BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 17 Mar 12 - 03:04 AM

In spite of taking my prescription
I think that I'll have a conniption
Phone the constabulary
To police MGM's vocabulary
Its really beyond description

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 09:37 PM

Yep, and introducing regionally-depressed pay for public sector workers once the pay freeze is over. And privatising the NHS. And making coppers do medicals. And...and...

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Paul Burke
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 09:29 PM

Hey, to celebrate the jubiloo, they are reducing the taxes for the very rich! From peanuts to flop all!

Truly we are all in it together.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 09:19 PM

A giant of a man is that Richard Mabey. He's done a thousand times more than Charlie Boy has ever done to increase appreciation and protection of the countryside. Charlie Boy simply exploits the land that his ancestors stole and makes a whacking good profit out of it.

An old tramp was eating his lunch in a field. The landowner approached him and told him in no uncertain terms to get off his land.

"Oh yeah, so how come this is your land?" asked the tramp.

"Why, this land has been in my family for generations. My ancestors fought for this land!"

"All right," said the tramp, taking off his old jacket and rolling up his shirt sleeves, "Come on - I'll fight you for it now!"

"

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: theleveller
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 07:14 PM

I'm sorry, Lizzie but, having had a bottle or so of wine, I have to laugh at the implication of Charlie boy being the saviour of the British countryside. Not to put too fine a point on it - been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

To start with, I've been a member of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust for over 30 years, since the time when I bred Gloucester Old Spots. In those days, at the drop of a hat, we'd borrow a trailer, coax a couple of recalcitrent pigs into it and head off in the mud and rain to some local country show to display our beloved animals to half a dozen bemused farmers. I know how hard the local organisers struggled in those days to get across the message that rare breeds were important. OK, well done Charlie for getting on the band wagon - but we did all the hard work.

As for those people who have been fighting for the British countryside for decades, what about Oliver Rackham, Richard Mabey, my late friend Roger Deakin, Robert Macfarlane, The Campaign for Rural England, The Woodland Trust, Common Ground (who introduced the idea of an annual Apple Day, community orchards, local diversity etc.), England in Particular....the list of people who fight at a local level for the British countryside that they love is endless. Yeah, good on Charlie for jumping on the bandwagon but there were those of us campaignig before he came along and we'd be campaigning whether he was there or not.He is NOT the saviour of the British countryside and those who live and work in it - that battle has going on for a long time and will continue whether he's involved or not.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: GUEST,Lizzie Cornish
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 01:59 PM

'GUEST' was me, oops...

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 01:58 PM

'A Day In The Life' Part 1 (press top left hand corner at end of video for next part...

Taken from the link below:

>>>....The prince is almost reflexively self-deprecating – the first words he utters to me, on day two of our grandish tour, are: "I do hope all this isn't boring you too much" – but he also insists on claiming the slightly martyrish role of the prophet misunderstood in his native land. He has stood firm, and definitely not Canute-like, as the tide of opinion has gone against him. He insisted on organics when all about him were up to the tops of their wellies in chemicals.

"I just," he tells the Royal Agricultural College meeting, "wanted to be a repository for all the things that were being thrown away." To this end he became patron of the Rare Breeds Trust, ensuring native animal breeds were not lost; and he has lately bought a fruit trial centre "where we now have 1,000 apple trees of 1,000 different varieties"..

"In the media," he says, with a slightly withering glance in my direction, "they would no doubt describe this as me jumping from one bleeding subject to another." He has no choice in this, though, he is a fighter of fires, and if he didn't do it, who would?.."<<<<

Well, he almost sounds a bit like you Traddies, eh! :0) Wanting to save things from the past, for the future generations, knowing how much good lies in the past and wanting to bring it forward into the present...


Guardian Article on Prince Charles

And of course, there is a link to The Prince's Countryside Fund in that article..you know, the one he started to support those who work in the countryside???

