Australia gives Knighthood to Prince Philip - er, ... A Prince Philip appreciation thread

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Oh yes. The trade benefits. Because it's a well-known fact that the markets of the world will ignore silly trifles like price and quality, and buy any old tat if Prince Andrew can leave the sex-trafficked jailbait alone long enough to grudgingly shake their hands. They are but childlike simpletons, the foreigners.

[Lorizael]

To put it in context, has any tourist, ever, gone "While Egypt's rich historical and cultural trappings are indeed impressive, the fact remains that those pyramids just aren't the same without Pharaohs around any more. Let's go to Denmark instead!"?

Oh, I thought there was like a room in Buckingham Palace where the Queen sits all day so that American tourists can walk by, gawk, and point.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

We spend hundreds of years building up, as a nation, a reputation for innovation, invention and rational thought, and it all gets pissed up the wall every time monarchists decide to spread their opinions like herpes.

[Alexander's Horse]

Prince Andrew came to Korea as a trade emissary. He asked the British ambassador how much time he spent on trade? The Ambassador gave a standard reply. Prince Andrew said that wasn't good enough. He should spend practically all his time on trade - never mind North Korea, the nuclear issue or anything else that HRH Andrew didn't care about.

The British Ambassador, who was a very decent and able fellow, did not get his expected knighthood when he finished his posting and quietly retired.

[kentonio]

To put it in context, has any tourist, ever, gone "While Egypt's rich historical and cultural trappings are indeed impressive, the fact remains that those pyramids just aren't the same without Pharaohs around any more. Let's go to Denmark instead!"?

Yes, because the palaces and stately homes of the UK are wonders of the world comparable to the pyramids. Obviously no tourist has ever been drawn by the pomp and ceremony of the royal house and the events that surround it.

Oh yes. The trade benefits. Because it's a well-known fact that the markets of the world will ignore silly trifles like price and quality, and buy any old tat if Prince Andrew can leave the sex-trafficked jailbait alone long enough to grudgingly shake their hands. They are but childlike simpletons, the foreigners.

Of course no countries, especially those in the middle east run by dynastic monarchies of their own would be influenced by friendships and ties stretching back over decades or centuries. Meanwhile no politician would ever be influenced by the presence of the world's most famous monarch, and the ceremony and glitz that surrounds her.

Do you guys ever actually listen to yourselves?

[kentonio]

We spend hundreds of years building up, as a nation, a reputation for innovation, invention and rational thought, and it all gets pissed up the wall every time monarchists decide to spread their opinions like herpes.

That's right, because freedom of thought is only permitted when certain progressives deem it to be so, otherwise any discussion about certain subjects is to be ridiculed and deemed verbotten. It's amazing how much like a fascist you sound sometimes.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Of course no countries, especially those in the middle east run by dynastic monarchies of their own would be influenced by friendships and ties stretching back over decades or centuries. Meanwhile no politician would ever be influenced by the presence of the world's most famous monarch, and the ceremony and glitz that surrounds her.

Have you ever been to the Middle East? I have. It's full to the brim with Porsches, Ferraris, Mercedes-Benz and Masaratis, with nary a German or Italian royal in sight.

[Alexander's Horse]

The trade role is controversial - her majesty spruiks for British manufactures but not Australian wool or Canadian lumber or New Zealand dairy.

On occasion the royals have actively worked against the trade or other interests of countries where they are nominally head of state and supposed to stay out of politics, an example would be Olympic venue bids.

[kentonio]

Have you ever been to the Middle East? I have. It's full to the brim with Porsches, Ferraris, Mercedes-Benz and Masaratis, with nary a German or Italian royal in sight.

Gosh, that totally proves your point, well done.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

That's right, because freedom of thought is only permitted when certain progressives deem it to be so, otherwise any discussion about certain subjects is to be ridiculed and deemed verbotten. It's amazing how much like a fascist you sound sometimes.

You have every right to hold your opinions and express them, and I have every right to despair at them. Note the absence of jackboots outside your door? Climb down from your Maiden Aunt histrionics.

[Lorizael]

kentonio, do you just overreact whenever people badmouth the British monarchy, or do you legitimately think it's a good idea for your country to still have a queen in ****ing 2015?

[kentonio]

You have every right to hold your opinions and express them, and I have every right to despair at them. Note the absence of jackboots outside your door? Climb down from your Maiden Aunt histrionics.

You can 'despair' at anything you want, but once again you went for jumping in with the judgementalism instead of maybe discussing the issue at hand and finding out why people hold the opinions they do. I support the monarchy for a range of reasons, the vast majority of which are completely pragmatic. Have I often been a big cheerleader for small groups of people who possess vast sums of wealth and hold disproportionate power and influence over society?

Ah **** it, I've got better things to do.

[Hauldren Collider]

Prince Philip, a life of service - and gaffes



If I had to quietly follow my wife around for 60 years I'd be grumpy too

I don't believe that any of these are gaffes. He seems like a sharp dude

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

I support the monarchy for a range of reasons, the vast majority of which are completely pragmatic.

The kind of pragmatism that considers democratic representation and accountability to be unnecessary fripperies. We've been down this road before.

[kentonio]

The kind of pragmatism that considers democratic representation and accountability to be unnecessary fripperies. We've been down this road before.

Sure, I'd overthrow a democratic system too if I thought it could guarantee a better outcome than we have currently. Democratic representation and 'accountability' are a joke, we consider the vote of the worst and most stupid amongst us equal to that of the best and the brightest, and we allow corruption and undue influence to reign at every step of the supposedly democratic process. Simply demanding every system is democratic is childish in the extreme, democracy does not equal fairness or opportunity, those have to be fought for issue by issue with the best solution being found for each problem individually.

Answer me this, if a non-democratic system could offer you a more equal, fair and just society, would you still insist on a democratic one?