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State Opening of Parliament
Chizz
Posts: 28,351
We do pomp and ceremony brilliantly in this country. But the State Opening of Parliament is surely the pinnacle. The mixture of ancient, ludicrous ceremonial nonsense, eye-wateringly expensive garb, tackle and horsery and the visible demonstration of the primacy of Parliament, but with the acknowledgement that the Monarch is Head of State and it's His (or Her) Government.
I love it!
I love it!
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Comments
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Is there a separate throne for the kings crown again this year?0
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I feel sorry for Charles having to read out all that waffle.4
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Acknowledgement of previous difficulties in relationship between monarch and parliament through having an MP ‘held hostage’ at Buckingham Palace until the king returns!1
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Do we know who it was this year?JohnnyJoeyDeeDee said:Acknowledgement of previous difficulties in relationship between monarch and parliament through having an MP ‘held hostage’ at Buckingham Palace until the king returns!0 -
Jeremy Corbyn volunteered. He loves it.Chizz said:
Do we know who it was this year?JohnnyJoeyDeeDee said:Acknowledgement of previous difficulties in relationship between monarch and parliament through having an MP ‘held hostage’ at Buckingham Palace until the king returns!0 -
Anyway, this is by no means intended to be a political thread, so it would be great if the politics were left out and if anyone wanted to talk about the pomp and ceremony, the tradition, the location, how it works, why it works, why it brings in investment and adds to our soft power or, indeed, whether it should continue, that would be great.
Is it the best ceremonial event in the world?0 -
Plenty I'd like (across all the parties) and more than happy for them not be releasedChizz said:
Do we know who it was this year?JohnnyJoeyDeeDee said:Acknowledgement of previous difficulties in relationship between monarch and parliament through having an MP ‘held hostage’ at Buckingham Palace until the king returns!1 -
The Keys ceremony at the Tower, continued uninterrupted since 12 centuryChizz said:Anyway, this is by no means intended to be a political thread, so it would be great if the politics were left out and if anyone wanted to talk about the pomp and ceremony, the tradition, the location, how it works, why it works, why it brings in investment and adds to our soft power or, indeed, whether it should continue, that would be great.
Is it the best ceremonial event in the world?2 -
Clive Lewis?Chizz said:
Do we know who it was this year?JohnnyJoeyDeeDee said:Acknowledgement of previous difficulties in relationship between monarch and parliament through having an MP ‘held hostage’ at Buckingham Palace until the king returns!4 -
Samantha Dixon. Apparently it’s always a junior whip in the governing partyChizz said:
Do we know who it was this year?JohnnyJoeyDeeDee said:Acknowledgement of previous difficulties in relationship between monarch and parliament through having an MP ‘held hostage’ at Buckingham Palace until the king returns!2 -
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So people are only allowed to comment if they agree with your perception of the event?Chizz said:Anyway, this is by no means intended to be a political thread, so it would be great if the politics were left out and if anyone wanted to talk about the pomp and ceremony, the tradition, the location, how it works, why it works, why it brings in investment and adds to our soft power or, indeed, whether it should continue, that would be great.
Is it the best ceremonial event in the world?7 -
Was invited to this through work - I have to admit I had heard of it vaguely but didn't know much about it beforeusetobunkin said:
The Keys ceremony at the Tower, continued uninterrupted since 12 centuryChizz said:Anyway, this is by no means intended to be a political thread, so it would be great if the politics were left out and if anyone wanted to talk about the pomp and ceremony, the tradition, the location, how it works, why it works, why it brings in investment and adds to our soft power or, indeed, whether it should continue, that would be great.
Is it the best ceremonial event in the world?
I think my favourite overall experience, if not nearly so much pomp and ceremony, was the closing of the Wagah border - was lucky (again though work) to get VIP seating. Demonstrated so much about India and Pakistan (in how the crowds differed on either side and that women took part for India etc) - and who could kick higher then stomp loudest!4 -
Absolutely not! Please comment if you agree, don't agree, have a different view, prefer a different ceremony, want to put forward another country with better ceremonies. Or, if you do agree.Rizzo said:
So people are only allowed to comment if they agree with your perception of the event?Chizz said:Anyway, this is by no means intended to be a political thread, so it would be great if the politics were left out and if anyone wanted to talk about the pomp and ceremony, the tradition, the location, how it works, why it works, why it brings in investment and adds to our soft power or, indeed, whether it should continue, that would be great.
