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I Thought That Was Funny. I Was Mistaken.
I felt bad writing a snippy post ridiculing my British friends for elevating such an absurd figure to a position of power. But it’s so easy – I just can’t help myself. He was placed in that office by powers beyond the control of the citizens, and there’s nothing they can do about it. His stupidity is matched only by his arrogance, but the press continually covers for all the ridiculous things he says. He seems lost, wandering about looking for a camera to smile at. And rather than standing and waving like he’s supposed to, he’s decided that the world needs saving, and he is just the man to do it. How did such an dangerous fool end up leading a great country like Britain? What a joke. They should be embarrassed.
But then, I saw a clip of President Biden on TV this morning. And I decided to keep my snippy post to myself. The absurd spectacle in Britain suddenly felt hauntingly familiar. It was still ridiculous. But it was no longer funny.
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.“
– Turkish Proverb
Thanks, President Biden. You ruined what was going to be a really funny post. The jokes write themselves. But it’s only funny if it’s somebody else’s problem.
This is not funny. So never mind.
Hmph. Just forget I said anything…
Published in General
And King Charles is really just there for ceremonies and tourism. Biden, or at least his advisers, have some actual power.
I’ll take this opportunity to record my disdain for the British monarchy, the coronation, and for pageantry in all its forms. I avoided the merest glimpse of the farce by walking on a cliff path with no phone signal for a couple of hours – not too far from where Donald Trump visited earlier this week. At least he was elected. And I’m sure he’ll remember his trip to Ireland in a couple of weeks time, unlike President Biden, who couldn’t remember being here a couple of weeks previously- a visit during which he was showered with cloying sentimentality and sycophancy, and during which he proclaimed that he had “come home”.
I did later see a video of our Trudeau- lite Taoiseach (PM) Leo Varadkar, taking a break from killing off free speech in Ireland, and managing to get caught picking his nose on live TV.
I have more interest in the British monarchy than I should. As an institution, I wish it well, but if the Brits were to get rid of it, it wouldn’t bother me that much.
I read The Telegraph online, and my take is that King Charles is popular at the moment.
Britain isn’t the only European monarchy, just the best known. There are seven kingdoms in Europe (pulled off of Wikipedia): Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
Spain’s king has gotten some press lately, since the old king abdicated due to corruption.
Most people outside of those relavent countries can’t name the monarchs of those countries, but can name Great Britain’s. Part of Charles’s plan for the future is to make Britain’s monarchy more like the European’s, less grand perhaps, with less working royals.
It’s a peculiar institution, that won’t go away. And when you break down what working royals actually do in their day to day working lives, I wonder why they do it. I mean, despite of the way they are feted from event to event, it’s amazingly dull work.
Not seeing upside.
Except, I guess, that since he’s never going to measure up to mama, so why not call it a virtue?
@Benmssys
I have always viewed the modern British royal family as a walking, talking theme park.
I
DonG
Then the palace becomes a den of thieves, psychopaths, and pirates-and not the Johnny Depp kind of pirate.
@drbastiat & @Joker
If the Democrats steal the 2024 election then people will have to go this route.
https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/adding-strategic-nonviolence-unconventional-warfare-doctrine
Actually, Charles will do less harm as King than he has been doing as Prince. He is setting aside his environmental activism.
That is a very good proverb. I’m going to try to remember that.
Priceless . . .
The little Turkish proverb at the end of the piece is so incredibly appropriate, not only for the British crown in its current form, but also, as pointed out, for the current permutation of the American presidency. The major difference being that the King has almost no real power. He is a symbolic leader, Brandon, unfortunately, holds a great deal of power, more so because of an absurdly puppy-like press, and a party of anti-patriots that chose and elected him.
Thank you Dr. Bastiat for another remarkable piece. You seem to aim for and inevitably hit the bullseye every time.
My wife watched the coronation and told me that the king has a new carriage. I asked if it was solar powered. It turns out to be pulled by horses which emit greenhouse gasses.
He has people to do all of that FOR him, now.
I resemble that comment!
I have nothing personal against Chuck Windsor but I do not accept the legitimacy of the Hanoverian usurpation.
I chuckled at this, and am reminded of the lack of historical accuracy in some news reports, such as the one stating as fact that where Charles’ coronation was taking place had been the site of the coronations of his “ancestors since 1066.”
No, those monarchs were mostly predecessors, just a few recent were ancestors.
Harold Godwinson or GTFO!
Leaving out the profanity, well said. If you go back far enough, there’s always someone who usurped the established order.
And you don’t have to go as far back as Godwinson. There’s Oliver Cromwell, and soon after the monarchy was reestablished, the Glorious Revolution that brought in William of Orange.
How is aiding and abetting the WEF, the UN, and the WHO dull work?
And even if it was, the pay is rather delightful. Holding on the tens of billions of dollars plus vast amounts of delicious real estate certainly offsets even the dullest of assignments.
First, I’m not just referring to the King. The supporting players don’t get visited by the various government ministers with their red boxes including weekly visits by the Prime Minister.
Their daily regimen consists of going to local fairs, charitable events, and factories where they make an innocuous speech and then cut a ribbon. Rinse and repeat. During these events they make pleasant conversation with the attendees. They are expert in the art of conversation without saying anything of substance. Princess Anne is known for the number of these events, sometimes doing 2-3 a day, talking with strangers who bow and curtsy and who they are not likely to meet again. It goes on and on.
“Aiding and abetting the WEF, the UN, and the WHO ” is maybe 2% of their schedule. Those state visits that get so much attention? That’s included in the two percent.
It’s 98% dull.
The most relevant portion begins at 8:27 but DM doesn’t allow for pre-positioning. (In fact it’s all good, of course.)
Oh, and:
Uh, of course. Monty Python, and Brit television humor in general isn’t my cup of tea. I’m more interested in upper class rapier wit.
I might be interested in a little Jeeves and Wooster and just about anything Hugh Laurie does. House did have its comedic elements to it thanks to Laurie. As the Brits like to say, he’s brilliant.
But getting back to Python, John Cleese was recently asked about the coronation and he said he couldn’t stop laughing because of the pomp and the various silly robes everyone was wearing. On the other hand, when he’s in a serious vein, he defends the monarchy.
Cleese was the royal in the second clip.