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Scots are in no hurry to let go ofthe royal line

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Published Date: 04 July 2009
By Joyce McMillan
ON A strange and sweltering July day in Edinburgh, an 83-year-old monarch with a heavy cold drives a few yards up the street from her palace at Holyrood to deliver a tenth birthday greeting to the Scottish Parliament.
Almost 50 of Scotland's 129 MSPs are not present to hear her brief speech; their absence causes some adverse comment, and talk of discourtesy to a Queen who, ever since 1999, has gone out of her way to uphold the dignity of the parliament as part of ...



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  • Last Updated: 03 July 2009 10:57 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Joyce McMillan
 
1

ukrefusenik,

camelon 04/07/2009 01:13:53
joyce mc millan , EH ?
people actually pay money for the hard copy of this nonsense ?
the only convinced "monarchist"(under sixty) i've come across recently had two pitbulls one called "king"
and the other was called "billy" . he certainly wasnt garden party material ( drunk and disruptive at a barbie , maybe ) .
if i exaggerate ,so what ? at least i dont have to use lavender to cover the obvious signs early onset intellectual incontinence ,
joyce mc millan ,EH ?
2

Glenn Quagmire,

04/07/2009 02:09:41
Joyce McMillan, ever the Establishment creep, secures her recurring invite to the royal garden party at Holyroodhouse.

A North Brit to her fingernails. And has been since Day One of her 'journalistic' career.
3

redcliffe62,

04/07/2009 02:50:23
interesting that a sper the latest polls catholics vote as a majority now in scotland to leave the united kingdom, whereas protestants heavily support the monarchy and being ruled politically from london.
when she goes i think it will be an end of an era which will surely have a knock on effect on devolution, independence as well as the future of the monarchy.
nobody dislikes the queen personally that i know, even catholics. but the time for being ruled by the aristocracy attached to the royal family, with tory grandees up to their necks in filth in some weird upper class marriage system where they are all related to the queen by 3rd or 4th cousins seems about to end.
the royal family needs to decide if it belongs to "them
or "us", and i fear they belong to the wrong side even for loyal-ish protestants to be happy with in the 21st century.
4

nabodican,

Newton Stewart 04/07/2009 04:53:36
There is absolutely nothing wrong with showing respect for our queen. Those who do not believe in the monarchy are entitled to do so, however they should do it through the political system and not show themselves for the lowlife they are with underhand snipes at our queen who took the bother to come to the country of her mothers birth to celebrate 10 years of Holyrood.
5

donald,

glasgow 04/07/2009 05:01:48
Joyce of the Royal Labour Party and Unionist lickspittle Northbritishperson.
6

donald,

glasgow 04/07/2009 05:04:53
I'm in a hurry to get rid of the Monarchy and their Labour flunkeys before I am too old to enjoy it.
7

redcliffe62,

04/07/2009 05:13:02
nabodocan, i have respect for the queen herself, i rather like her, however i have no respect for the institution and the methodology that brought the said people and the royal court of hangers on to a postion of authority. th ewhous eof lords as has recently been shown is a farge full of political appointees and hereditary peers from families with some vague link to the aristocracy. we all deserve better than this.
queen elizabeth the first of britain, the first queen of that name since the union of the crowns, is welcome to edinburgh any time. charles the fourth beckons. when william takes over the number he gives himself as british monarch will again be a problem, assuming the monarchy still has some relevance then.
8

dunedin bully wee 1877,

04/07/2009 05:48:30
4 nabodican

“our queen who took the bother to come to the country of her mothers birth to celebrate 10 years of Holyrood”


Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was the youngest daughter and the ninth of ten children of Claude George Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis, (later 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne), and his wife, Cecilia Nina Cavendish-Bentinck. Her mother was descended from British Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, and Governor-General of India Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, who was the elder brother of another Prime Minister, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.

The location of her birth remains uncertain, but reputedly she was born either in her parents' London home at Belgrave Mansions, Grosvenor Gardens, or in a horse-drawn ambulance on the way to the hospital.[ Her birth was registered at Hitchin, Hertfordshire.

