The Royal Wedding

[Dave James]

Leave it to Jerry Seinfeld to put some genuine perspective on the upcoming royal wedding. I'm not trying to be disrespectful by posting this, but the whole thing just strikes me as some sort of strange and peculiar charade. I would be interested in how English Organissimo board members feel about this. Here's what Seinfeld had to say:

"Well it's a circus act. It's an absurd act. You know, it's dress-up. Let's pretend that these are special people. OK, we'll all pretend that - that's what theater is. And that's what the royal family is - it's a huge game of pretend. These aren't special people - it's fake outfits, fake phony hats and gowns."

[sidewinder]

What Royal Wedding?

It will be Mosaic backlog listening day chez moi for the paid holiday and TV verboten. Bliss !

Edited April 16, 2011 by sidewinder

[A Lark Ascending]

Every time one of these things happens I assume that finally it will be clear that the whole monarchy thing has been dumped in the dustbin. Yet the last big one - the Queen Mother's funeral - saw people pouring out to pay their respects and reporters I admire usually, falling into craven sycophancy on the BBC.

So I imagine much the same will happen here.

I'll be travelling to Cheltenham for the jazz festival and when I get there avoiding the 'right royal' gala concert.

Oliver Cromwell (or more to the point, John Lilburne and Gerrard Winstanley) rules!

[GA Russell]

I don't watch television, so I am pretty much out of touch with what is happening in the US in this regard.

However, I remember well how much hoopla was given to the Charles/Diana wedding, and how generally the British royal family was treated like they were special people. It used to bother me a great deal because we are descended from people who risked their lives to overthrow the British royals, in part denying that royalty were special.

[BillF]

Leave it to Jerry Seinfeld to put some genuine perspective on the upcoming royal wedding. I'm not trying to be disrespectful by posting this, but the whole thing just strikes me as some sort of strange and peculiar charade. I would be interested in how English Organissimo board members feel about this. Here's what Seinfeld had to say:

"Well it's a circus act. It's an absurd act. You know, it's dress-up. Let's pretend that these are special people. OK, we'll all pretend that - that's what theater is. And that's what the royal family is - it's a huge game of pretend. These aren't special people - it's fake outfits, fake phony hats and gowns."

Yes, looks like he's heading in the right direction - and he's not even paying for it, as hard-strapped British taxpayers are! Time we were a republic like you people over there! (If there are any monarchists left, they're not going to be posting on a board like this.)

[kinuta]

Fortunately I'm far enough away to be able to completely ignore it and pretend it never happened.

Sue Townsend summed up my feelings in The Queen & I.

[JSngry]

There are a few (or more) American "institutions" about which I feel exactly the same way...

[Dave James]

There are a few (or more) American "institutions" about which I feel exactly the same way...

From a macro standpoint, it would be difficult to exceed the silliness quotient of this country. Still, I'm not sure there is anything we do here that quite rises to this level of foolishness and yet consumes us in the manner that a royal wedding consumes the Brits. These people serve no constructive purpose, they're not particularly bright, they feed from a diminishing trough of public money...on the dole would not be too far off the mark...all in all they are an anachronism that has no place in modern society. Only one word adequately captures the peculiarity of this phenomena....WHY?

[Van Basten II]

Well it would mean to change the constitution and I guess they prefer having a costly show from time to time than to go through the whole ordeal

[kinuta]

change the constitution

Correct me if I'm wrong but UK doesn't have a single written constitution stating the rights of it's citizens but a series of constitutional documents the best known being the Magna Carta. Am I wrong?

Edited April 17, 2011 by kinuta

[A Lark Ascending]

change the constitution

Correct me if I'm wrong but UK doesn't have a single written constitution stating the rights of it's citizens but a series of constitutional documents the best known being the Magna Carta. Am I wrong?

You are right. There is no single score. We improvise. We have a cloud constitution, scattered across god knows how many documents and legal precedents. If we had a written one, what would the lawyers do?

There are all sorts of reasons the monarchy doesn't go away. Whenever they have an informal vote, the public significantly vote to keep them. As if abolishing the monarchy would undermine our national character like abolishing Yorkshire Pudding or oak trees. We're about to vote on changing the electoral system - my bet is we end up sticking with what is there. And there's a strong argument to be made that it deflects attention from the real scandal of the hereditary nomenklatura who still control the major power bases in the UK.

My solution:

a) Evict the Windsors.

b) Have an annual monarchy, elected on a 'Britain's Got Talent' type Saturday TV programme basis (or absorb it into the National Lottery). The winner gets to do Sandringham, Balmoral, state opening of Parliament, Ascot, trips to watch traditional dancing in former colonies etc for a year. Then someone else gets a go.

c) Have the Windsors and all who sail in them retrained as teaching assistants to be deployed into inner city schools.

