Kate & Will's Caribbean Trip

Raheem Sterling, not Marcus Rashford. Raheem Sterling was born in Jamaica.

No matter who the footballer was, the media made much of
children being kept behind fencing because the Cambridge’s
were there not because there was a football match.

The media certainly stuck the knife into Anne when she was young and to Charles and Edward, Andrew was chocolate

It's not sudden news - why don't they just get on with it?
It's not as if the RF is preventing them from doing it.

Jamaica is a sad country, Callistemon. Talking to our Italian Rasta B & B hostess on our last visit, 6 years ago, she was very active in the local community but said it was sometimes impossible to get things done because most areas are controlled by what is basically a local mafia. Local politicians are Godfathers serving their own interests... I suspect that inertia caused by competing interests and corruption is a large part of the reason for them not getting on with becoming a republic.

(At lest the royal visit apparently galvanised them into improving some of their infrastructure so as to put on a good show...)

They don’t seem to have been as popular as Prince Harry was when he toured in 2012 for the 60 years jubilee.

Prince Harry was extremely popular and a great asset both to the RF and this country. This is now a sorry reflection on what might have been. Sad for the RF, this country and possibly, long term, for Harry himself.

Andrew was extremely popular, like Harry he was up for a joke,
Charles and William are more reserved.

Margaret was the popular one too, glamorous and very into
Clothes, the Queen more reserved.

Ilovecheese

Raheem Sterling, not Marcus Rashford. Raheem Sterling was born in Jamaica.

Easy mistake to make - they're both black.

Ilovecheese

Raheem Sterling, not Marcus Rashford. Raheem Sterling was born in Jamaica.

I haven't been to Jamaica MaizieD and that sounds sad; it wouldn't make much difference if they becme a republic by the sounds of it.

Sorry ilovecheese
They're all just footballers to me! It was at a football ground.
But brilliant ones, apparently, according to DS..

Marcus Rashford's Dad was from Jamaica.

No worries MaizieD.

From my perspective the fuss is down to the fact that it looks so much like the aristos dropping in on the poor people and patting them on the head patronisingly.

Like the photo with the wire fence. I'm sure that they didn't intentionally keep the public behind a fence and of course Sterling was doing the same thing. But it was soaked in subtext (does that make sense? I just made it up...)

Like the photo with the wire fence. I'm sure that they didn't intentionally keep the public behind a fence and of course Sterling was doing the same thing

Perhaps it was intentional?
It all adds to the republican propaganda.

If it was intentional then the PR people should have got them out of there PDQ.

Republican propaganda makes a change from royalist propaganda, I suppose...

www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1584930/kate-middleton-news-prince-william-video-scuba-diving-royal-family-tour

You can't go to the Caribbean without scuba diving or snorkelling, surely!
It's a good tourist advert too ?

Like the other thread about Johnson's appearance.

I am constantly amazed at people's readiness to excuse them.

This tour seems to have been a disaster but we get told it wasn't their fault, they have to do what they're told, the countries didn't have to go along with it, you have to go scuba diving, its good for tourism, it's all about the environment...

The fence was around a football field, there is a photo taken just after with one of the footballers by the fence which is around the pitch.

All you need is a certain camera angle to make it look bad

You have to go scuba diving, its good for tourism

Yes, it's compulsory.
Even I did but there wasn't a camera crew there watching my every move.

I am constantly amazed at people's readiness to excuse them.

And I am amazed at people who think that the 'host' countries had no agency.

It's very extreme this, isn't it? The argument that the host countries could just have told them not to come? And they don't, so they must be supporters?

The host countries are monarchies, the Head of State of each one of them is the Queen. The Queen's grandson and his wife are lined up for a visit to bestow their regal presence on the population of these 3 countries. So in what possible situation could the governments of these countries say "no thanks, no offence to you and your gran but please don't come, we don't like you after all".

Surely its more likely that the government might say "come", but then a significant minority of people in Belize decide to demonstrate and get part of the visit cancelled. Or maybe the government of Jamaica say "come" but decide to use the opportunity to say that there is a definite move towards republicanism in their country.

None of those things imply that the host countries have no agency.

The host countries are monarchies, the Head of State of each one of them is the Queen

If the host countries don't like having HM as their Head of State perhaps they should have done something about it many years ago.
Due to inertia then that is the system they have pro tem.
Had there not been an occasional visit from a H of S or future heir no doubt they would complain that they were forgotten and ignored.

No, really, this is bizarre.

I don't know much about the Caribbean, never been. But I understand at least one of the nations they are visiting has been thinking about becoming a republic for several years. These sorts of things don't happen overnight

It would be very naïve indeed to think that a visit from W&C didn't have anything to do with trying too diffuse that. As for countries that are not publicly thinking about becoming republics, then they have to start somewhere and maybe demonstrating in from of W&C is how they have started.

You can't blame a country for doing something now that they just haven't done before

Sometimes though politician’s views don’t chime with the electorate & this shocks them. A referendum gives a voice to everyone and sometimes the results aren’t what might be expected by those in power. There is always a silent, reflective group that will decide on the day, so time will tell.

As long as it’s what the majority of those that vote, want, then fair enough (either way).

It does matter which footballer. Don’t want to lower the tone but, Marcus Rashford OBE born in Manchester England and plays for Man Utd.
Raheem Sterling. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, plays for Man City.
For Mancs, that’s an important difference
Even more importantly, both play for England, both do huge amount of work for charities.

Raheem was also shaking hands, communicating with the crowds through the wire fence. It was a football field. Unfortunate image but not deliberate, like some of the other unfortunate planned photo,ops

Callistemon21

You can't go to the Caribbean without scuba diving or snorkelling, surely!
It's a good tourist advert too ?

Hello - I’ve never been scuba diving but it looks fun

Iam64

It does matter which footballer. Don’t want to lower the tone but, Marcus Rashford OBE born in Manchester England and plays for Man Utd.
Raheem Sterling. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, plays for Man City.
For Mancs, that’s an important difference
Even more importantly, both play for England, both do huge amount of work for charities.

Raheem was also shaking hands, communicating with the crowds through the wire fence. It was a football field. Unfortunate image but not deliberate, like some of the other unfortunate planned photo,ops

Ah well, William, Harry, what's the difference they're both princes!

These sorts of things don't happen overnight

Having a referendum helps

Iam64

It does matter which footballer. Don’t want to lower the tone but, Marcus Rashford OBE born in Manchester England and plays for Man Utd.
Raheem Sterling. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, plays for Man City.
For Mancs, that’s an important difference
Even more importantly, both play for England, both do huge amount of work for charities.

Raheem was also shaking hands, communicating with the crowds through the wire fence. It was a football field. Unfortunate image but not deliberate, like some of the other unfortunate planned photo,ops

I do apologise. Again.

One footballer is the same as the next to me.
(Apart from Kurt Zouma).