9

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 08:02:10
Fantastic.
It really is a hoot to see how the essentially bitter and snide politics of nationalism shows itself whenever any of the 'trigger' issues are broached as this collection of nasty, personal amd ill-informed posts show.
In my area the nats were caught airbrushing pictures of the queen out of a fake newspaper they were distributing. This stupid and infantile attachment to student politics will cost them in the long run and they know it. After apologising for the airbrushing fiasco and blaming an 'over enthusiastic' local party member the SNP realised how pathetic they appeared so tried to change their story and claim that they had meant to remove the queen's image as a mark of respect. Hilarious.
10

Marian,

04/07/2009 08:16:35
The reality is that the vast majority of Scots are ambivalent towards the House of Windsor as clearly demonstrated by the low level of interest in Scotland at the time of Princess Diana's death and events like the Queen's Jubilee etc.

11

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 08:48:57
11
Why not read the article and come back and let us know what you think...........
12

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 08:49:37
10
Really? Another cybernat who hasn't read the article but feels qualified to comment.......
13

Grant,

Edinburgh, Scotland 04/07/2009 08:56:25
"Scots are in no hurry to let go ofthe royal line"

Anybody remember the ITV extravaganza Monarchy - The Nation decides" from a few years back, where Scotland was the only bit on the map to turn red - ie the only bit of Britain to vote against the monarchy?
14

Sallust,

04/07/2009 08:58:47
Ukrefusenik (1),

The fact that you assume the vast majority of people share your views says much less about Scotland than it does about the company you frequent. If you spent more time in the real Scotland, and less time in the virtual, online, fantasy Scotland, where monotonous people of a particular persuasion impress each other with angry pseudonyms, you'd find that, like every country, it contains a range of political views.
15

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 09:15:36
14
Hmmm...If the Scots are as republican as you suggest do you think it is wise for the SNP to be so keen to keep the queen as head of state for an independent Scotland.
16

mr broon,

Edinburgh 04/07/2009 09:31:58
Crowds following the Queen's Royal week in Edinburgh, and elsewhere in Scotland, are tiny compared to 30 or 40 years ago.

Crowds at some Royal events are almost embarrassing.

Since her coronation, nowhere in government or historical records does it refer to Queen Elizabeth the Second as the monarch of the United Kingdom. The fact is that Elizabeth the Second, is the Queen of an English Dynasty. (Source: David Starkey, academic, historian, and constitutional expert)
17

Masterpiece,

04/07/2009 09:43:45
When are the Scots going to start laying aside such colonial trappings as the British Royal Family, titles etc, etc.

It seems the Scots are addicted to them.
18

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 09:46:32
17
Mr Broon,
You claim that people are so ambivalent towards the monarchy that "Crowds at some Royal events are almost embarrassing.".
Then you contradict yourself somewhat by getting yourself all worked up about royal dynasties....nobody cares, remember?
19

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 09:47:51
18
"When are the Scots going to start laying aside such colonial trappings as the British Royal Family.."

History not one of your strong points then?
20

ukrefusenik,

the real scotland 04/07/2009 09:50:37
#15


er is the real world found outside the gates of crathie kirk ? phew that is some weird reality . wave a little flag for me

21

ukrefusenik,

camelon 04/07/2009 09:54:48
history is MY strong point , the court moved south and after the brief reign of jamie saxt , took english elocution lessons , becoming colonialised from the inside out .
22

AM2,

Scotland,UK 04/07/2009 09:55:31
#15 Sallust

Please stop trying to inject sanity into the proceedings.

In the imaginary Scotland of the CyberNats, nobody votes Labour, Conservative or LibDem. Nobody values being both Scottish and British. And nobody sees any benefit in a monarchy.

Best not to challenge them — unless you're content to be branded a “naysayer”, “imperialist” or “quisling”.
23

dunedin bully wee 1877,

04/07/2009 10:02:20
20 Grahamski

I take it you will be off shortly to exercise your “democratic right to parade along the Queen’s highway” waving your butcher’s apron, extolling your desire to retain the sectarian Hanoverian succession and expressing your contempt of our shared background with our Irish cousins.
24

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 10:07:40
24
What a strange post. And bitter with it.
25

dunedin bully wee 1877,

04/07/2009 10:08:58
23 AM2,

“And nobody sees any benefit in a monarchy.”

And what “benefits” might these be?
26

dunedin bully wee 1877,

04/07/2009 10:19:39
25Grahamski

What exactly do you find either strange or bitter about my post?

