Normal Island

[djchapsticks]

40 minutes ago, Bert Raccoon said:

I'm what?

Oh, as you were 

He said Rocket Raccoon.

Not Raccoon the rocket.

[Gordon EF]

1 hour ago, Priti priti priti Patel said:

"am against the monarchy but... "

The number of spineless c***s coming away with shite like that over the past 24 hours. Just have a fucking opinion.

Edited September 9, 2022 by Gordon EF

[vikingTON]

Just now, Gordon EF said:

The number or spinless c***s coming away with shite like that over the past 24 hours.

It's certainly been helpful in outing all the closet boot-lickers who belonged under a guillotine all along. 

[Bert Raccoon]

26 minutes ago, djchapsticks said:

He said Rocket Raccoon.

Not Raccoon the rocket.

I'm going to assume that's the grief talking and let that slide this time 

[Bairnardo]

I think amongst ridiculing people and having a good old time watching the national embarrass itself, I have to at least acknowledge that I simply do not understand/cannot compute the reaction on an individual basis.

It's all very well saying Britain is a batshit mental hive of pure lunacy, but you can't get a single person outwith the friends and family of the Queen to explain to me in a way il understand, why they feel a connection, what she had to offer them personally, or why they feel they owe her any more respect or deference than anyone else.

The only thing I can think of is that if you have bought into the imaginary construct of Britishness (like other cult of personality freaks such as "Old Firm" supporters or folk that like Brewdog) then you have to have also bought into the importance of the Queen.

It's all bullshit, but then we all know plenty people live their lives within imaginary boundaries.

[vikingTON]

2 hours ago, Antlion said:

British folk frequently mock Americans for their flag-waving USA-USA-USA “patriotism”, but this lunacy is far, far beyond anything you’d see in the states.

Nope - Americans do similar at college 'football' games on behalf of veterans who they actually let sleep on the streets for 50 years solid after the Vietnam War. And engage in fleg worshipping that puts everyone in the Failed Statelet to shame.

It's merely a different flavour of lunacy. 

1 hour ago, Antlion said:

I noticed this at Jubilee time, coming back from London just as it was kicking off. Polls I think also show there’s a clear national division between Scottish and English attitudes to the monarchy

https://election.unherd.com/home/

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

My own team did one of those sycophantic ‘rip betty’ tweets and tbh it made me feel a bit sick. 

[tamthebam]

I've been a Republican since my teenage years (I'm now 50) but oddly I've been a bit teary. I did read that even folk in the Gulags cried when Stalin died and I suppose that Lizzie had always been around in the media since I was born. It's like having a Great Aunt that you never really visited but was always there. Also snuffing it at 96 was a bit like seeing one of the arsecheeks get a last minute penalty against your team- you knew it was inevitable but it came as a surprise just the same 

Anyway considering he's been a bit of a joke for so long it's like;

Queen Elizabeth II: respect

King Charles III: pfft, aye right

[Lyle Lanley]

 

 

[Loonytoons]

In recent years I've had a fair few folk that I cared for deeply, pop it, as it were.
Now, every single one of those events has been met with deep sorrow, massive laughter and gallows humour.
If some dozy fuckwit had turned round and said "you can't play cheery music, watch football or look at a full weather report" they'd have been hunted.
This current clusterfuck is utterly not the way any sane person behaves when they lose someone they care deeply for.

[Monkey Tennis]

2 hours ago, Loonytoons said:

In recent years I've had a fair few folk that I cared for deeply, pop it, as it were.
Now, every single one of those events has been met with deep sorrow, massive laughter and gallows humour.
If some dozy fuckwit had turned round and said "you can't play cheery music, watch football or look at a full weather report" they'd have been hunted.
This current clusterfuck is utterly not the way any sane person behaves when they lose someone they care deeply for.
 

This is another strange dimension.

Among the inane prattlings I've caught on the radio and TV has been references to people getting in touch, distraught over the Queen and mentioning things like having lost their husband two years ago.

Now, I suppose I get the idea, that this forced 'grieving' might trigger thoughts and memories of actual loss.  

However, surely recent experience of genuine bereavement must put this pantomime variety into perspective.  People seem willing to connect the two in ways that are odd though, and if scrutinised, would actually strike me as a bit disrespectful to the real, departed loved ones.  

Again though, quite how widespread such stuff is, I don't know.  We're obviously getting treated to lots of it, but I hope and suspect it's a lot less representative than its ubiquity would imply.

[Monkey Tennis]

4 hours ago, Bairnardo said:

I think amongst ridiculing people and having a good old time watching the national embarrass itself, I have to at least acknowledge that I simply do not understand/cannot compute the reaction on an individual basis.

It's all very well saying Britain is a batshit mental hive of pure lunacy, but you can't get a single person outwith the friends and family of the Queen to explain to me in a way il understand, why they feel a connection, what she had to offer them personally, or why they feel they owe her any more respect or deference than anyone else.