As I said, be grateful you've got him, for he makes one helluva lot of sense, when all around are talking twaddle and getting us into the biggest shite we've ever been in...

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Musket
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 01:30 PM

Luckily, with all the tax The Queen pays, The NHS would be able to cope with the increase in coronary heart disease and hypertension should HP return to the earlier recipe and increase salt intake.

I'll get me etc.

(Interesting, since getting married to a doctor the other year, she has decreased my intake of salt, sometimes by stealth, sometimes by nagging and sometimes blatantly. As a result, I hadn't noticed my sauce was different now. Tell you what though, a few months ago I had a Kentucky Fried Chicken for the first time in years and I used to enjoy the taste. I can tell you now what Col Sander's secret recipe is; bloody salt. Tons of it.)

And for that matter, Liz is the salt of the earth...

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: theleveller
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 12:57 PM

Steve, would you mind not being so bloody flippant. This is a serious matter and a gross infringement of our civil liberties! I understand that Heinz, now owners of HP, have been bullied (yes, BULLIED) into reducing the salt content of HP Sauce by the Tory government backed by the entire royal family. I mean to say, I know that they consider us sauce-eating plebs to be below the salt but this attempt to reduce the amount we eat is below the belt.

I'm with Marco Pierre White on this - it's a total disgrace. After all, as has been pointed out above, HP is part of our national heritage and MUST be protected. It's a positive contumely (one 'n', I think).

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 12:31 PM

And while we're on the subject of chips and HP Sauce - there's another bloody travesty. Did they really think they could change the recipe and we wouldn't notice? Might have to go back to Daddies!

I tried doing that but Daddy had changed the locks.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 12:27 PM

You can stick as many ns in connnnipptions as yer like. You don't need my leave. It's a funny word no matter how you spell it. If I hadn't had to look up what it meant I wouldn't have detected the misspelling. As for my sycophantic glitch, it wasn't a misspelling due to my not knowing how to spell it. I was half-thinking of Hitchcock at the time I typed it, that's all. The thought of that shower scene must have had a sycological impact on my poor brain.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 12:09 PM

Just for the record, Steve ~~ even if you had not corrected it, I should not have dreamed of making a cheap debating point of your mis-spelling above. The very thought of doing anything so vulgar gives me coniptions, with as many bloody n's as I feel like putting into them without a by-your-bloody-boring-leave, Mr S.

〠☺〠~M~〠☺〠

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: theleveller
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 12:04 PM

And while we're on the subject of chips and HP Sauce - there's another bloody travesty. Did they really think they could change the recipe and we wouldn't notice? Might have to go back to Daddies!

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 11:42 AM

Tony Blair could walk on water. Is that close enough?

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 11:40 AM

That's a laugh, Lizzie - tiny little me bullying the royals! And jealous? You bet your arse I'm jealous! The last nine days of Diana's life, up to the Paris visit, were spent on the Al Fayed's luxury yacht. The fact the lads were at Balmoral does not mean that a nanny and God knows how many other servants were not looking after 'em. And gran. Different life, Lizzie, different life... You'd rather have them than me? Suits me. Take 'em! Preferably as far away as possible!

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Musket
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 11:27 AM

If you could find a would be President who can walk ON baths, I'll endorse it and him / her for you.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: theleveller
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 11:22 AM

I think you've just demonstrated, Ian, that British heritage means a lot more than the monarchy.

Sorry, got to go - I'm working on a campaign for walk-in baths. Ah, now I wonder if old Lizzie (Windsor not Cornish) is up for making a few bob in endorsements.........

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Musket
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 11:18 AM

My money includes the upkeep of lots of people, but I doubt knocking on the door of a pensioner to ask them if they are grateful would be a good idea.

The next time you post something on the internet, the next time you pop out a view in the pub, the next time you exercise free speech and not fear reprisal, you will be reminded you are in Great Britain. That isn't because of a monarchy, but the present parliamentary democracy.

But bugger about it and who knows, we might get a President, and one who wants to be there. Now that sounds scary....

