Happy Atheist Forum

General => Obituaries => Topic started by: Asmodean on September 08, 2022, 07:08:42 PM

Title: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Asmodean on September 08, 2022, 07:08:42 PM
People were born, lived long lives and died - all under her reign. 70 years on the throne.

Truly a legendary head of state in our time.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Tank on September 08, 2022, 07:47:57 PM
She did a generally good job.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: billy rubin on September 08, 2022, 08:40:41 PM
treading carefully here?

she seemed a nice enough lady, on her own. certainly more honurable than some of her relatives. but she presided as head of state over a lot of shameful politics, without producing any condemnation that i am aware of throughout her long reign.

the mau mau:

(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qcYtbENQRh4/VeyyRJtyxVI/AAAAAAAAFGM/9BkajM2OMFQ/s1600/Mau_Mau_Hhe7utz.jpg)

the emergency:

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-L1iZLOCmXY8%2FT8GbQTSrZRI%2FAAAAAAAAACU%2Fg21D9qm-jM8%2Fw1200-h630-p-k-no-nu%2Fpatrolandct.jpg&hash=948064294001e2dfb2aae770d60cbe7edf45483d)

the troubles:

(https://www.thetimes.co.uk/imageserver/image/methode%2Ftimes%2Fprodmigration%2Fweb%2Fbin%2Ff9210817-365c-327f-ba09-1a81113b3eba.jpg?crop=780%2C520%2C0%2C0&resize=1200)

she was not my sovereign, and i will not pursue the sins of the dead. but there's a lot of people in the world dancing in the streets right now and hoping that the politics that she represented die with her.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Tank on September 08, 2022, 09:03:41 PM
The relationship between the Queen and politics is very different from that of a POTUS and the actions of the US. The Queen was very much an apolitical figure. She was the head of state, not the head of politics as such.

The Queen reigned she did not rule.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: billy rubin on September 08, 2022, 10:26:31 PM
that was the english position, yes.

yet the IRA saw her as a valid military target.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/day-ira-tried-bomb-queen-7720396

she was a nice lady, like i said. but lots of people hated her intensely enough to try to kill her.

can i repeat that i dont want to speak ill of the dead? the atrocities over which she served as head of state are mostly ancient history, unless you are kikuyu, malay, or irish. now that she is dead, it will be easier to forget them, maybe. she was not my sovereign, and im not going to presume to judge her.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on September 08, 2022, 11:16:54 PM
I, for one, as a professed Anglophile, am sorry to see her go. This is the first day of my almost 70 years that she hasn't been around. I feel like I grew up with her reign. She represented her nation well, I think. All nations have their sins - Lord knows the USA has its share. But she provided a sense of permanence and stability, which is critical for any nation to survive and thrive. She had a few missteps - Diana's death, for example - and she could have done with out Prince Andrew. But, Her Majesty was a pretty nice girl. So glad I got to actually see her, albeit from a distance, in London in October. She was a bridge to a different world, a true piece of history. My condolences to the UK - I will miss her.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Asmodean on September 09, 2022, 08:47:02 AM
Quote from: billy rubin on September 08, 2022, 08:40:41 PMshe presided as head of state over a lot of shameful politics
Nearly three quarters of a century on the throne. Of course, she did.

Quote...without producing any condemnation that i am aware of throughout her long reign.
It may not always have been her place to.

Our monarchy works a little differently, but I think this much is similar; His Majesty is not a politician. I think his most important role is to be a rallying point, of sorts, to the nation in times of shock or trouble. Be you a staunch This-voter or a die-hard That-fundamentalist - doesn't matter (Well, except maybe in the case of some particularly loathsome Communists who think that monarchy - and even the nation, in the more extreme cases - should be abolished entirely, but that lot would never rally behind a banner not specifically theirs to begin with)

Sometimes this role can work against its purpose, but overall, in my opinion, it is well worth preserving. Granted, both His Majesty and His Royal Highness are good at their job. I might have thought otherwise under a worse monarch.

Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Tank on September 09, 2022, 09:30:28 AM
Queen Elizabeth II: A life in pictures (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-61645231)
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: billy rubin on September 09, 2022, 02:56:19 PM
im ignorant of tbe subtleties of royal marriages. charles married diana in the midst of a long term and clearly deep relationship wih camilla, and it got messy afterwards.

couldnt charles have simply married camilla rather than diana in the first place? what was going on there?

was it a wallis simpson thing or similar?

Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Tank on September 09, 2022, 05:16:48 PM
Quote from: billy rubin on September 09, 2022, 02:56:19 PMim ignorant of tbe subtleties of royal marriages. charles married diana in the midst of a long term and clearly deep relationship wih camilla, and it got messy afterwards.

couldnt charles have simply married camilla rather than diana in the first place? what was going on there?

was it a wallis simpson thing or similar?

