Gransnet forums

News & politics

Queen to attend Cabinet Meeting

(55 Posts)
Lilygran Mon 17-Dec-12 12:44:02

Without wanting to reactivate anti-royalist sentiments and any reaction to that - www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20757376.This is a woman who has selflessly dedicated herself to this country for 60 years, no retirement possible. And her loyal ministers can think of no better reward than to invite her to sit through a Cabinet Meeting.

Ana Mon 17-Dec-12 12:46:05

Yes, bet she can't wait...hmm

gillybob Mon 17-Dec-12 13:19:48

Oh how very terrible for her poor dear. grin

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ....... sorry couldn't resist.

Don't worry, I'm going.

jO5 Mon 17-Dec-12 13:26:26

I think that's really nice.

vampirequeen Mon 17-Dec-12 13:52:07

She can retire anytime she wants. It's called abdication. Her uncle did it so it's not unheard of.

A Cabinet meeting....what a treat lol. Will be a room full of sycophants all vying to pay her the greatest compliment. And she gets a pressie.....I hope it was from a whip round and not out of the public purse.

Going to hide behind the sofa now to avoid the volley of shots that are bound to come my way for posting this wink

Nanado Mon 17-Dec-12 13:53:21

OMG if this sets a precedent can you imagine King Charles 3 being required to sit quietly without contributing in years to come! wink ?

Grannylin Mon 17-Dec-12 14:05:13

Think she's just doing the rounds to say Happy Christmas!She saw MI5 and 6 last week,Foreign Office tomorrowgrin

gillybob Mon 17-Dec-12 14:07:57

Hello Vampirequeen You really must get the hoover out. The fluff and broken biscuits behind here is disgusting !

gillybob Mon 17-Dec-12 14:09:49

No way Nanado . There's one thing for sure they wouldn't let the TV cameras in on the day he attended !

Think you should join Vampire and me behind her sofa ! bring a dustpan and brush.

Nanado Mon 17-Dec-12 14:16:25

Perhaps she's gathering jokes material for the Betty Windsor Show Queen's Speech?

Riverwalk Mon 17-Dec-12 14:29:30

I do dislike these stunts - as if they would behave normally in her presence!

Bet she didn't turn up to Gordon Brown's meetings when he is said to have hurled phones and staplers at the head of dissenters grin

Barrow Mon 17-Dec-12 15:09:14

Apparently she has been invited to attend as an observer - although Prince Philip declined - can't imagine him keeping quiet if they start talking
-bulls**t- reasoned arguments.

Barrow Mon 17-Dec-12 15:10:06

That word was supposed to have been crossed through - looks like I am going to have to go back to school to learn how to use these things!

Movedalot Mon 17-Dec-12 15:28:13

I heard on the radio that the cabinet has bought the present with their own money, not ours.

Can't you just imagine them picking out their smartest clothes and buffing up their shoes. They will all be sitting there pretending they agree about everything. grin. No, I'm not having a go at the present lot, I think they would all be the same whichever lot were in. smile

Barrow Mon 17-Dec-12 15:33:34

Can't see much work getting done - maybe thats not such a bad thing grin

JessM Mon 17-Dec-12 18:38:10

BBC - R4 reporting on this "The PM has long been committed to getting more women around the cabinet table and tomorrow...."
Excuse me? W-hat?????
How come there are 18 men and 4 women currently then? Why is he failing so dismally, I'd like to know, if he has this long commitment?
There are also 9 attenders (who attend but are not official cabinet members) male and 1 attender female -(tokenethnicasianwoman Varsi).
Someone on Twitter said 20 of them were old Etonians. Which does tend to exclude adult women. (Do they let girls in these days?) I must go away and check if it is true.

JessM Mon 17-Dec-12 18:45:31

No there are only 4 old Etonians. The person on Twitter lied. Or didn't check their facts. Must keep checking facts. smile

vampirequeen Mon 17-Dec-12 19:17:27

There may be only 4 old Etonians but most of the others went to independent schools as well.

JessM Mon 17-Dec-12 20:15:57

Yes they did. "committed" my a**e. Harumph.

JessM Mon 17-Dec-12 20:26:44

DH has done a quick cogs-whirring bit of arithmetic and says this proportion (4/22) is just slightly better than the parliamentary Tory part as a whole (16%).
Labour front bench slightly more than a third female. Same % as the PLP.

POGS Mon 17-Dec-12 21:18:36

Jess

How many Labour, ANY? Does Cambridge come into it or Russell Group Uni's. Ofcourse there is is always Harpersons connections.

I don't know the answer but I do find there is a slight hypocrisy when the shadow front bench all forget how stupid they look when they don't acknowledge a good few of them have had private education and attended brilliant universities themselves. For goodness sake Miliband is the worst with his 'I went to a state school' rubbish. Didn't Miliband and Balls go to top American Universities?

I truly don't know the answer as I can't be bothered to find out but I hate class snobbery, sorry.

As for the Queen attending Cabinet isn't the story there this has not been done since Victoria. I think it is the historical point that is at the heart of the story rather than anything else.

Ana Mon 17-Dec-12 21:22:02

You're right, POGS, it's just to mark the Jubilee. It's not setting a precedent.

annodomini Mon 17-Dec-12 22:22:21

Ed Miliband went to state primary and comprehensive schools and then to Oxford. He spent a year at Harvard (2002 - 2003) not as a student but as a visiting scholar, teaching courses on economics and politics. Ed Balls did go to fee-paying Nottingham High School and Oxford; then he went to Harvard on a scholarship.
Not that I am a special fan of either of these men, but I like to get the facts right - hopefully Wiki as given me the correct ones.

annodomini Mon 17-Dec-12 22:22:35

as HAS

POGS Mon 17-Dec-12 22:27:22

Anno

Wasn't that the same state primary as Boris Johnson ?