How Many Armies does the Queen have?

Both he and Charles the 1st lacked the force of arms to enforce their will or claim to the throne.

Charlie certainly had those arms to start with.

And 😡 at being too slow to edit the number on my post. Hey Ho.

I’m wondering if there is a clinical term for this affliction.

This could literally be aimed at anyone posting on this thread 😀

😆

“Literally”, eh?

The way our system is set up as a pseudo democracy with a supervising monarch, where the real power lies is a bit fuzzy.

However as a person who saw the govt I democratically voted for in Oz overturned in an establishment coup, I have no doubt that that power exists and can and will be exercised.

It also made me aware of the the power of the small number people who control the media. They serve their interests first, and what we hear and see is what benefits them.

It is not a good system, and it certainly isn’t democratic.

IMHO they are not incompatible views but I can see why you would [ legitimately] raise that point.

JY- You are priceless! 😀

As far as I’m aware, the vote went against a Republic because the format offered was not a popular one.

How is this a “coup”, exactly?

It also made me aware of the the power of the small number people who control the media.

So – no absolute power anywhere, then…

Mr Woppit – Member
As far as I’m aware, the vote went against a Republic …

What are you taking about? I’m talking about 11 November 1975 in Australia.

Ah, sorry. Link, please.

EDIT: Just “Done my own research”. I wonder what would happen today if the same set of circumstances existed. I suspect the “Governor General” (is there still such an office?) would find his/her powers somewhat waned.

The “constitution” having evolved.

Your passive aggression is cheap rather than priceless 😛

Hello Junkyard. I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.

However as a person who saw the govt I democratically voted for in Oz overturned in an establishment coup, I have no doubt that that power exists and can and will be exercised.

Hmm, not quite that simple was it, in fact you had managed to vote in two opposing branches of government, with each dominating one House of Parliament, yet both having been democratically elected, and neither having supremacy.

Funnily enough it remains one of the strongest arguments against an elected upper house in the UK, since here supremacy rightly remains with the only democratically elected branch of government.

I have struggled to understand conspiracy theorists, but I read a piece which analysed them in terms of a religion. Whatever you think of religion, they are a way of placing a structure onto the world around us. I think it is much harder to accept that the world is chaotic and there is no overarching order. so people look for structures, even if they cal them evil, so that the world isn’t so scary, things are happening for a reason (eg the illuminati etc are controlling it all).

I think it is also why arguing with conspiracy theorists proves to be quite fruitless, people who have a deeply held religious belief cannot simply stop believing, even when presented with clear evidence. They will wriggle, look for exceptions, suggest that there is more going on but that you aren’t enlightened enough to see it.

I do feel a little sorry for them, as is just seems a little desperate, and they would most likely criticise organised religions for being part of the overarching conspiracy, when they themselves are displaying all of the same traits.

I do think there have been cover ups, by the government and other organisations, most of the time they are discovered, and it is due to petty reasons like protecting their mates/ the name of the organisation. However it would be a fallacy to suggest that because cover ups have occurred, all of the world is ruled by an organisation, it is like saying all of the universe is ruled by a god. Neither the God or the world dominating organisation exist, they are merely there to provide a structure when in reality there is only chaos!

@phil Id quite like to read that article if it’s online. It’s my main interest in these threads to be honest.

I have a conspiracy theory:

Jhj has realised that if he starts a batshit mental thread rather than derailing an existing one, he won’t be banned for it.

Strangely, he has suckered quite a lot of us into going along with him.

@ phil – yes, well put.

It is not a good system, and it certainly isn’t democratic.

So some people have identified the self-evident shortcomings of bourgeois democracy, and have come to the conclusion that this stems from the fact that we have a constitutional monarchy ?

Presumably therefore we can separate the countries in Europe which are democratic from those that aren’t by simply establishing whether they operate a constitutional monarchy or not ?

IE, Italy is democratic but Sweden is not.

“Parliamentary democracy is, in truth, little more than a means of securing a periodical change in the management team, which is then allowed to preside over a system that remains in essence intact”.
Tony Benn

I get the feeling that Saint Tony might have felt there was something wrong with this?

Sweden is ruled by Jim Broadbent

….Jhj has realised that if he starts a batshit mental thread rather than derailing an existing one, he won’t be banned for it.

Strangely, he has suckered quite a lot of us into going along with him.

Well I’d much rather read through one of JHJs “batshit” threads than some middleclasswhinycockbag rambling on about their latest coffee maker, watch, wood burning stove, dietary fad, or niche shaving device.

More JHJ, less MCWCB 😀

I find that not clicking on the MCWCB threads renders them harmless.

But I like that acronym and think it should become accepted STW speak.

*waits for some MCWCB to tell me that is not the correct use of the word “acronym”*

Sweden is ruled by Jim Broadbent

What a brilliant idea, all countries to be ruled by Jim Broadbent lookalikes. They would obviously all get on well together.

