First RHS, now National Rail

Oldbutstilluseful

On reading we are in national mourning and not knowing what exactly this means, apart from flags flying half mast, I checked the government website. It says that all and any business, etc is able to close during this period if they wish to do so.

Thinking about the RHS, they have particularly close ties to the Royal Family and many of their staff must have met the Duke and felt they needed a day to mark their respect.

I know this doesn’t help those who were looking forward to a long awaited visit, for whatever reason, and I hope those with bookings will be given priority as soon as possible.

It wasn’t just those looking forward, it was those actually there , arrived after in many case a long journey and weeks of looking forward to it, meeting up with friends . There was a mass rood evacuation with no social distancing and chaos in the car park snd A3 slip roads. It was a crass stupid OTT decision with no mitigating factors at all. As if everyone who’d met the Duke could have stopped work as soon as they heard?

Rood ? Where did that come from ?

I agree Suziewoozie, it could and should have been handled better. I can’t answer for the whys and wherefores of such a decision, but just feel somewhere behind it was a person or people who felt they had to do something. Advanced warning of a day of mourning would have been more appropriate.

I think a lot of this ridiculous over-reaction to the death of a man aged 99 is about people looking over their shoulder, and worrying that they will be criticised if they are not seen to react. In an era of insane Royal-mania, starting pretty much with Lady Di as she then was, it sells news-media, particularly at the gutter end. I hope the RHS membership - mine lapsed some years ago - rise up and poke someone with a very sharp stick.

As for NR, I am thoroughly out of touch with who owns the website, although I knew people who wrote some of the algorithms for it more than 20 years ago. Given the enormous expenditure the railway industry has incurred to meet the Disabled Discrimination Act, one might have hoped for a more enlightened understanding of the implications of this ridiculous gesture.

Oldbutstilluseful

I agree Suziewoozie, it could and should have been handled better. I can’t answer for the whys and wherefores of such a decision, but just feel somewhere behind it was a person or people who felt they had to do something. Advanced warning of a day of mourning would have been more appropriate.

In otherwise an absolute fool of sycophant with no sense at all of the public they are supposed to be serving and no care for their safety during the evacuation. Just like NR had no thought for some of its customers. It’s a collective madness as I said - look at me look at me I’m proving I’m grieving so much more than you are

Anyone remember the wartime slogan "Keep Calm and Carry on"? Perhaps that's what we need. More a spirit of endurance and less grief exhibition.

You may well be right Suziewoozie. I have never been able to understand the mass outcry of grief when some famous celebrity dies. Grief is very personal and if I don’t know someone how can I pretend to miss them?

Having heard on the news that 22% of people in the UK have met the Duke (can’t verify but it probably was the BBC), especially through the DofE Award Scheme, someone, somewhere probably does feel a personal loss. Not knowing anyone personally I cannot comment on whether they are sycophants. Again though, I do agree that it could and should have been handled better.

I’m now finding myself interested in how countries grieved in the past. I know the ‘wireless’ used to play very somber music on the death of a member of the Royal Family. I’m grateful times have changed!

If it’s like this for Prince Phillip then god help us when the Queen dies.

Chestnut

Because they are a Royal Warrant Holder, Waitrose sent the following message. It extended sympathy to the Queen, not the recipient of the e-mail.
^As a Royal Warrant holder, Waitrose is deeply saddened by the death of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh and profoundly grateful for his extraordinary service to the nation over so many years. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to Her Majesty The Queen and The Royal Family.^

Yes, but why send it to ME - and apparently you?

Apologies Chestnut - confusing Ocado with Waitrose!!

Oldbutstilluseful - just because business can close doesn't mean they have to.
It makes no sense to me.

Technically, you could say any "ordinary" business can close if they want to. Some do just that - factory shut-downs, away-days etc.

I don't think we should be disparaging about anybody who feels a sense of personal loss but I do think that we shouldn't be subjected to the over the top coverage and hysteria about Prince Philips death.
Yes, I recognise his achievements and his service to the country but the country has lost a huge amount of people to Covid so it seems a little "off" somehow. To add insult to injury, it wouldn't have been what PP would have wanted either. He hated fuss apparently so why are we fussing? He lived his life in a goldfish bowl so let him rest in peace now.

That’s exactly what the government website says NotSphagetti. It’s for the individual business to make their decision. I was just interested to see what a national period of mourning looks like. In reality nothing much has or will change.

I can understand Royal Warrant Holders feeling they ought to do something to mark his death, and for all those who complain about what Waitrose did, there are probably just as many who can see why and don’t mind being told about it.

NR just beggars belief.

Quite a lot of people with visual impairments have said they can read the NR website much better in black/grey and white. There was a thread on MN about it.

So it might be worth having interchangeable options then re colour?

My friends daughter is registered blind and they change the colourways on her digital equipment anyway, I'm not sure how it works as I'm not very technical but she benefits from certain colour changes

Heaven help us when the Queen departs, that's all I can say!

Re colours - surely we can all change the appearance of our screens? Isn't it one of the things in accessibility options?

Yes, I do realise you were just pointing out what they say, oldbutstilluseful but I was just commenting on the odd content!

LtEve

Quite a lot of people with visual impairments have said they can read the NR website much better in black/grey and white. There was a thread on MN about it.

That doesn’t excuse what NR did. If people find the coloured site difficult, had they been in touch with NR about it before? It was just a nonsense to do it ‘out of respect’ My money’s on NR virtue signalling and not having a thought in their collective empty head for certain disabled people.

1) We live in a climate of fear, so sycophantic vertue signaling is the norm.

2) This is not what PP wanted! (But nowadays the dead count for nought)

3) Look at the USA when Michael Jackson (substitute any s'lebs name from MarilynM onwards) died. Similar madness.

4) Taking trisher's advice to keep calm and carry on would be a great idea......if only people would stop feeding the drama with posts such as these.

I'm enjoying this thread, no point scoring or personal attacks. (Mostly.)

I agree with your post olddudders

Sorry for spelling mistake!

Are there any point scoring attacks?

It occurs to me that from time to time Her Maj dishes out gongs - her birthday and NY Honours etc. typically with a citation "For services to..." Now some of those rightly go to people who have provided service above and beyond - we might hope one or two senior medics get a little something, after Covid dies down a bit - but there are probably other roles in which it kinda just goes with the job. Knighthoods for former chairmen of BR, for example, although not John Welsby, who did the Tory bidding and Privatised, but was then subject to Labour awards when his time came and got nothing. I wonder whether the RHS is one, and that being seen to curtsy to Queenie in her grief is to ensure the honour gets bestowed in due course?

Namsnanny

1) We live in a climate of fear, so sycophantic vertue signaling is the norm.

2) This is not what PP wanted! (But nowadays the dead count for nought)

3) Look at the USA when Michael Jackson (substitute any s'lebs name from MarilynM onwards) died. Similar madness.

4) Taking trisher's advice to keep calm and carry on would be a great idea......if only people would stop feeding the drama with posts such as these.

Yes, I was going to agree with trisher’s words too, and add that the angry posts from those working themselves up into a froth about anything to do with the arrangements for respect shown by institutions to the death of Prince Philip, should certainly calm down.It isn’t obligatory to start a moaning thread every day on GN.Other activities are available.?