What would you describe the purpose of an “orange” march as being?
27

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 10:25:44
27
"What exactly do you find either strange or bitter about my post?"
Strange that you imagine that I would be associated with the orange lodge. I have consistently posted from an athiest's standpoint. I abhor all religions, particularly evangelical and fundamentalist ones.
Bitter in tone, you cannot hide it Bully Boy!
28

AM2,

Scotland,UK 04/07/2009 10:35:52
#26 Dunedin

Despite only really having a ceremonial and ambassadorial role, I believe the monarchy’s benefits to be quite far reaching, both economically and socially.

First economically. Nations have distinct brand images in the international marketplace. These are complex mixes of different forms of knowledge and experience of countries’ cultures, their people, products, political and governmental integrity, legal systems, social structures and various other factors which give rise to valuational appraisals.

At the simplest level, these national brand images boil down to stereotypes like Germany – workmanship; Italy – design; Switzerland – precision and Japan – reliability.

But detailed studies, such as the Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index, reveal that Britain’s image is uncommonly complex, in no small measure due to the perception that we succeed in balancing a keen sense of our own history, an appreciation of tradition and our relatively conservative values with a vibrant knowledge-based economic base and a socially progressive, internationalist outlook. The monarchy is a vital component of that image.

On the social side, an extended royal family of great antiquity provides a metaphor representing historical and cultural continuity. Today’s younger people will carry fond memories of the Queen Mother throughout their lives, and will on average see five or six generations of royals. This serves to both root people in the past and help project them towards the future. Older people alive today may still remember George V, yet the relatively contemporary attitudes of the young royals must surely serve as a reassurance that modernity and decency (even if punctuated by occasional youthful lapses of judgment) aren’t actually conflicting.

The royal family is also a flexible enough structure to evolve and accommodate the various strengths of its members. Prince Charles is perhaps the best example. He has become a national treasure, constantly poking holes
29

AM2,

Scotland,UK 04/07/2009 10:36:10
...in orthodoxy and encouraging self-criticism on an array of issues. And then there’s Prince Andrew’s ongoing work as a roving ambassador for British business, the benefits of which – while impossible to quantify – undoubtedly far outweigh the (not insubstantial) costs. So at under £1 per taxpayer per year, I think the monarchy offers tremendous value.
30

Observer,,

Glasgow 04/07/2009 10:57:52
Most Scots don't give a two hoots about the Monarchy. We are neither staunch Republicans nor staunch Monarchists. It's as if it has nothing to do with us.
31

Observer,,

Glasgow 04/07/2009 11:03:34
I think we should get rid of the Monarchy out of indifference.
32

Observer,,

Glasgow 04/07/2009 11:09:32
You aren't half pompous AM2. Morning Grahamski are you still maintaining the Labour Party are going to hold a referencum then ?
33

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 11:13:37
33
Hi Observer, apparently so....
34

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 11:14:17
...I take it you're happy with that?
35

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 11:15:02
31
Just like independence then?
36

Observer,,

Glasgow 04/07/2009 11:20:03
Well, it's just that there hasn't exactly been much coverage of it has there ? Am I happy with it ? Yes, I would like to see the whole thing done and dusted and then we all know where we stand.
37

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 11:23:03
37
There has been whispers about it in the press. I see it as opportunistic and cynical, a ploy worthy of the gesture politics of the nats. The Labour Party should be above that......
38

dunedin bully wee 1877,

04/07/2009 11:40:11
29 /30AM2,

Absolute drivel.

You obviously have never had the benefit of working outwith the UK, and move within very restricted circles if you believe any of your assertations to be true.

Your view of how the UK (England) is regarded outwith your sphere of knowledge is both laughable and risible.

As far as the “Royal Family “is concerned, Betty is seen as being a relatively harmless old biddy with an interesting taste in hats.

I trust that there is a still a local post office around wherever she may be relocated to, in order to collect her pension.

Perhaps in respect to her it will be operated by “Deutsche Post”?

39

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 11:48:53
Observer,
Is this "You aren't half pompous AM2." an example of an ad hominem attack?
Are you still against such attacks?
40

AM2,

Scotland,UK 04/07/2009 11:56:23
#40 Grahamski

“Pompous”, “traitor”, “lickspittle”, “Anglo”, “colonialist” — nothing new, and water off the proverbial duck's back. But thanks anyway.
41

Observer,,

Glasgow 04/07/2009 11:56:52
40 It was an observation. Normally I quite like AM2's posts, but when he is short and snappy. He did bang on a bit there.
42

Observer,,

Glasgow 04/07/2009 11:58:01
41 Oi you I have never said any of these things apart from pompous which I stand by. But then I can be pompous too.
43

GH1,

Glasgow 04/07/2009 11:58:45
Why don't they turn the Royal palaces into Disney Worlds and put the profits into the NHS? I'm sure the Royal family will prove a real tourist attraction.

