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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2013 8:48:21 GMT -5
Out of interest, ahinton, what do you personally consider to be realistic?
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Post by ahinton on Jul 23, 2013 9:22:56 GMT -5
Out of interest, ahinton, what do you personally consider to be realistic? In the present context, a realistic comparison woulod be possible only if the monarch and prime ministers had the same powers vested in them and undertook the same duties; as this is not the case, I believe that the conclusions of any such comparison would be unrealistic. Furthermore, from the voting data in this thread, namely Poll Totals: Total Votes: 3 Total Voters: 2 it is clear not only that hardly anyone has voted at all but also that one member has voted twice, which I imagine rather speaks for itself. Anyway, to return to the specifics of the topic, it is worth pointing out that the 22nd century is almost 87½ years away. I wasn't born yesterday (as the saying goes), but the likelihood that the particular person who was born yesterday to the Cambridges will want to accede to a British throne if one still exists by then (and if Britain still exists by then) in his 88th year is surely vanishingly small; Prince Charles has already "waited" more than long enough and he's some two decades younger than that...
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2013 9:44:35 GMT -5
On the contrary, the present Queen could well live until she is over a hundred years old, as her mother did, and Prince William could last a long time too. We shall see?
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Post by ahinton on Jul 23, 2013 10:14:52 GMT -5
On the contrary, the present Queen could well live until she is over a hundred years old, as her mother did, and Prince William could last a long time too. We shall see? That's perfectly possible and, although she's cut back on her duties somewhat of late, she still works hard for someone of her age and seems not to be tiring of it particularly; my point, however, was not how long she, Prince Charles, Prince William or Prince Noname might last but whether the last of these would want to assume the rôle of British monarch in his 88th year (assuming there to be a Britain and a monarchy in the early 22nd century).
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2013 10:40:34 GMT -5
Why ever not? Do you reckon that the Queen will abdicate at some point during her current eighty-eighth year, ahinton?
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Post by ahinton on Jul 23, 2013 11:11:40 GMT -5
Why ever not? Do you reckon that the Queen will abdicate at some point during her current eighty-eighth year, ahinton? Did I suggest anything of the kind? The present Queen has been in the job for more than 60 years; continuing with it (provided that she retains the health and the will to do so) is surely a very different matter to that of assuming the rôle of monarch for the first time at such an age?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2013 12:33:39 GMT -5
Is the present Queen up to the top job, however, ahinton, and what about Prince Charles?
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Post by ahinton on Jul 23, 2013 16:33:44 GMT -5
Is the present Queen up to the top job, however, ahinton, and what about Prince Charles? It is not for me to judge, but I would not be at all surprised if she were in every sense up to it. I cannot comment about Prince Charles, since he has not done the job.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2013 17:53:28 GMT -5
Good morning, ahinton! To all those who survived the hot, humid night in London, what a night it turned out to be at the Royal Albert Hall. Congratulations to all! BBC - Prom 15: Wagner – Die WalküreJudge not, ahinton, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again! But what of Baby Cambridge, whatever his name, at Kensington Palace? Kensington PalaceKensington Palace is a bit big, however, even for kleines c and the gang. Both Leighton House and Somerset House have their place, but I would be tempted by something in between. Due to unprecedented demand from around the world, here is the legendary c plan for transportation: a to b via p
a = Leighton House
b = Somerset House
p = Spencer House' The Daily Telegraph' leads this morning with some editorial comment on quantitative housing: the Government's “Help to Buy” scheme is almost too successful, having been taken up by nearly 7,000 first-time buyers. Since taking office, George Osborne has tried all manner of schemes to put confidence back into the economy. Some had a limited impact, a few fizzled out completely. Now, however, he is faced with a new challenge: an initiative that could be rather too successful for its own good. The “Help to Buy” scheme, which is intended to give first-time buyers a leg-up on to the housing ladder by guaranteeing low-deposit mortgages, has been taken up by nearly 7,000 people, resulting in transactions worth roughly £1.3 billion. Come 2014, it is due to be expanded – to the tune of £12 billion – to cover all properties valued at less than £600,000, rather than just new-builds. Already, the prospect is sending house prices spiking up (with the result that property is less affordable for those very first-time buyers, making them more dependent on government help). Some have accused ministers of stoking a housing bubble – and of repeating the sin that led to the sub-prime crisis in America, by putting public money behind mortgages too highly leveraged for the market. Moreover, the ceiling on such loans is almost four times the average house price, which seems oddly extravagant from a Chancellor who has placed such emphasis on sound money and financial discipline. ' The Telegraph' transmits thus: I should perhaps confess that kleines c likes to have a good bath, generally in the late evening, although sometimes earlier, as necessary! The trick, as ever, is to turn the taps off before the water overflows. What I tend to do is to wait until the bath is half full. When I get in, it is close to the brim, and I can have a good soak before bed! I commend such an approach to Gorgeous George Osborne and ahinton! The former is a keen Wagnerian, so he will know that Bryn Terfel took over the Proms's Valkyries, and simply was Wotan DASH an archetypal man at the top, tragically conscious of the fragility of his position and unmanned by love of his splendid daughter Brünnhilde, sung by Nina Stemme with majestically rolling plenitude and emotional sincerity. The expressive richness and power of her middle register is one of the glories of today’s opera scene. Writing in ' The Telegraph', Rupert Christiansen concludes thus: Telegraph - Proms 2013: Wagner – Die Walküre, reviewWhat will survive of us, ahinton, is love!
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Post by ahinton on Jul 24, 2013 3:33:47 GMT -5
Aside from resenting mention of my name in the same sentence as that of Mr Osborne, I'd far rather hear about the certainty of Wagner for every century (especially in the hands of Mæstro Barenboim) than spurious speculation about a king for just the next one!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2013 4:46:23 GMT -5
Le roi est mort, ahinton; vive le roi!
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Post by neilmcgowan on Jul 24, 2013 15:26:39 GMT -5
On the topic of monarchy, I am largely in agreement with Robespierre :-)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2013 22:32:55 GMT -5
But is Robespierre in agreement with you, Neil? ' The Times' leads today with some editorial comment on a modern monarchy. For more than a week there have been reporters and photographers outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital and eventually they were rewarded with a story so ordinary as to be banal — a mother and father left a maternity wing with their new baby carried in a car seat, climbed into a car and drove off. Yet what they were reporting was worth the wait, because they can claim to have witnessed a small part of one of the big stories of the past 30 years — the gradual but nonetheless significant transformation of the British monarchy. ' The London Times' thunders that the Royal Family appears to have overcome its troubles and the new generation has adapted skilfully to a changing Britain. I propose some toast: to Her Majesty the Queen, Prince Charles, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince George (Alexander Louis)! Three cheers from kleines c and the gang (Thursday morning breakfast coffee)!
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Post by neilmcgowan on Jul 25, 2013 4:03:47 GMT -5
the gradual but nonetheless significant transformation of the British monarchy.
Transformed in which way, may I ask? I see no transformation whatsoever. I propose some toast: to Her Majesty the Queen, Prince Charles, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince George (Alexander Louis)!
I refuse your toast. I would rather drink poison than toast this vile little brat and his family. I hope they all go to Hell. Without passing Go, and without collecting 200 pounds.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2013 6:06:53 GMT -5
Out of interest, Neil, where you you personally consider Hell to be?
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