Interestingly, the next in line to the throne has expressed his determination to be more “influential” when he ascends to High Crankdom.

I guess we’ll see how far his absolute power progresses him down that road, eh?

I find I get a better shave with a closed-guard safety razor. Mach 3’s are pants.

Well said @Phil40 – I watched the recent Bitter Lake Documentary Film and it tried to suggest some sinister world order was in place but by the end all I could define from it was that after WWII Roosevelt tried to a deal with the Saudis. It was only partially successful as they (the Saudis) have more in common with Pakistan than USA and sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. Problem was it took the guy 2hrs 15 mins to tell the story. I was on a plane and had nothing else to watch.

EDIT +1 for the Jim Broadbent idea.

Seriously though, I use a cafetiere to make my coffee. Seems OK. Is there any REAL advantage in buying a Gaggia or is it just a plot to remove more buying credits from my bank account?

Jhj has realised that if he starts a batshit mental thread rather than derailing an existing one, he won’t be banned for it.

IIRC it was one particularly sensitive bat shit mental topic. Most are fine.

What a brilliant idea, all countries to be ruled by Jim Broadbent lookalikes

The tragic thing is that no-one has yet made a film about King Karl Gustav in which Jim can be cast.

Mr Woppit – Member

Interestingly, the next in line to the throne has expressed his determination to be more “influential” when he ascends to High Crankdom.

Since he’ll by default be Supreme Ruler of Earth And All Her Domains I can only assume he intends to invade the sun

Phil40, the “conspiracy religion” comparison is spot on.

You only have to look at the likes of Alex Jones (the other one) preaching his sermons to his flock to see the similarities.

Shouting rubbish at his eager disciples like a TV Evangelist. And they lap it all up without question, all the time lining his pockets with online advertising revenue and book deals.

It’s in incredible thing to watch, but just like any cult, the reality of it is very hard to see from the inside. So those people who have fallen for Jones etc, are brainwashed further and further into the “cult of conspiracy” and become incapable of looking at any evidence objectively.

Only giving any time to things that agree with what they have been preached by their leaders.

In terms of the “uncomfortable questions” that JHJ mentioned earlier.

This situation is a question that’s too uncomfortable for them to deal with, so just like many with blind faith, they ignore difficult to deal with stuff like Evidence and Logical Reasoning, and just stick with Conjecture, and have “faith” in what the preachers feed them.

I am trying to remember where I read the article, it was about 10yrs ago when all of the theories about 9/11 were out and about.

Not sure if that makes my post invalid, as I don’t have the original source I can quote 🙂

I just like to put it on record that I’m not involved.

More to the point, how many sleevies?

Bindun? I wouldn’t know…

In the first reply 😆

I have a couple of friends who are into conspiracies ..one about govts one about medicine

The problem is they use things that are true but they dont prove their view. For example all governments [ or pharma companies] lie to you therefore only a sheple would believe them. Its true but this does not prove your current view is correct you still need to prove your claim.

They then cherry pick massively the information – say the [very rare]side effects of vaccines whilst ignoring the eradication of say polio. Its pretty clear to see JHJ doing this ie Constitutional monarchy then figure head and ignoring three paragraphs that said she was a figure head and quoting the bits he agreed with.

The 9/11 one argues its suspicious bin laddens relatives [ I dont even know if this true tbh] left america before hand…he would have found it suspicious had they been there when it happened. Basically the evidence always fits the views.

The medical one is far worse as she thinks all sorts of shit can cure cancer and all sorts of shit are dangerous as she read it on the internet.

Much of the individual points taken in isolation are true ish but the conclusion are crazy.

I’m going with phil – it’s an attempt to overlay a sense of order on to something that’s essentially random and chaotic to keep panic at bay.

Where IS jhj, by the way?

Just beaten to it by MrW!
JHJ hasn’t been on this thread for 14hrs, just how long does it take a lizard to regrow it’s skin?

these two points may or may not been connected.

The skin change is pretty quick tbh.

But the manicures take forever…

Evidence of the Lizard people I think you’ll agree.

Sorry guys, been a bit preoccupied…

Interested to hear what JHJ has to say about some of the legislation passed over the years to limit the moarchs power…Magna Carta (stretching my history memory now) Bill of rights 1680-something, and the Acts of settlement in 1701?

Though those documents certainly seem to be noble in their intentions, you have to judge the crown on their actions…

Looking at all the murderous colonialism that has occurred since those documents were penned, combined with the current surveillance state, it seems at odds with the sugary sentiments that are bestowed upon well meaning pieces of paper when we operate under a non written constitution.

It’s fair to imagine that many of those decisions to plunder over the years were made within the privy council, a body that to this day retains an oath of secrecy and minimal democratic accountability.