On your knees, peasant!

[Theodoric]

From today's Order of Business in Parliament.

Motion made, and Question proposed, That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, as follows:

Most Gracious Sovereign,

We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Majesty for the Gracious Speech which Your Majesty has addressed to both Houses of Parliamentââ ¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚ÂÂ�(Mr John McFall).

Now, I know the Queen is the Head of State, but this is allegedly the 21st Century. Do our representatives really have to use such crawling, fawning language?

[zoombini]

Yes, she's the Queen.

Bow down and belittle yourself before her you peasant you...

[Mark W]

its a traditional paragraph, whats the big deal? why do we still have Beefeaters, changing of the guard and those silly sods with big bear hats standing around doing nothing all day......its centruies old tradition, and i think we are the richer for having some....unlike some nations i might add......

[Theodoric]

Originally Posted by Mark W

its a traditional paragraph, whats the big deal? why do we still have Beefeaters, changing of the guard and those silly sods with big bear hats standing around doing nothing all day......its centruies old tradition, and i think we are the richer for having some....unlike some nations i might add......

Well, amongst other things it shows that you are, depite any seditious ideas that you may have to the contrary, not a free citizen but a mere subject. In, for example, the USA, you are a citizen and not a subject. It's a totally different mindset.

EDIT Er, I've a sneaking suspicion that Canadians also may be subjects.

[Mark W]

Originally Posted by Theodoric

Well, amongst other things it shows that you are, depite any seditious ideas that you may have to the contrary, not a free citizen but a mere subject. In, for example, the USA, you are a citizen and not a subject. It's a totally different mindset.

well, yes, fair point - but that still holds true without a grovelling statement by MP's. and as for the yanks being citizens, well thats simply because they have no history to fall back on

tho thinking about it....you say we are 'subjects' to the queen and that is a bad thing.... let me refer you to the Merriam-Webster dictionary

1 : one that is placed under authority or control: as a : VASSAL b (1) : one subject to a monarch and governed by the monarch's law (2) : one who lives in the territory of, enjoys the protection of, and owes allegiance to a sovereign power or state

so we are still 'subjects' to the labour party....and that sounds alot worse to me

[Tiptoes]

Id rather have to bow down to the queen for one time rather than be dictated to by a bunch of corrupt, unaccountable Europhiles for the rest of my life.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Mark W

its a traditional paragraph, whats the big deal? why do we still have Beefeaters, changing of the guard and those silly sods with big bear hats standing around doing nothing all day......its centruies old tradition, and i think we are the richer for having some....unlike some nations i might add......

Not it's not, it's for tourism...

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Tiptoes

Id rather have to bow down to the queen for one time rather than be dictated to by a bunch of corrupt, unaccountable Europhiles for the rest of my life.

One quick question (well two)

1) How is the queen (or any member of the Royal Family) accountable?
2) How do we know they are not corrupt? It's not as if our Aristocracy wasn't corrupt before...

[Tiptoes]

Originally Posted by scastle

One quick question (well two)

1) How is the queen (or any member of the Royal Family) accountable?
2) How do we know they are not corrupt? It's not as if our Aristocracy wasn't corrupt before...

Simple

1. They have to be accountable they pay taxes .....

Europhiles have just lost over 300 Million £ because some of them forgot how to do double entry bookeeping... No really they just wasted it and the brits who give the EU 30 Million pounds per day have to accept this.
Oh yes and before we continue we get back only half of that


2.How do you know they are?

[Mark W]

Originally Posted by scastle

Not it's not, it's for tourism...

fair enough...but to quote the Financial times -

The £64bn tourism industry accounts for 4 per cent of gross domestic product - four times as much as farming. It employs 2m people equivalent to 7 per cent of the workforce

(figures for 2001)

so id say thats a pretty important part to play in our GNP, just publishing grovelling paragraphs and dressing up in silly costumes

[aliferste]

Originally Posted by Mark W

........ those silly sods with big bear hats standing around doing nothing all day.......

Actually I thought that as well..........but they are in fact on duty and on guard. I was in London one day and spotted a dodgy bag sitting quite near the front of the palace. You could see that a couple of other people had noticed it as well and within a few minutes one of those guys who hardly ever seem to do anything comes marching up. He inspects the bag....informs people not to go near it and makes a funny wave. Within another 10 minutes there was police cars zooming about and everyone had to evacuate the area ..

It was all very exiting

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Tiptoes

Simple

1. They have to be accountable they pay taxes .....

As I understand it that is voluntary

2.How do you know they are?

I never said our current Royal family are. I asked "How do we know they are not corrupt".

[greencreeper]

http://www.parliament.uk/faq/gunpowder_plot.cfm

"Are the Houses of Parliament still searched before State Opening?
The Houses of Parliament are still searched by the Yeomen of the Guard just before the State Opening (usually held in November since 1928) to ensure no latter-day Fawkes is concealed in the cellars, though this is retained as a picturesque custom rather than a serious anti-terrorist precaution (for which, of course, there are proper means). "

[Tiptoes]

Originally Posted by scastle

As I understand it that is voluntary

Income tax payments on the Royal family.....

Voluntary it may be, but the fact is they DO and because they DO it means they have to account for their income to the taxman like the rest of us and pay the appropriate charges.

Besides helping to secure vast amounts of international business trade for the UK they also raise millions of pounds each year for much needed charities.Work that has previously gone unrecognised.

Originally Posted by scastle

I never said our current Royal family are. I asked "How do we know they are not corrupt".

And I would have never implied they are corrupt...................even if I thought it....

Originally Posted by scastle

Not it's not, it's for tourism...

In light of the subject matter I find your blinded view of a centuries old process distasteful.

Should we change the voting system just because its getting on a bit?

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Tiptoes

Income tax payments on the Royal family.....

Voluntary it may be, but the fact is they DO and because they DO it means they have to account for their income to the taxman like the rest of us and pay the appropriate charges.

Fair enough

[quote]
Besides helping to secure vast amounts of international business trade for the UK they also raise millions of pounds each year for much needed charities.Work that has previously gone unrecognised.
[quote]
I wouldn't say it's gone unrecognised. The royals do get an awful lot of publicity. Which can be a good thing.

And I would have never implied they are corrupt...................even if I thought it....

You misread my post. I did not imply I thought that the royals were corrupt. I also did not imply that I thought you thought the royals were. I merely said "How do we know they are not". No implication intended at all.

In light of the subject matter I find your blinded view of a centuries old process distasteful.

Should we change the voting system just because its getting on a bit?

Fair enough. I made a joke you consider to be in bad taste. I apologise for that.

The fact remains, however, that the tourist industry does make an awful lot of money from these various processes, which I would speculate is part of the reason they have been kept.

This, I consider a good thing. It keeps a lot of people in work.

BTW, I am not "Blinded". I have been brought up to question what I am taught. I personally believe that is the best way to learn.