posted by [identity profile] ekzept.livejournal.com at 03:53am on 31/08/2006
what do you think of The Final Penance? and if it puts you in too much pain to contemplate that institution, just tell me to bugger off, rah?
 
posted by [identity profile] mmoa.livejournal.com at 11:01pm on 31/08/2006
LOL (I read that article this morning!)

What do I think of them? Not much. It's silly that someone should inherit power because they're born into the right family, but then (in the case of our Royal Family) there's a catch: they really aren't taken that seriously in the 'power market', so that argument is realistically out of the window. Furthermore, it helps that at least metaphorically, the government has a (human!) greater power looking over them, who can at least resign from signing some yellow bits of paper with new bits of legislation on them that the Prime Minister cares to throw at them...

So. I'm happy to wait until they up the whole monarchy thing. Until then, I'm happy enough for them to stay where they are - it's a non-issue for me (yes I know -- terrible!).

Oh yes (and what sort of apathetic moron would I be if I didn't bring this up?), and apparently it's the countries with a monarchy that are at their most democratic. In an odd way, it reminds me of how countries with an official church seem to be more secular, or maybe that's just me thanking (oh alright) god that I don't live in America...
 
posted by [identity profile] mmoa.livejournal.com at 11:02pm on 31/08/2006
EDIT: Oh yes, the offical church thing... maybe except for Poland.
 
posted by [identity profile] mmoa.livejournal.com at 11:02pm on 31/08/2006
And I wonder what sort of equivalent I could make for the Middle East?

Damn, you've got me started now.
 
posted by [identity profile] ekzept.livejournal.com at 11:36pm on 31/08/2006
yeah.

if a country's monarchy has been around long enough to be the subject of extensive scholarly study -- and the scholars aren't killed for their conclusions -- i think it's sufficiently neutered to be safe.

Britain, lucky or not, has seen civil wars fought over religion and some folks there remember that. i think that's enough to discourage people from taking it too seriously.

but Cromwell was complicated.

 
posted by [identity profile] mmoa.livejournal.com at 11:46pm on 31/08/2006
That damn Cromwell...

*snip-snip* is all it takes. And even dead scholars/critics are useful. Look at Chaucer, after all.

Britain, lucky or not, has seen civil wars fought over religion and some folks there remember that. i think that's enough to discourage people from taking it too seriously.

Exactly. Patriotism finally went out after the 'Great War' and by then it had been too late for religion. As for our amazing ability to bear grudges, take a call at any London pub at around 11:30 pm and I swear there's ome old... man who actually fought at the battles themselves *sighs*. Apprently it's worse in Scotland.
 
posted by [identity profile] ekzept.livejournal.com at 11:30pm on 31/08/2006
ah, agreed. except that why must PMs be punished by attending to the royal stooges?

on the monarchy-democratic-secular thing, except perhaps for France. but then, they are very different and i'm not sure i like the difference.

 
posted by [identity profile] mmoa.livejournal.com at 11:51pm on 31/08/2006
PMs are evil incarnate and deserve to attend royal stooges, don't you know?

In truth, I guess it helps to remind them whose 'in-charge' (metaphorically at least - don't forget that). Or maybe it's all just one big show for the media hounds. Whatever it is, I find the whole thing so innately ridiculous, I don't like to think I care (!).

January

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
  1
 
2
 
3
 
4
 
5 6
 
7
 
8
 
9
 
10
 
11
 
12
 
13
 
14
 
15
 
16
 
17
 
18
 
19
 
20
 
21
 
22
 
23
 
24
 
25
 
26
 
27
 
28
 
29
 
30
 
31