Is it the best ceremonial event in the world?
What's your view, @Rizzo?0 -
Ludicrous BUT splendid stuff!2
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'whether it should continue'. Literally invited disagreement over the existence of the ceremony, Chizz is just saying don't turn a conversation about the ceremony itself into a 'boo Labour boo Conservatives boo Reform' threadRizzo said:
So people are only allowed to comment if they agree with your perception of the event?Chizz said:Anyway, this is by no means intended to be a political thread, so it would be great if the politics were left out and if anyone wanted to talk about the pomp and ceremony, the tradition, the location, how it works, why it works, why it brings in investment and adds to our soft power or, indeed, whether it should continue, that would be great.
Is it the best ceremonial event in the world?14 -
How she’d become Queen then? I didn’t vote for her…3
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Is that Queen's English?Yorkshireaddick said:How she’d become Queen then? I didn’t vote for her…3 -
I find all the pomp and ceremony utterly ridiculous. Serves no actual purpose and is purely done for the sake of doing it. Similarly, the whole idea of a constitutional monarchy is absurd.Chizz said:
Absolutely not! Please comment if you agree, don't agree, have a different view, prefer a different ceremony, want to put forward another country with better ceremonies. Or, if you do agree.Rizzo said:
So people are only allowed to comment if they agree with your perception of the event?Chizz said:Anyway, this is by no means intended to be a political thread, so it would be great if the politics were left out and if anyone wanted to talk about the pomp and ceremony, the tradition, the location, how it works, why it works, why it brings in investment and adds to our soft power or, indeed, whether it should continue, that would be great.
Is it the best ceremonial event in the world?
What's your view, @Rizzo?6 -
Now this is going to sound contradictive against myself, but I'm not a huge Royalist to be honest, I can take em or leave em (quite a few need leaving). However the tradition built over centuries around our democracy is what the State Opening of Parliament is about!
It's pageantry, and we do it very well, the envy of the world! There is nothing wrong with tradition, but it cannot override our democracy and I think this 'ceremony' reminds us of that.
I enjoy watching it every time it happens.
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Agreed about the pageantryRedmidland said:Now this is going to sound contradictive against myself, but I'm not a huge Royalist to be honest, I can take em or leave em (quite a few need leaving). However the tradition built over centuries around our democracy is what the State Opening of Parliament is about!
It's pageantry, and we do it very well, the envy of the world! There is nothing wrong with tradition, but it cannot override our democracy and I think this 'ceremony' reminds us of that.
I enjoy watching it every time it happens.0 -
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Yeh! Not sure you are up with the UK's consitutional set up there Yorkshire.Yorkshireaddick said:How she’d become Queen then? I didn’t vote for her…
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Leaving aside the status of constitutional monarchy (which deserves a thread on its own: one which I will studiously avoid!) I completely agree that the pomp and ceremony is ludicrous. But that doesn't stop it also being superb. In fact, it's the ludicrousness of it that makes it such a brilliant event.Rizzo said:
I find all the pomp and ceremony utterly ridiculous. Serves no actual purpose and is purely done for the sake of doing it. Similarly, the whole idea of a constitutional monarchy is absurd.Chizz said:
Absolutely not! Please comment if you agree, don't agree, have a different view, prefer a different ceremony, want to put forward another country with better ceremonies. Or, if you do agree.Rizzo said:
So people are only allowed to comment if they agree with your perception of the event?Chizz said:Anyway, this is by no means intended to be a political thread, so it would be great if the politics were left out and if anyone wanted to talk about the pomp and ceremony, the tradition, the location, how it works, why it works, why it brings in investment and adds to our soft power or, indeed, whether it should continue, that would be great.
Is it the best ceremonial event in the world?
What's your view, @Rizzo?
Like Eurovision. Or Strictly. Or Mardi Gras. Or Burning Man. Or The Met Gala. Or Cirque du Soleil. Or WrestleMania. Or La Tomatina. Or The Oscars. Or Comic-Con. Or the Rio Carnival. Or El Colacho. None of these compare to the State Opening of Parliament. Yet they are all both ludicrous and brilliant. The two are not mutually exclusive.
