a coup attempt in 1982 by Tejero. They haven't done anything since. It was all the Prime Ministers who do. Juan Carlos is a good king, but doesn't really do much... I give the credit to Aznar.

[cheatpark]

I understand that people respect the king and queen and stuff and its a very old tradition but considering that they have no political power (apart from what I said) I don't really see the point of having a queen. I'm not saying I hate them but all they really do is sit around and live the life of a luxury. I don't really think they have done much to deserve it. But then thats my opinion. If someone would like a debate then thats fine with me.

[Giancarlo]

Hey it is good for tourism. Tourists like to see nice palaces and stuff. And since there isn't a big lower class in either Spain or Britain I don't see much of a problem. :)

[cheatpark]

Yeah they might like to see the palaces but they probably aren't interested in the actual royal family if you know what I mean.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by cheatpark
Yeah they might like to see the palaces but they probably aren't interested in the actual royal family if you know what I mean.

Yeah well... Nobody pays much attention to what they do anyways. Spain didn't have a monarchy for a long time when Franco was ruling. He was a dictator, but I will admit he made Spain economically powerful.

[cheatpark]

Dictators have more power than kings or queens.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by cheatpark
Dictators have more power than kings or queens.

Well, Franco held absolute power... no dissent was tolerated, and he ruled by decree. There was no Parliament under his rule.

[cheatpark]

Originally posted by Giancarlo


Well, Franco held absolute power... no dissent was tolerated, and he ruled by decree. There was no Parliament under his rule.
I think that a parliament is the only fair system. Otherwise its biased.

[syd]

Okay... enough about Spain already. I think we've all had our over-abundant doses by now :D

Hey!! I'M BACK!! yay.:eek:

[Jan]

Welcome back syd :birthday: :biggrin2:

[cheatpark]

Nice to see you again. I thought you would be gone forever.

[syd]

Yeah but my dad got a new job so we're fine now.

[Giancarlo]

Syd, I love my country. And I see you haven't removed that from your signature? You are back, as best as ever! What field does your dad work in now?

[syd]

Same field... just a rival company.

[trenzterra]

I guess its because she's old and grieving over her daughter's death recently.

[cheatpark]

Well apparently she had a bad cold which she couldn't get rid of since christmas and she had also a chest infection recently. Unfortunately she then died.

[Dusty]

And the fact that she was, what, 101-102? I'm sure that played a part. :)

Speaking as a tourist, you can't get rid of the monarchy! Yeah, palaces are nice and all, but without people living in them they're just old stories.

[cheatpark]

Originally posted by Dusty
Speaking as a tourist, you can't get rid of the monarchy! Yeah, palaces are nice and all, but without people living in them they're just old stories.
So why don't other countries have a royal family? I'm guessing though that if we get rid of the royal family there would be a president and no parliament. Not sure if thats true but that's what I've heard.

[Warp]

Originally posted by cheatpark

So why don't other countries have a royal family? I'm guessing though that if we get rid of the royal family there would be a president and no parliament. Not sure if thats true but that's what I've heard.

Coming an Republic has be an issue for Australians.

Parliament would remain, the "president" basically replaces the "royals".

Something like the U.S system I suppose.

[GlennKnows]

After hearing this news, I set up a clique - www.QueenMother.now.nu (http://www.queenmother.now.nu).

I know many Australians have been sorry that she is now gone (source from www.emailcash.com.au)

[Dusty]

So why don't other countries have a royal family?It would be a tad bit odd for us to one day start calling the President the King, although I'm sure he'd quite enjoy the new title. But it hasn't got much to do with politics. It's all mainly just a show. We've got no royal family for the simple fact that we've got no royal family. That's where Britain and we differ, they've got one.

When you see a castle or palace here you're first thought is "who's the loony with too much money on his hands?", 'cause nothing here's much more than a couple centuries old. Europe, though, Europe's all historic. Can't walk twenty paces without tripping over something that was significant in the past. That's the whole point of Europe-- from a vacationer's standpoint, anyway. The idea of "royalty" hearkens back to that past that you're on a tour of. Makes a trip worthwhile when you can rest assured in the fact that there're real-life living royals up in that palace, that it's not just some empty building you can walk though and hear some tourguide babble at you about a faded picture on the wall until you duck out behind a doorway and make your own tour, walking on the wood floor instead of the carpet runner and touching all the polished shinny doorknobs while imagining what it must had looked like 500 years ago before the velvet rope.

A link with the past, that's what they are, and that's the function they perform. They also make the past come alive with the modern-day scandal we just can't live without. The royal family's good. Not just England's, but any one... well, they're all the same family, so back to my original statement, the royal family's good.

You can just invent a royal family. If you do there's no link and it's all just silly.

Sure, there's a "link" in the same sense that I could become the king of England... I'd just have to knock off a few hundred million people ahead of me in line... and to top that off, I'd have to acquire an English accent. See, that just doesn't work, and that's why we don't have a royal family and can't have one.

It all makes perfect sense.

Now back to Dead Queen Mum, already in progress-- even though all that can be said (that being "Queen Mother" and "Dead") has pretty well been said already.

[trenzterra]

Originally posted by GlennKnows
After hearing this news, I set up a clique - www.QueenMother.now.nu (http://www.queenmother.now.nu).