We would have to pay for their upkeep, and as they might not be one of the richest people in the world, their upkeep and that of their entourage, (see any republic for details) couldn't be offset by their taxes.

Like I said, I'm not a Royalist. I'm not an idealist prat with a chip on each shoulder either.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: GUEST,Lizzie Cornish
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 11:18 AM

Steve, I think you'll find the boys were up in Scotland, with their granny. Needless to say, Diana was not invited.....

HOWEVER, if you recall, she was distraught at them going to boarding school..and she saw them every moment she could, I recall they came home at weekends because she was so upset at them going in the first place..

Diana was a great Mum to her boys, whom she loved dearly. They have said countless times, voices breaking with emotion, how much they miss her, every single day, to this day. They also love their Granny, the Queen..and their father. Camilla, no matter what any of us may feel for her, has also been fully accepted by them and gave them much support when they needed it most.

Stop being such a vile bully and read some of your posts back.

Yeesh..WHAT is eating you up so much?

The Royals cost us around 60p a year each, I believe.....and give many jobs to many folks. And even if those jobs are low-paid, it sure as hell beats working in MacDonalds for the same money..

There are absolute wasters in that family, as I'm sure there are in almost every family in the land. Many things have been tightened up these past years, many taken off the public list and quite rightly so..It should be pared down to the absolute minimum, but your almost vitriolic delight in being as unpleasant as you can about Diana, her children, Charles etc, tells me exactly what kind of person you are....and if the choice is folks like you, bitter and twisted, jealous and nasty, or *some* of the Royal Family who care a great deal and work their butts off trying to be of service to the country, well..I'd rather have them.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 11:16 AM

Well, any Waitrose anyway. If you can afford it.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 11:14 AM

The Houses of Parliament would still be there on bottles of HP Sauce even if the Queen didn't exist (I can dream...). Alternatively, you could go along to any supermarket and buy any of that third-rate, premium-priced crap that goes by the moniker "Duchy Originals." Look on the wrapper and you'll find that most of the ingredients have never been anywhere near "the duchy"! As I said, their lives' mission is to take the piss!

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 11:08 AM

That would be ideal. How long's the waiting list for an audience with this person whose upkeep uses my money? Can you get me in?

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Musket
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 10:54 AM

Hang on, I didn't respond to Steve's offer re Paypal.

Sorry mate, that's slightly out of my league. For that amount, you would have to rely on someone who pays a hell of a lot more tax than I do.

The Queen for instance?

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Musket
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 10:52 AM

I've been in it not quite as long, cos I'm not an old git just yet.

But I have sold British engineering complete with The Union Flag all over the world. And it sells, it just does. I have never been "in marketing" but have marketed British engineering, and the word British didn't mean marketing British Leyland, braziers outside factory gates and sub standard tools, it meant...

HP Sauce is made in The Netherlands. It sells with picture of The Houses of Parliament on it.

QED

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: theleveller
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 10:31 AM

Oh, and Ian, I've been in marketing for 43 years and I don't recall ever using the monarchy to sell anything.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 10:29 AM

Heheh.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: theleveller
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 10:28 AM

"our heritage is one hell of a marketing tool"

It's hardly surprising that Germany do so badly, then. And as for the USA - being a republic has done them no favours at all.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 10:28 AM

OK Ian. I do Paypal. I'll send you my email. But it's on condition that it's 63p per annum for me, my family members (all republicans), my mum and dad, all my republican mates...and we all want inflation-indexed back pay with interest. So that will be £23,461.34 please. Don't worry, I'll distribute it fairly, and, once I get your deposit, I promise to shut up about the royal nit-wittery.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Musket
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 10:10 AM

Tell you what, I'll set up a standing order for Steve Shaw to the tune of 63p per annum, and we'll keep the Royal Family, because to be able to give Steve 63p, I need economic growth, and as our reputation for factory goods is about as good as our capacity for delivering them, we need something to keep others investing in us, and quite simply, our heritage is one hell of a marketing tool.