I mean, hundreds of people cramming into a room, at the behest of someone wearing plus-fours and carrying a big stick, just to listen to a man in a billion pound gold hat tell us all what "his" government is going to do is the epitome of a ridiculous ceremony. But, it's our ridiculous ceremony.
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You missed boo libsGarrymanilow said:
'whether it should continue'. Literally invited disagreement over the existence of the ceremony, Chizz is just saying don't turn a conversation about the ceremony itself into a 'boo Labour boo Conservatives boo Reform' threadRizzo said:
So people are only allowed to comment if they agree with your perception of the event?Chizz said:Anyway, this is by no means intended to be a political thread, so it would be great if the politics were left out and if anyone wanted to talk about the pomp and ceremony, the tradition, the location, how it works, why it works, why it brings in investment and adds to our soft power or, indeed, whether it should continue, that would be great.
Is it the best ceremonial event in the world?0 -
I find the ceromony ridiculous also.Rizzo said:
I find all the pomp and ceremony utterly ridiculous. Serves no actual purpose and is purely done for the sake of doing it. Similarly, the whole idea of a constitutional monarchy is absurd.Chizz said:
Absolutely not! Please comment if you agree, don't agree, have a different view, prefer a different ceremony, want to put forward another country with better ceremonies. Or, if you do agree.Rizzo said:
So people are only allowed to comment if they agree with your perception of the event?Chizz said:Anyway, this is by no means intended to be a political thread, so it would be great if the politics were left out and if anyone wanted to talk about the pomp and ceremony, the tradition, the location, how it works, why it works, why it brings in investment and adds to our soft power or, indeed, whether it should continue, that would be great.
Is it the best ceremonial event in the world?
What's your view, @Rizzo?0 -
A constitutional monarchy is better than a dictatorship at the very least.5
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I’m a republican at heart but watching the way this country does ceremony is actually mesmerising stuff. I watched the Queens funeral and was literally jaw dropped by that slow march led by the ratings of The Royal Navy pulling the queens coffin. The one thing I would say though is that much of the ceremonial stuff we see isn’t always as ancient as we might think. A lot of it dates back to the Victorian era. No idea which is relatively modern and what’s not but it’s still splendid nonsense.Redmidland said:Now this is going to sound contradictive against myself, but I'm not a huge Royalist to be honest, I can take em or leave em (quite a few need leaving). However the tradition built over centuries around our democracy is what the State Opening of Parliament is about!
It's pageantry, and we do it very well, the envy of the world! There is nothing wrong with tradition, but it cannot override our democracy and I think this 'ceremony' reminds us of that.
I enjoy watching it every time it happens.4 -
Well, someone’s not getting their CL 6,000 posts award presentation…Rizzo said:
I find all the pomp and ceremony utterly ridiculous. Serves no actual purpose and is purely done for the sake of doing it. Similarly, the whole idea of a constitutional monarchy is absurd.Chizz said:
Absolutely not! Please comment if you agree, don't agree, have a different view, prefer a different ceremony, want to put forward another country with better ceremonies. Or, if you do agree.Rizzo said:
So people are only allowed to comment if they agree with your perception of the event?Chizz said:Anyway, this is by no means intended to be a political thread, so it would be great if the politics were left out and if anyone wanted to talk about the pomp and ceremony, the tradition, the location, how it works, why it works, why it brings in investment and adds to our soft power or, indeed, whether it should continue, that would be great.
Is it the best ceremonial event in the world?
What's your view, @Rizzo?10 -
It's not ceremony for the sake of ceremony. Every bit of the ceremony is essential constitutional process - it's just "dressed" in history. Of course we could relocate Parliament to an office block in Birmingham, get an elected president to open the session and read his / her own legislative plans (no need to attend, Zoom is fine), get some civil servants renting space in Media City Salford to type it up and put it on the internet and be done with it.1
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I am no monarchist but given the choice between Charles and President Johnson or Corbyn, I’m with the royal familyRizzo said:
There are systems of government between those two though. They aren't the only choices.seth plum said:A constitutional monarchy is better than a dictatorship at the very least.6