The only thing I can think of is that if you have bought into the imaginary construct of Britishness (like other cult of personality freaks such as "Old Firm" supporters or folk that like Brewdog) then you have to have also bought into the importance of the Queen.

It's all bullshit, but then we all know plenty people live their lives within imaginary boundaries.

I find it all as baffling as you do.

I suppose, though, that most of us have felt saddened at times to learn of the death of a public figure we'd never met.  Can't say I've done it myself, but we'll all know of perfectly sensible people who've shed tears in such circumstances.

Now, that's pretty bloody irrational too, but we'll excuse it by pointing to the tragic, early circumstances of the death, or by highlighting the body of exceptional work produced by the person in question.

Neither defence can be offered in reference to the queen. 

I, personally, can't understand anyone feeling strong affection or regard for members of the Royal family, but I don't suppose that means that nobody can.  

I find myself lurching between detached amusement and seething irritation by much of the nonsense I'm seeing.  A particular favourite right now, involves this notion of her constancy.

Again, I get the idea of fixed certainties providing a certain comfort in the face of rapid and  bewildering change, but can such a background, essentially pointless, presence do that?  James O'Brien was wittering away about the changes, social, economic and technological, that have occurred during her reign.  The implication was clearly that she'd played a part, which is of course, complete nonsense.

The observation that lots has happened since she was crowned, just basically means that she had a much better innings than her dad.  However, it's meant to kindle extreme reverence.

None of this hangs together.  I hope that the UK is mature enough to permit counter narratives some space when the dust settles.

[Jacksgranda]

11 hours ago, BFTD said:

Been busy for the past couple of days, haven't seen/heard any TV/radio, and my experience of Facebook/Twitter comes almost exclusively from stuff posted on P&B, so I'm fairly clueless about the shitshow that must be happening on Normal Island right now. I'm curious though - where does this stand on the DIana scale of utterly hysterical lunacy?

Nothing like it.

[Sergeant Wilson]

9 hours ago, Priti priti priti Patel said:

Not like if your granny died but maybe your granny's friend who you liked seeing.

How many of your Granny's pals did you know?

[Raven]

8 hours ago, Priti priti priti Patel said:

Probably the only time English people will differentiate between British and English is during an international football tournament, and what song do they play before every England game? GSTfuckingQ.

I think you'll find they play GSTfuckingK now. Do keep up.

[Jacksgranda]

10 hours ago, effeffsee_the2nd said:

the vast vast majority of folk i know are neither up nor down about it. i'm not getting where the outrage and need to cancel everything / throw Chinese take away's in the bin is coming from tbh 

my whatsapp group chats have been full of fannies tho

FTFY

[Jacksgranda]

9 hours ago, Zetterlund said:

I was working on my own today and trying to find a radio station that was even slightly listenable. Everything was playing a revised playlist of sombre music punctuated by very serious presenters reminding us that we're all very sad. Someone actually texted in to a radio show saying they had to turn it off as it was getting too emotional.

In the real world, nobody I know is bothered in the slightest and most are pissed off about the football being cancelled, among other things.

Shouldn't have been that hard. Radio Ulster just carried on with its usual schedule. (At least in the morning.)

[Sergeant Wilson]

2 minutes ago, Jacksgranda said:

Shouldn't have been that hard. Radio Ulster just carried on with its usual schedule. (At least in the morning.)

Paisley speeches?

[Raven]

8 hours ago, Priti priti priti Patel said:

Not exactly - there's a competition in Scotland between the British and Scottish identities, which means neither is ever truly dominant, and there's probably something of a void between the two for each person to fill in themselves. The monarchy is central to the mainstream British identity but isn't really a part of the Scottish identity. In contrast, in England there's almost no differentiation between British and English - it's a unity of messaging which leaves very little space for anything else. Probably the only time English people will differentiate between British and English is during an international football tournament, and what song do they play before every England game? GSTfuckingQ.

So even if an English person feels more English than British the chances are they will still identify with the monarchy. And so will everyone around them, regardless of their political inclinations on other issues. That's just not the case in Scotland.

There's basically no opportunity for someone south of the border to identify with their homeland without also identifying with the royals.

The media does also like to take an opportunity to remind us how much her maj loved Scotland. Sometimes with locals full of pride about her connection with their village. They don't need that affirmation down here. Possibly emphasises the "they're not from round here".

[hk blues]

4 minutes ago, Raven said:

The media does also like to take an opportunity to remind us how much her maj loved Scotland. Sometimes with locals full of pride about her connection with their village. They don't need that affirmation down here. Possibly emphasises the "they're not from round here".

I'm not sure that's really true - we frequently read of how Kate popped into the local store for this and that and how William popped  into the local for a pint.  With 24/7 news they need to find some shite to fill the pages