And for their detractors? I notice The Tower of London is still standing, still enjoying upkeep and the cells are ready and able to receive new guests.....

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 10:02 AM

Likewise the comment, albeit strange, which Prince Charles is alleged to have said to Camilla. Again, it was from a private phone call...one which was 'tapped' so I recall.

Let any person here who has nothing in their life to be ashamed of, embarrassed of, stand up and crow how Holier than Thou they are.....

Of course. But whenever it's been me making remarks down the phone that I'd hoped no-one save the intended recipient had heard, at least it's been me paying my own phone bill.

Of course, if he *were* ordinary, his Mother would still be alive, there for him, loving him, protecting him.

Well, Mummy wasn't there for him the night she was killed, as I remember. She was on a bit of a jolly in Paris, I seem to recall. Doubtless he was in the hands of the best nanny our money could buy.

And why, may I ask, should the richest family in the land, replete with known playboys and playgirls and diverse wastrels, kept rich by all of us whether we want to contribute to their upkeep or not, not be vulnerable to criticism and ridicule? I want my bloody 63p per year back please!

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 09:48 AM

I can spell sycophantically. God knows how that happened.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 09:47 AM

I think your sneering tone about 'swanning' to be vulgar and tasteless in the extreme. You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself; but I don't for a moment expect that you are.

I'd rather be my tasteless and vulgar self (actually, I've slightly postponed listening to Beethoven's Diabelli Variations to type this) than ally myself sychophantically to a bunch of dull, over-privileged parasites who spend their lives taking the piss. And you're right. I know no shame.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: GUEST,Lizzie Cornish
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 09:20 AM

Why not try feeling grateful that perhaps, just PERHAPS, in Prince Charles this country has one of the **most caring** Royals in the world, for he is not just a highly intelligent historian, but a man who knows FAR MORE than any of you about Nature, Mother Earth and those who are destroying something which he loves intensely..

This is on The Prince's Rainforest Youtube Channel too, so just press the link at the top left hand corner above the video to be taken to many other videos this project made to raise awareness of the singularly most important problem facing this planet today, above ALL others, for truly, if our Rainforests go down, particularly the Amazon Rainforest, we go down too, taking hundreds of thousands of other species with us, through our stunning and startling dumbed down arrogance!

Hymn to the Rainforest - From The Prince's Rainforest Project

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: GUEST,Lizzie Cornish
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 09:12 AM

The Queen is one of the richest people in the world. She doesn't need to do any visits, entertain anyone, present awards, sit for hour after boring hour in some hot countries, in cold countries, in countries who don't even want her there.....

...yet..she does it.

She is old, getting more frail every year, but she is still out there, promoting this country, working to keep old friendships going, pleasing people, smiling, smiling endless smiling and nodding of heads and trying to be interested in so many things she is not.

She never lets anyone down, has an almost obssessive sense of duty.

She has never been involved in any scandal, probably has had many unhappy, lonely moments in her life...

But she never complains..

Prince Harry was talking the other day about how he's finding it hard to find a woman who actually wants to be with him on a life-long basis, taking on the role and rigid lifestyle she would have to adopt as his wife....He said he longed, at times, to be ordinary, to just be able to live his life as others do.

Of course, if he *were* ordinary, his Mother would still be alive, there for him, loving him, protecting him...and he would be a far happier young man.

As to Princess Diana's 'sex' life, MtheGM, could I just say it was more probably her 'love life' and we had no right to know anything about her private life in the first place, but those who hounded her, who eventually killed as sure as if they'd put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger, thought that everything she did should be public knowledge.

Likewise the comment, albeit strange, which Prince Charles is alleged to have said to Camilla. Again, it was from a private phone call...one which was 'tapped' so I recall.

Let any person here who has nothing in their life to be ashamed of, embarrassed of, stand up and crow how Holier than Thou they are.....

