Kate & Will's Caribbean Trip

Iam64

No need to apologise Callistemon, no offence intended in my response either and hope none taken. I confess, I was raised by mum to support the reds.

No, none taken.
You can tell I'm not a follower

My Mum didn't like football but Dad did and I used to have to take down the results for him - the radio, a newspaper and a pencil in those days.

Urmstongran

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).

That's about as subtle as a thwack round the head with a wet haddock.

They should abolish the monarchy completely. All they do is live their live in luxury, on our hard earned money. Meanwhile the rest of us are wondering how the hell are we going to pay our bills next month with the increases.

No need to apologise Callistemon, no offence intended in my response either and hope none taken. I confess, I was raised by mum to support the reds.

For Mancs, that’s an important difference
Oh dear, sorry again.

Don't they both play for England?
I think

I think DS would be very annoyed with me.

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).

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

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

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

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

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).

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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...

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

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

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.

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...)

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.

Ilovecheese

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

Easy mistake to make - they're both black.

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.