Or else only those who support the Monarchy should make a contribution to their upkeep from their salary or benefits, and then we really will find out how many royalists there are out there. Let those who are in love with the old bag pay for her. Either put up or shut up.
44

AM2,

Scotland,UK 04/07/2009 12:00:13
#42 Observer

Yeah, OK. Fair comment.
45

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 12:10:46
41
Oh, I know you're used to such attacks. Just surprised at Observer who is usually so outraged at 'ad hominem' attacks indulging in them herself....
46

Observer,,

Glasgow 04/07/2009 12:19:07
46 Behave. It wasn't an ad hominem attack on AM2, it was a comment on his posting style on that post. I know he gets attacked all the time, but I don't do it and I completely disagree with it.
47

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 12:24:21
47
Aye, you're just great, you.....
48

Observer,,

Glasgow 04/07/2009 13:46:45
Thanks.
49

,

04/07/2009 16:03:53
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
50

Grahamski,

Falkirk 04/07/2009 17:16:03
50
Supposed to be?
Where in my posts have I supported royalty?
I merely pointed out the hypocrisy and deceit of the SNP who think one thing and say another.
As far as I am concerned the Romanovs were a start...
51

The Saltire,

04/07/2009 17:55:20
52

Youre critising anti royalists for being anti royalist not for being hipocrites and yet you who is supposed to be this radical anti SNP leftiski seems to have forgotton who you are supposed to be. In reality you are a Scotsman staff member who has used the wrong name on the wrong story using the wrong tact. What a pleb you should have stuck with AM2 or Rufus or SM753 or any number of other fakes you people use to stir your own stories.
52

GH1,

Glasgow 04/07/2009 19:18:25
Big day in the USA today, folks. In case you never noticed. The richest country in the world. And without the need for a monarchy, either. Imagine that!

Millions are celebrating throughout the fifty states and the rest of the world. What are they celebrating? WELL, IT AINT DEVOLUTION DAY.
53

Conan the Librarian™,

04/07/2009 20:13:46
52
Evening Grahamski, I'd have thought you would have supported any republican stirrings, no matter where they were found?
54
Lol GH1. Wee Pretendy Parliament Day, doesn't have quite the same ring...
54

The Saltire,

04/07/2009 20:24:41
55

Tells you something about our little so called grahamski the red does it no? looks to me like somebody in the news office made a boo boo and picked the wrong name for the story.
55

dunedin bully wee 1877,

04/07/2009 21:26:00
51 Rufus


Which words are you having difficulty with this time?


Ask your parents (I assume you have at least one) to buy you a dictionary.

That would be much more useful to you than your plasma car and your blue ray-guns.
56

Conan the Librarian™,

04/07/2009 22:33:49
58
Evening Rufus.You've been faked?
57

Conan the Librarian™,

04/07/2009 23:00:01
Sorry Rufus, that link didn't work.
Was it an insult?
58

Conan the Librarian™,

04/07/2009 23:51:29
63
All I get is a Telegraph site.

Ah.

Must do better Rufus.
59

hoblar,

05/07/2009 22:20:29
The troll element are bad enough in themselves, their kindergarten commentary is fake enough to begin with first time round and requires no 'fake' to be employed.

As to the Queen, it was herself that met with the First Minister of Scotland almost immediately after the people of Scotland had made their decision in 2007.

Good for her, she raised herself greatly by this act in my opinion, and I went from being indifferent about her role in modern civic Scotland to having respect for her pragmatism and her own respect for democracy, a pit the so called Westminster 'government' felt unable to show similar statesmanship isn't it?

New Labour have began an indifference to the wishes and aspirations of modern Scotland that their blue labour/tory bedfellows and twin party will continue with glee when they board the westminster train for their assigned planet bore term.





The unionists, who failed to 'save the union' during the Scottish Elections, people like Tony Blair and Gordon Brown snubbed Alex Salmond and the Scottish government, with Brown and his cohorts in a big sulk over the democratic right of Scotland to NOT vote new labour into Government.

 

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