Hot Heart Posted May 7, 2012 Report Share Posted May 7, 2012 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/06/get-elected-think-like-penguin Funny but insightful (tragically). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted May 7, 2012 Report Share Posted May 7, 2012 Sorry, wasn't being sarcastic, the ellipsis was to indicate confusion at Argentina's fairly obviously unreasonable stance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 I love how bristly us Brits get about the Falklands. I reckon you could put together a pretty robust election campaign by telling the Argies to fuck off or else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted May 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-18022243 Times get rough for the royal family. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFlyingGerbil Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 who likes/wants the monarchy, and who doesn't? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted May 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 I'm pretty okay with it. Adds a bit of pizazz to the country and daily life. Royal Mail delivering your letters, Royal Warrant on your cereal, Royal Navy out patrolling. Palaces n such around the place. Get the Duke of Edinburgh award as a teen then do some Princes Trust stuff a bit later on. We'd miss them if they were to go. Yes many would argue that "they don't do anything", but that's pretty much the point. Would we want them being a major part of UK politics? They bring in substantial amounts of cash, wave, and let life generally go on while lending the whole monarchy naming scheme to everything. I think we get a pretty good deal out of it all. Especially compared to monarch of the past with the whole Divine Right of Kings malarkey. Also Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of Her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith kicks the crap out of most other titles various leaders have (including "Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"). Anyway would you really want to lick the back of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFlyingGerbil Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 I'm just waiting for the day I get to make Harry's red head sticky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 I'm a monarchist. Same reasons as Dean in the most part.They're mostly harmless public figures who bring in a lot of tourism. They also lend the country a sense of history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 I'd just like to note that the palaces or your country's history will not magically go up in smoke if the monarch goes away, nor does most countries I know of put their current prime minister on their stamps. I can see the economic argument though. If they are a source of cash and don't really get in the way, keeping them might not be the worst option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 If Buckingham Palace wasn't the Royal Residence what would it become? A hotel? The History wouldn't disappear, but it would lose some of its relevance. As well as bringing in cash, they tend not to embarrass the country much (compared to politicians at least) and best of all they can send the Argentinians into a mouth foaming frenzy just by strutting around the Falklands like a Sovereign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted May 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 Yeah, there's tons of historical castles about, homes of kings n queens of past n that. But they get nowhere near the attention Buckingham Palace gets. Who goes to Louvre Palace for the history of the French monarchy as opposed to the (really tiny) painting? UK doesn't really have the weather n beaches, nor tacky neon casinos or mythical homes of santa, to draw in international tourists any other way. So a nice slice of living history does just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 (edited) Mythical homes of Santa? Last I checked the North pole didn't have a thriving tourist industry. Edited May 12, 2012 by TheMightyEthan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted May 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 Lapland, Sweden... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 I did not know about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Heart Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 Ethan's on the naughty list now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 Lapland, Sweden... Lapland is an area in Finland which is home to their version of the Santa myth. Lappland is an area in Sweden which is generally not considered to be the home of Santa except as an occasional joke. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted May 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 You guys added in an extra P? That's not fooling anyone. Either way: Lapland = "home of santa", and also a region crossing a few Scandinavian countries, Sweden included. If Sweden isn't taking advantage of that it's not my issue. You do need something on the tourism front to balance out the fact it's fucking freezing and the whole rotten fish thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomTervo Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 Re: Monarchy I don't generally support it because a lot of money is pumped into that archaic system which would be incredibly useful elsewhere. However, I do actually kinda like dem characters. Queen's gotta cool head. Charles is a legend. Love the Harwill bros. Plus Kate is a babe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted May 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 Kenshi, the monarchy generates a net profit for the UK. Even excluding the tourism they generate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFlyingGerbil Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 (edited) someone posted a video a while back which I can't be bothered finding about how hundreds of years ago the monarchy were short of money so agreed to a deal with parliament that the monarchy would have regular payment prom the Government. In return the Government would receive the profits from Royal land. As time passed the deal got better for the Government to the point where they make more from the land than they pay out in the purse. That means they make a profit for the country not including all the tourism and publicity they provide. edit: Dean beat me to it. got a bit distracted by my pad thai. Edited May 12, 2012 by TheFlyingGerbil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted May 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 You guys added in an extra P? That's not fooling anyone. Either way: Lapland = "home of santa", and also a region crossing a few Scandinavian countries, Sweden included. If Sweden isn't taking advantage of that it's not my issue. You do need something on the tourism front to balance out the fact it's fucking freezing and the whole rotten fish thing. Lapland refers to several areas. Lapland as in a region of Finland is the region said to be the home of Santa. Lapland as in in northern Scandinavia (Technically Fenno-Scandinavia) doesn't even have any clear borders and is usually not referred to in any context, ever. You might be confusing it with Sápmi. Lappland as in the cultural region of Sweden is not thought of as the home of Santa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 I don't even know what all you crazy foreigners are babbling about. It's well known Santa lives at the north pole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted May 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18062485 Rebekah Brooks and co have been formally charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 So is that the equivalent of obstruction of justice over here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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