but it aint right![]()
Matter of opinion. The fact that a simple joke about the Thai king could get you in very serious trouble in Thailand or get your website banned from that country is nothing to sing the praise of! We have a right in this country that we should learn to respect, even if it means hearing things we do not like.
I will happily debate people on matters like the monachy or religion or whatever, because I can! And if I say something offending towards them in the process, then so be it
We already live in too much of a nanny state as it is without giving up any more of our rights to political correctness. Matt has every right to say what he does about the monachy and in many ways I respect him for saying so. I too dislike the notion of what they stand for, but understand that they pay for themselves many times over with the boost to our economy through tourism. And yes, perhaps that is debatable![]()
Young man, I have to say that free speech is all very well. But at the same time, I consider Matt's comments on our Royal Family way out of line and completely uncalled for. I can well recall, the triumphal mood that prevailed among the people in the village where I spent most of my childhood ... as folk of all ages crowded into the local Public Hall to witness the dawn of a 'New Elizabethan Era', [in the form of our present Queen's Coronation] on a 17" black & white television screen positioned centre-stage. That momentous event took place more than 56 years ago ... on June 2nd, 1953 ... and upwards of three decades before the likes of Matt was scarcely even a twinkle in his mum's eye. And now, not far short of sixty years on, we are privileged to be the subjects of this most gracious and dignified lady who is revered and respected worldwide.
In an ever-changing Society, the Monarchy is inherent in our centuries-old National Heritage. By virtue of its sheer constancy, it represents a certain stability. As a Scot- and in a wider sense - as a British Citizen,
I am fiercely proud of our nation and its traditions ... which are envied amongst our European neighbours, and practically everywhere else on the planet. Like many of my counterparts, I'm perhaps less enamoured with our system of government, although it remains preferable to that of most other countries. I have to ask all would-be dissenters if, in all honesty, they'd rather we evolved into a Republican State with a President at the helm ... a kind of 'dictatorship' ... and all THAT entails? "Loyalty to Royalty", I say.
So please, spare us the unjustified crticism of noble Institutions like the Monarchy and the NHS, and just be thankful for their continued existence! Because if you don't/are not, then I suggest you go and live elsewhere.
Arise, Sir Arthur!![]()
You've hit the nail on the head !
As regards your last few words "then I suggest you go and live elsewhere" Matt, Power to The People & Co might find as I mentioned previously the last remaining workers paradises Cuba and North Korea more amenable tips to reside in.
I bet a thread entitled "Is there a God?" would get less reaction than this one!![]()
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Hmm.. A few Thoughts on the matter before we let this thread die a slow death.
I do not think free speech should be followed by a "But"! And it is unfortunate that in this country we live in a society where free speech is not natural but often fought for, where the nonsensical saying "You can't shout fire in a crowded Cinema" is used as an analogy for curtailing free speech. And it can be as insulting to call people "subjects", as if poor genetic examples of inbreeding could be better than the you or me!
Monarchy is simply a dictatorship wrapped around religiosity and cultism! Hundreds of years ago, men with swords invaded these islands from afar, raping and pillaging as they went. And they told the natives to surrender and be subjects to their demands or die. They have ancestors calling themselves Windsor's. And it is doubtful that any American would swap even George Bush for Prince (and the future King) Charles! Although the traditions of the Monarchy, along with all the pomp seems nice for a holiday. It is nice to send them on their way when you get bored of them (leaders).
But I love the NHS, it was an act of people power rarely seen in this world. A socialist ideal that actually works!
Being a critic of an institution does not make a person a traitor or mean they must up sticks and move to another place. Matt, has the right to criticize or even foam at the mouth with anger when he talks about the Monarchy. And the day a Monarch tries to curtail that right will be the day the institution we call the Royal Family expires and this country evolves once more!
Notherner you are a good guy, so is Arthur, it is quite possible that we will evolve into a republic one day but I personally would not like to see that, things will change for sure but there is a lot that we as a people could lose!
Regarding the Windsors, what did your relatives do 500 or 600 years ago? have you any idea?
I am the latest in a line of five James' but I have no idea how well they did in life,I suspect I will be the worst to be honest in spite of having a good heart!
Like Arthur I am a Scot, it's odd that lots of us Scots have a great affinity for our monarchy but we do!
Matt is free to have his views, as an old guy I wish he had a better view of our immediate history but such is life, one day he will be old and will have a better understanding of his own countries history as agreat deal of it will be his by that time!
Jim
500 to 600 years ago, my family were probably RoyaltyHence the tad bit of envy over how my distant cousins kept inbreeding and kept the crown
Seriously, who knows? I am probably to spawn of far worse people than the Royal family. But hey... I am more concerned with where I am going than where I came from.
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