Oxford University students vote to remove the Queen

I agree! Outraged of GN! ??‍♀️It’s another distraction from all the other stuff going on, like Michael Gove found to have acted unlawfully in the awarding of contracts to his mates, where is that being reported in the right wing, mainly foreign owned press?

Always makes me smile when people go on about being anti ‘woke’. The definition of woke is ‘alert to injustice in society, especially racism.’
Presumably those who are anti woke are pro injustice, particularly racism then? Rather like those who speak against ‘antifa’ (short for anti fascist) are presumably happy to be thought of as fascists.

This is Britain. Britain has always had a picture of the current ruler on the walls of Government establishments and I feel sad that it was felt necessary to remove HM, although I note that apparently the portrait only went up a few years ago.

Life moves on and the new 'woke' (and I, from originally not understanding what on earth this word meant but think I do now) is, as with young people throughout the generations, to 'do their own thing'.

As they are young, they are obviously correct in their rationale (as were we in the 1950/60's)...... aren't they?! Not - but what do I know as an older person!

I'm not surprised that your DD chose Glasgow School of Art, which I think probably has a better reputation than Oxford amongst art students. I hope she did well there and enjoyed living in Glasgow.

Paperbackwriter

Grandma70s

Good heavens, Lin52. How do you know they are white, or over-privileged for that matter? There are many nationalities at Oxford, some struggling on a shoestring budget.

Well said, Grandma70s. There are still too many outdated and biased opinions about Oxbridge education.

Hmm, maybe. But I should think Oxbridge students benefit more than others from generous donations made by previous students.

My DD2 had an offer to study art at Oxford, at Magdalen as it happens. She chose to go to Glasgow School of Art instead and even though she informed them straightaway, she had a letter in the August with details of accommodation, the course, etc (they obviously aren't used to being turned down!). Including a long list of equipment she needed to buy, with a reminder to keep all receipts so the costs could be reimbursed. We'd already had information about the free study courses abroad that she could choose from in the Summer holidays. I doubt that happens at any other art school.

It's a picture for crying out loud, they can do with it as they please.

In my history I had a mother and father (both still unfortunately alive) and 2 husbands but you won't find pictures of any of them in my house.

My space, my rules and the college should be able to do exactly the same if they so choose!

With all the blood diamonds and slavery = wealth historical evidence, I did wonder how the royals had remained ‘untouched’ for all this time?

It has nothing to do with the Oxford Union (the debating society). It's a Magdalen College MCR vote and decision. Entirely up to them what portraits they have hanging in their common room, surely? This isn't a picture of the Queen as she is today but a print of a formal portrait from her accession/coronation, such as was sent out all over the commonwealth to embassies etc. I wouldn't want it on my wall - would you?

Aepgirl

Sadly, these are our future. I hope they have worked out all the benefits of living in this country and attending the best universities in the world. I despair.

Seriously?

Why would anyone need to work out the benefits of living in this country and getting a good eduction before taking a photo off the wall?

And despair? If a bunch of students wanting to change the look of their common room triggers despair, I wonder how you feel about the homeless, or the conditions in which refugees are being held, or foodbanks?

They had a vote. A decision was made. End of. Is it really worthy of a conversation by strangers who don't agree? No. Does it affect my life? No. Does it matter what I think? No. Their common room, their views.

Aepgirl

Sadly, these are our future. I hope they have worked out all the benefits of living in this country and attending the best universities in the world. I despair.

What's sad about it?

They're not necessarily our future, it has been explained that some are from overseas, in which case they may well be planning to take themselves back home. Also, they are post graduates, not callow 18yr olds away from home for the first time.

I'm finding some of the condemnation of students, Oxford students no less, really amusing in view of the fact that we have one as our PM whose student high jinks at Oxford included being an active member of the Bullingdon Club, who specialised in smashing up restaurants and burning £50 notes in front of homeless people... Who'd have thought back then that they were 'our future'? And loved for it...

It's a storm in a teeny-weeny royalist teacup. It's their walls, their choice. I wouldn't take it as a strong indicator of anything. At Oxford in the 1930s, the debating society voted in favour of "This House will not fight for King and Country." Then the war came along and off those voters went into the services.

When my DH was growing up in Uganda, businesses had to display a picture of the current ruler. So, in his dad's bar and his granddad's shop, they had a picture of the Queen, followed by Milton Obote, and then Idi Amin. I don't think that the practice of having rulers staring down at you is a particularly meaningful one, and it certainly doesn't mean that the person displaying the picture is a big fan!

I just wish our politicians would grow up and stop getting excited over things that don't matter. They're just adding importance to the whole thing by their involvement.

It’s utterly ridiculous to get so worked up about a picture hanging in a room which hardly anyone of us will ever visit anyway! From what I understand it was put up a few years ago by the ‘committee’, new committee comes in and ‘redecorates’. Do you have a picture of the monarch in your house? If you do, then that’s up to you. I wouldn’t want to live in a ‘state’ where we are forced to display a picture of the ruler, think North Korea. Do you think the Queen is more angry about this or the fact that the Prime Minister prorogued her parliament? It’s so depressing to see so many on here behaving like those pesky ‘privileged white folk’.

Can't imagine why they had a picture of her there in the first place. Very 1950s.

Can’t take this seriously - it’s only a picture, the Queen is status quo.

Sadly, these are our future. I hope they have worked out all the benefits of living in this country and attending the best universities in the world. I despair.

NannyKT

Well said they really know nothing and should just be ignored who cares what they think

What a nasty comment.

I assume if someone said that about you there would be a lot of cries of ageism.

It might be newsworthy if they were going to redecorate with £800 a roll wallpaper.

Grandma70s

Good heavens, Lin52. How do you know they are white, or over-privileged for that matter? There are many nationalities at Oxford, some struggling on a shoestring budget.

Well said, Grandma70s. There are still too many outdated and biased opinions about Oxbridge education.

NannyKT

Well said they really know nothing and should just be ignored who cares what they think

I expect they know quite a lot!

It might be tradition to have a portrait of the queen but it's not essential and she has no connection with Magdalen College. Not something for us to get in a huff about, is it?

Our local sailing club has a portrait of Phil Collins as he is a long-ago patron. A friend told me the only time she considers his 'presence' is when she's at her yoga class, doing a downward dog and presenting him with her derriere.

It was apparently only voted to be put there in 2013. If they had the choice to that, they have the choice to do this.

Well said they really know nothing and should just be ignored who cares what they think

Do they realise it's Queen Elizabeth not Queen Victoria!