Camilla wasn't suitable. She was damaged goods.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on September 09, 2022, 07:17:39 PM
Tank, now that Mom is dead, do you think the UK will fall apart? Mom's death often brings the knives out amongst siblings. Tito held Yugoslavia together, and look what happened after he died. Sometimes I feel that with Elizabeth gone, Scotland and some of the other Commonwealth nations will say "fuck off". What do you think?
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Tank on September 09, 2022, 07:41:44 PM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on September 09, 2022, 07:17:39 PMTank, now that Mom is dead, do you think the UK will fall apart? Mom's death often brings the knives out amongst siblings. Tito held Yugoslavia together, and look what happened after he died. Sometimes I feel that with Elizabeth gone, Scotland and some of the other Commonwealth nations will say "fuck off". What do you think?

It'll be a time of change no doubt. I don't think we'll fall apart any time soon.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Tank on September 10, 2022, 09:31:34 AM
Death of Queen Elizabeth II: The moment history stops (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59761477)

(https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/EF74/production/_126600316_c6ca9716-be10-471c-987f-a68dfc31e20d.jpg.webp)
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Asmodean on September 10, 2022, 04:28:59 PM
Quote from: Tank on September 09, 2022, 07:41:44 PMIt'll be a time of change no doubt. I don't think we'll fall apart any time soon.
Yeah, I honestly don't see the Commonwealth falling apart with her passing. From what I've seen of His Majesty king Charles III so far, he seems up to the task, and the Commonwealth is... More than the crown, practically speaking.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on September 11, 2022, 12:03:11 PM
The words you hear most associated with the Queen are "dignity", "duty", and "service". I am thinking that true "dignity" is almost a dead concept in the modern world. There are those who exhibit "duty" and "service", but the combination of all three traits is exceptionally rare. She was truly unique in this respect. But, is dignity even relevant anymore? Just askin'.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: billy rubin on September 11, 2022, 05:17:53 PM
Quote from: Asmodean on September 10, 2022, 04:28:59 PMYeah, I honestly don't see the Commonwealth falling apart with her passing. From what I've seen of His Majesty king Charles III so far, he seems up to the task, and the Commonwealth is... More than the crown, practically speaking.

what exactly are his tasks?
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on September 12, 2022, 06:17:20 PM
It is, of course, for the British people to determine whether or not the Monarchy is worth salvaging. Obviously, we decided to go our own way without a king/queen. But folks in the UK may decide that the main worth of the Monarchy is being a living symbol of the nation, its history, and its culture. Here, all our symbols are inanimate. In the UK, they have a living, breathing human being who embodies the nation. The physical tasks I know about are mainly ceremonial, but being an influence for unity (which any nation needs to survive) may be the greatest task of all. Elizabeth accomplished that, for the most part. We will see about Charles. We may see a more streamlined Monarchy in the future. Time will tell.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Tank on September 16, 2022, 07:24:41 AM
The queue to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II has reached 9 miles long.

(https://e3.365dm.com/22/09/1600x900/skynews-queen-lying-in-state_5897809.png?20220914005131)
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Tank on September 19, 2022, 11:36:38 AM
Watching the funeral of QEII.
Watching history in the making.

Like it or not we Brits do pomp better than anybody.

The god bothering grates on my nerves, as you'd expect.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Asmodean on September 19, 2022, 01:09:15 PM
I've watched a bit of live coverage by one of our papers. There certainly is pomp and God-bothering.

Hm... A life worth celebrating, I suppose. History, and a lot of it, certainly. Record-breaking attendance... Yes. They say funerals may star the dead, but are for the living. When I die, I thoroughly plan on getting my corpse-ass cremated and the ashes disposed down some chute. Might fertilize some stinging nettles or poison oak or some such. Now that's a worthwhile death.

...What am I on about? Ah, yes, the Commonwealth!

What coverage I saw presented the whole affair as dignified, but a "wee-bit..." Ostentatious, I suppose? Befitting of a royal death after seventy years on the throne, I suspect, but still. I mean, the man-hours alone...
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on September 19, 2022, 05:04:17 PM
Quote from: Tank on September 19, 2022, 11:36:38 AMLike it or not we Brits do pomp better than anybody.


No question about it: in the Pomp Olympics you win the Gold and hold all records. In the US we play a Willie Nelson tune and then get drunk.
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: Tank on September 19, 2022, 05:08:12 PM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on September 19, 2022, 05:04:17 PM
Quote from: Tank on September 19, 2022, 11:36:38 AMLike it or not we Brits do pomp better than anybody.


No question about it: in the Pomp Olympics you win the Gold and hold all records. In the US we play a Willie Nelson tune and then get drunk.

And not so much as a single drop of rain all day!
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: billy rubin on September 19, 2022, 05:14:29 PM
i had an old episcopalian priest once say that one thing anglicanism did best, was the processions.

i havent seen any video of any of this since she died, but i know what it looks like
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: billy rubin on September 20, 2022, 02:56:09 PM
https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1571984379022385154?t=LP6aFp3Z-L5PouAzjJgkZg&s=19

i do not yet know whether ^^^this is true
Title: Re: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Post by: billy rubin on September 20, 2022, 03:00:30 PM
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/location-everything-trump-slams-biden-seat-queens-funeral

it is true.

i am astonished. really.

donald trump is so self absorbed that he cannot even let the funeral of the queen of england not be about him.

Quote"In Real Estate, like in Politics and in Life, LOCATION IS EVERYTHING!!!" Trump later added.