Edited April 17, 2011 by A Lark Ascending

[JSngry]

Still, I'm not sure there is anything we do here that quite rises to this level of foolishness and yet consumes us in the manner that a royal wedding consumes the Brits.

Super Bowl?

Yankees offseason?

Tea Party?

[A Lark Ascending]

Still, I'm not sure there is anything we do here that quite rises to this level of foolishness and yet consumes us in the manner that a royal wedding consumes the Brits.

Remaking perfectly good films made elsewhere (or turning books into films) and relocating them in 'the greatest country the world has ever known' (to quote a poster of a few months back!).

[Big Wheel]

In today's daily lesson of Why You Should Never Believe 100% of Anything The British Press Says, the quoted bit (from the Daily Mail originally I think) drops whole sentences that came out of Seinfeld's mouth and thus twists Seinfeld's tone into something he didn't really intend.

The original interview (skip to 2:00 for those comments):

When you leave the parts in about how the whole dressing up/theater thing is a particularly British phenomenon, Seinfeld comes off as a Yankee who finds British pretensions more absurdly amusing than anything else. When you strip them out as the Daily Mail did, it sounds like he's making a significantly more sarcastic and politically oriented statement.

Edited April 17, 2011 by Big Wheel

[Van Basten II]

change the constitution

Correct me if I'm wrong but UK doesn't have a single written constitution stating the rights of it's citizens but a series of constitutional documents the best known being the Magna Carta. Am I wrong?

I did not know that, thought you had a similar constitution than us since you are using a constitutional monarchy that's why I figured out you were stuck with it. , then the question remains how do you change your parlementary system and do you really want to change it.

[A Lark Ascending]

then the question remains how do you change your parlementary system and do you really want to change it.

For something of the scale of abolishing the monarchy a strong political party would have to call a general election with that aim clear in its manifesto. If it was elected it would have a mandate for change. One of the reasons why the monarch never refuses to give the royal assent to a parliamentary bill.

Something of that sort happened in the early 20thC when the Liberal government curtailed the power of the House of Lords.

[Van Basten II]

And I guess none of the major parties running are going near this kind of stance

[A Lark Ascending]

And I guess none of the major parties running are going near this kind of stance

Nope.

Such is the state of 'socialist' Great Britain.

[Jazzjet]

Every time one of these things happens I assume that finally it will be clear that the whole monarchy thing has been dumped in the dustbin. Yet the last big one - the Queen Mother's funeral - saw people pouring out to pay their respects and reporters I admire usually, falling into craven sycophancy on the BBC.

So I imagine much the same will happen here.

I'll be travelling to Cheltenham for the jazz festival and when I get there avoiding the 'right royal' gala concert.

Oliver Cromwell (or more to the point, John Lilburne and Gerrard Winstanley) rules!

I've nothing against the couple and hope they have a nice day, like I would for any other couple. However, the thing that I can't stand is the suffocating sycophancy that seems to operate at all levels, from the media to politicians. I'd like to think that the age of deference has died but maybe not.

George Orwell got it right when he said that England is just like a large family but with the wrong people in charge.

[papsrus]

I'm firmly indifferent, although the young bride is quite fetching.

[A Lark Ascending]

I'm firmly indifferent, although the young bride is quite fetching.

Sounds like reason enough for a Palmerstonian gesture - the Windors have dispatched a gunboat to Florida.

[papsrus]

I'm firmly indifferent, although the young bride is quite fetching.

Sounds like reason enough for a Palmerstonian gesture - the Windors have dispatched a gunboat to Florida.

Send warning that DeSoto's descendants and an army of lawn ornaments awaits.

[Ted O'Reilly]

I'll be landing at Heathrow on the morning of The Wedding (couldn't get an earlier flight, so I had to RSVP "Sorry, Wills...") on my way to Norwich for the Jazz Party. Jerry Brown assures that "All sorts of very tasteful souvenirs are being imported especially from China to enchant all our overseas visitors!" so I'll still be able to pick up an Official Royal Wedding tea cup set there...

I wanted to check if it'll be okay to travel on a passport that's due to expire in September (many countries now want a 6-month buffer to the expiry date) and found this Official Advice from my Canadian government:

The British government's terrorism threat level for the United Kingdom is rated as "severe." This is the second-highest alert level and suggests that an attack is highly likely. Additional security measures are in place throughout transportation networks, including at airports. Travellers may experience delays. More information on these measures, including specific restrictions for carry-on-baggage, is available from the British Airport Authority.

I guess it's wise to avoid large crowds (a good target for some...) that day. No problem! I'll be at a jazz gathering.

[GA Russell]

It occurs to me that the British royal family has been the subject of a great deal of publicity in my lifetime, yet I can't think of anything good to say about any of them.

[JSngry]

the young bride is quite fetching.

I like it when young brides fetch, especially when they're royalty.