Geez, some of the unpleasantness in this thread makes me want to weep at times....

Charles is trying to save YOUR planet, for YOUR children as much as his. Give the guy a break for Christ's sake and just for once see 'the man' not his title, nor his money, nor the family into which he was born, nor his past......Just watch the links to the speeches I put in way back and listen to what he has to say, because far from spending his time on messageboards spewing out hatred, he's out there doing all he can to make a positive and genuine difference in the many things he works hard at, including trying to save this planet from greedy bastards who are hellbent on destroying it forever...

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: theleveller
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 09:09 AM

Well, he wasn't overtly an anti-monarchist but he never had much time for them. He was, however, an ardent socialist.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 08:40 AM

An inspiration indeed.
Was he a monarchist?

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: theleveller
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 08:32 AM

MtheGM, if we're supposed to find that inspiring, well, sorry, but I, for one, don't. For true altruism, commitment and social conscience, I take my inspiration from my maternal grandfather. He was the illegitimate son of a local landowner and a farm worker's daughter who left school at 12 and worked first as a plough-boy and then on the railway. He was also the ultimate autodidact with a superb mind, and one of the best-read people I've ever come across. He never made any money, never lived in a house with an indoor toilet let alone a bathroom until he went into an alms house in his 90s. He did, however, bring up and inspire 6 children and spent almost every spare hour working for the community as, amongst other things, a JP, Chairman of the Council, Chairman of the Watch Committee, churchwarden, Trustee of the Church Institute, hospital visitor and dozens of other roles. I never knew what inspired his community conscience and his great compassion – maybe it was that he was grateful for actually making it home from the trenches and the Battle of the Somme - but when my grandmother said to him that if he'd been paid for all the work he did he'd be a rich man, his indignant reply was, "That's not why I do it!". He received no official recognition but, to this day, over 25 years after his death at the age of 94, he is still remembered with huge affection in the town where he lived.

At his funeral the vicar said of him: "Harry Croft was known as the quiet man. He asked nothing more out of life than a book, a pipe and a cat."

Now he was a REAL inspiration – not some pampered puss who has lived her entire life in luxury and privilege. I'd be happy to be half the man he was.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 08:09 AM

You forgot to mention the inverted snobbery Ian!

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Musket
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 07:50 AM

When everybody has finish knocking off aspects of society that mean less money being spent on them, you are left with a society none would wish to aspire to.

Except those bits based on envy.

Bit of a bugger really.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 16 Mar 12 - 06:18 AM

My dear wife does most of the driving, as she is rather younger than me: so I get 'swanned' around in the sense you seem to imply. It really still isn't easy, take my word for it.

I happened to find a crowd waiting at Ely Station not long ago, and learned that the Queen was on the train from which I was meeting some friends; coming to open a new feature at the cathedral IIRC. When she came from the station and into the waiting car, with the assistance of only one Lady-in-Waiting, it was obviously some considerable effort. She really is a very old and not all that fit woman; but she had the engagement to fulfil and she came and fulfilled it. She has a strong sense of duty and a determination to do it, despite age and frailty. I think your sneering tone about 'swanning' to be vulgar and tasteless in the extreme. You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself; but I don't for a moment expect that you are.

~M~

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Mar 12 - 04:33 PM

OK, not swanning around then - getting swanned around.

And less of this uppity talk!

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 15 Mar 12 - 04:28 PM

He wanted to be a tampon?

What? White, uptight and out of sight...

:D tG

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 15 Mar 12 - 09:48 AM

Swans belong to the monarch, and are 'Upped' regularly. Not a bad outlook!

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 15 Mar 12 - 07:11 AM

Let's wait & see how inclined you will feel to 'swan around' when you are 85 or 90, shall we? I am 80 myself, and don't swan in any fashion quite so readily as of yore...