I know many Australians have been sorry that she is now gone (source from www.emailcash.com.au) Australia? is it because it is once a british colony?

is australia still a british colony now?

[GlennKnows]

Australia? is it because it is once a british colony?

is australia still a british colony now?

I dunno, I just live here, I don't run the place.:rolleyes:

[Dusty]

Australia? is it because it is once a british colony?

is australia still a british colony now?
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/as.html

Australia became a commonwealth of the British Empire in 1901. It was able to... blah blah blah ...Great Barrier Reef. A referendum to change Australia's status, from a commonwealth headed by the British monarch to an independent republic, was defeated in 1999.

...

Country name: conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia
conventional short form: Australia
Government type: democratic, federal-state system recognizing the British monarch as sovereign
...yadda yadda yadda...
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Rev. Peter HOLLINGWORTH (since 29 June 2001)Australia is a commonwealth of the British Empire.

[GlennKnows]

I thought Hollingworth resigned because he admitted to having carnel knowledge with an underage girl??? Oh well...

Talking to my brother before, I think he said the Queen has no say over how the country is run and can only sack the Governer-General (her representitive in parliament) but she wouldn't unless requested by the Prime Minister (he can sack him aswell) because of the uproar us citizens would make... if that makes any sense at all...

[allanh]

Australia is going to be republic sooner or later. Queen/King are just a distant formality in Oz. It is really a joke that they "theoretically" can still fire our Prime Minister . LOL

oh, back to the Queen mum. It is always sad when any human being passes away. But I must say that during her VERY LONG life time, she had had her more than her fair share of luxury and respect than most other people. So she should be satisfied...

[GlennKnows]

I know she lived a long life, but many still loved her...

________________________________________________
Queen Mother Rememberance Clique (http://www.queenmother.now.nu)

[Akalon]

I didn't :bandit2:

Muahahahahhaha

[GlennKnows]

Oh well...

People can't love everyone they meet... except of course it's me:rolleyes:

[Akalon]

Originally posted by GlennKnows
Oh well...

People can't love everyone they meet... except of course it's me:rolleyes:

You've met the queen mother?

[conkermaniac]

Originally posted by Akalon


You've met the queen mother?

No...he means that everyone would love him if we met him. :rolleyes: :biggrin2:

[SimonMc]

Originally posted by cheatpark
Actually you are wrong. If there is an ellection the prime minister has to get permission from the queen. Its stupid but true. I'm a UK citizen so I know what I'm talking about.

Wrong am I.

The Queen has NO political power.

Constitutional duty is not political power.

I know because I too am from England...plus Im over 18 and have voted. Plus I have served in HM forces.....So there!

Simon

[meow]

Originally posted by cheatpark
So why don't other countries have a royal family? Hate to bring this to you but Britain isn't the last kingdom. Other countries do have royal families. :p

[Jan]

http://flagspot.net/flags/dk-royal.html
http://flagspot.net/flags/no-royal.html
http://flagspot.net/flags/nl-royal.html
http://flagspot.net/flags/se-royal.html

To name a few ;)

[meow]

29 in all, including sultanates and emirates.

http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/monarchy.htm

[Jan]

I guess we have to give cheatpark a bit of leeway here, he is just a kid and hasn't heard of Richard Nixon, so I guess all these 3rd world countries like Sweden and Netherland's Royal families would be out of his league ;)

[meow]

Richard Nixon? Who is that? That guy with hidden microphones everywhere and there was a waterfall or something? Or maybe I'm thinking of some old movie. No, I don't know really. :confused:

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by meow
Richard Nixon? Who is that? That guy with hidden microphones everywhere and there was a waterfall or something? Or maybe I'm thinking of some old movie. No, I don't know really. :confused:

Should I explain who he is? Seriously, and not jokingly?

[Toefur]

Speaking of things like that... there seriously are a lot of people out there that don't know a thing about world affairs.

I could ask the majority of my friends who Richard Nixon, Tony Blair, yassar Arafat, and other countless people, are... and they wouldn't have the foggiest.

:confused2

[Giancarlo]

Richard Nixon was a politican who rose to power around the Eisenhower adminstration, and made the brillant checkers speech. He later became President.. initated economic reform, started to talk peace with China and Russia, and pulled US troops out of Vietnam. Under his adminstration environmental reform also went through such as the clean air/water act of 1973.

[Dusty]

...then there was the whole Watergate thing that we should just gloss over as to not tarnish his good, Republican image.

There are multiple "Royal Families" but they're all essentially the same family. Trace far enough back and you'll see they're all pretty closely related.

Speaking about the general populous being clueless to that which doesn't immediately surround them, I can assure you that from people plucked at random from my town, two out of three of them couldn't point out Canada on a map... even though the border's only a couple hours away. Much less could they quote any "specifics" about the country, such as what's the capital or who's the prime minister.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Dusty
...then there was the whole Watergate thing that we should just gloss over as to not tarnish his good, Republican image.

Which was all a plot by the ultra-liberal media.

[cheatpark]

Originally posted by meow
Hate to bring this to you but Britain isn't the last kingdom. Other countries do have royal families. :p
Meow, I'm not that stupid. Sorry to disappoint you. :biggrin2: