She Ain't No Human Bean, in which I rant.

[f4f3]

Huge congratulations to The Independent newspaper, which, instead of the fawning portrait of Your Majesty which adorns most of our Free Press this morning led with this picture of King Gyanendra of Nepal, who is currently having his "subjects" gunned down in the streets.

It's not often that I'm embarrassed to be a citizen of the United Kingdom. I'm actually proud to be a Scot, and I think Britain has a history of exporting democracy and rationalism which, while far from unblemished (the Independent also had an excellent feature on The Black and Tans today) is also something to be proud of.

I am very strongly anti-monarchist, but, under the general principle that if you're unable or unwilling to change something it's rude to complain about it, I tend not to make a big thing about it. But since Betty is 80 today, I think it's worth going on record as saying that I will not be joining in the celebrations.

I find it, as I said, acutely embarrassing that we should be ruled by someone with no more right to the job than that her father had it before her. I find it embarrassing that we should be subject to this person, unelected and responsible to no one, and that we should pander to her and her squabbling brood as if they deserved our respect instead of our contempt. I don't think we should execute them, but I'd be a lot happier if they were pensioned off tommorrow. And by pensioned off, I mean put on a state pension, instead of the civil list.

The most charitable thing I can find to say about them all is that they never asked for the job, and the most realistic that they are a family of parasites kept in place by toadying, sniveling sycophants who have traded any self-respect they might have had for some ermine and the stink of patronage.

I hate the whole anachronistic institution, I feel demeaned to live in a country which is so superstitious, servile and spineless as to allow it, and I will hopefully live to see the day when the whole pack of them are turfed out of their London digs.

Comments

[widgetfox.livejournal.com]

Most of this I entirely agree with, although I tend to the view that the system that created them has pretty much destroyed any possibility of interacting as human beings, so I tend to pity rather than loathe them. I actually think that this alone is sufficient argument against a monarchy.

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

I really try to pity them, but lack the ability to empathise with the pain their extreme wealth and privilege brings them.

[rparvaaz.livejournal.com]

Well, you are just being downright nasty! Wealth and privilege form a painful cross!

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

I know, I know, but I'm just lacking in charity towards the less well off.

[rparvaaz.livejournal.com]

Ah well, as long as you admit it...

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Look, next time I see one of them selling The Big Issue I'll buy a copy, I promise. Even if they do end up spending the money on palaces...

[blonde222.livejournal.com]

I feel demeaned to live in a country which is so superstitious, servile and spineless as to allow it

You know the way to the airport, right?

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Well, yes - but so do they, and, to be frank, I'd rather they went than me.

And isn't that a little "our planet, love it or leave it?"

[blonde222.livejournal.com]

You clearly have a problem with not just the Royal Family but the rest of us too - surely it would make you happier to remove elsewhere where the population is less superstitious, servile and spineless and more sympathetic to your own views: like the US, for example, or France.

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

I don't really think it's "The rest of us" - I find a lot of people who are sympathetic with my views here, and would probably find far fewer in Paris or Washington with my desire for the House of Windsor to go away.

I do have a problem with those of you who are superstitious, servile and spineless, yes, but not a huge problem. I mean, it's not as if I'm superstitious, servile and spineless - I just feel a little sorry for people who are, and wish they weren't. But my wishing doesn't change their right to be whatever they want, and since I don't think they'll be convinced to become rational, break their habit of servility or grow a spine, I think I can put up with it fairly easily.
I put up with a lot of other stuff I don't like - smoking, people voting Tory, guys with nostril hair (or, worse, hair growing out of their ears) but none of this makes me think of leaving the country.

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

Send them back to Scotland where they belong!

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

We did not export the Nepalese Royal Family. To the best of my knowledge.

[parthenia14.livejournal.com]

Yep. We're extraordinarily servile and toadying about the Royal Family in this country, when at the very least they should be riding bicycles and going to Tesco. And we seem to think that the acceptability of the system is down to how handsome a prince is, or how much we happen to admire the green politics of the heir-in-waiting.

Aargh, time for my little calming pills.

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Someone on a Radio Scotland phone in this morning said that the sound of forelocks being tugged was deafening today...

I'm quite happy for them to buy bicycles, as long as they don't go in for any ruling on the side.