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Mar 12 - 07:02 AM

Yes, well they have to do something, eh? Can't see 'em swaggering up to the Cenotaph with fake or no medals, after all. Little danger of either of them coming back in a body bag, I imagine, though I'm not out there to see how well they're guarded. I won't ask if they got to Sandhurst under their own steam (or, indeed, to anywhere else they were educated) because it isn't fair to prejudge. Speculation is useless. "Official public engagements" sounds so hifalutin', eh? I suppose it means that Call-me-Dave and Samcam can have a bit more spare time if nowt else. You say heavy programmes of official public engagements, I say swanning around in luxury...let's call the whole thing off...

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 15 Mar 12 - 06:50 AM

In fact, indeed, Steve, I didn't actually call you a MSO as such: you simply extrapolated the designation from the context on a 'cap·fits?' basis...

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 15 Mar 12 - 06:43 AM

Well, you might call "mindless sniping objector" 'name-calling', of the same order as "twat". I leave it to Catters in general to adjudicate there.

Princes William & Harry are fully-serving officers in the armed services, both of whom have served in areas of combat on the same basis as other servicemen, after the full officer-training at Sandhurst required of all their fellow-officers. I don't expect you have ever been in the services, Steve. I have. It is quite hard work, I assure you. HM & her husband, octo- & nonogenarians, have heavy programmes of official public engagements of the same sort as those performed by all heads of state, however elected or otherwise appointed.

I fear you are making something of a fool of yourself all round with your foolish, doctrinaire asseverations, accusations and animadversions. I think you had best drop it before someone out there starts to wonder which of us it is who is coming over as a what-was-that-word-you-used-of-me-now?

Best regards
~M~

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Musket
Date: 15 Mar 12 - 05:57 AM

On this one, I am at odds with the consensus.

Regardless of what we think about the monarchy as either an institution or indeed the present incumbents, or rather the media image drawn up of them...

1. Far better than having someone who wants the job. (Our Aussie friends made that clear the last time they debated republicanism.)

2. I have been a businessman trading in all four (and the rest) corners of the world. There is a reason why many Johnny Foreigners want to trade with us, visit us, fawn over us, despite our Empire stain. We have everything to not offer them as Belgium does. What's the difference? Can you tell what it is yet?

One of the largest manufacturing orders I ever closed, resulting in 30 sustained new real full time well paid jobs, was to a company in Texas. To this day, I am convinced that my reassurances over prospective quality of goods, delivery schedules and technical support were secondary to the photos of me at a recent Buckingham Palace tea party. That's when he went from being a hard ball CEO to wanting to be my best mate ever....

Royalty sells. Lose it and we are left with fish & chips, drizzle, moaning gits and ill conceived sporting expectations.

Mind you, of course the government are spending more on it than they could have gotten away with, and of course they see it as a distraction to real problems. If that didn't work, we wouldn't have bread and circuses, or soap operas and Hello magazine, as they are now called.

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Mar 12 - 05:56 AM

Ah, I remember now. It wasn't a cucumber Charlie-boy wished to be: 'twas a tampon!

Subject: RE: BS: Stuff the Jubilee - No Cuts
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Mar 12 - 05:55 AM

Steve ~~ I say you are not a fool; you call me a twat.

I said you looked a twat, and, after some musing, I decided that you'd brought that impression upon yourself. You've just called me, in effect, a mindless sniping objector. At least I can agree to two-thirds of that characterisation; I'll let you decide which third I contest. As for their having their job to do, pray tell exactly what that is. I struggle to detect any gainful aspect of their employment. They certainly seem to do an awful lot of swanning around, generally in luxury and at public expense, in some sort of cod-ambassadorial role (ambassadors for what exactly I'm never quite sure about), in between taking extended holidays in vast mansions with enormous private estates where they can hunt 'n' shoot 'n' fish 'n' ride hosses to their hearts' content without our observing them. That would be far too much intrusion!

Finally, apropos of your post, at least Margaret has ceased to become the source of irritation you allude to, as she's well dead, so I hear. Wonder who paid for all her fags and booze...