RE: The Golden Jubilee

Dutchy,

I think you’ll find Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth actually rules nothing. The country is led by an elected Government who do not really have to seek permission from the Queen to go about the business of Government. Out of courtesy and tradition the Monarch is informed of events. The Queens speech, which is given at the state opening of Parliament is in fact written by the Government.

I still believe the country needs a Monarchy but I feel this Monarchy is being led by a woman, whom I have no personal grievance against, but who to me appears to lack both the leadership and the humility of Monarchs who have gone before.

The young people of Britain today, largely, see the Royal Family as nothing more than a group of extremely wealthy people who are serving no useful purpose at great expense. The Monarchy needs rejuvenating and modernising. With the deaths of Princess Diana and the Queen Mother, the Royal Family has lost much of its human, caring side. Since the death of the Queen Mother there is said to have been squabbles between the younger members of the family over who is to recieve which property? These are people with wealth beyond our imagining and can hardly be described as setting any kind of example to their subjects. The Queen has promoted morality and ‘family values’, yet three of her children are divorced, one is an admitted adulterer, the Queen held petty grievances against Princess Diana even after her death and now senior members argue over who gets the biggest slice of the Queen Mothers ‘cake’! I find this to be beyond belief.

Rabie,

the longevity of your reign is not neccessarily a reason to celebrate it. How long have the Kurds in Iraq been subject to the rule of Saddam Hussein? Should he get a long service award as well?

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and rightly so. It’s our differences which give us all value. I hope I am proved wrong and the Monarchy regains its respect, but personally, without serious changes, I see the Monarchy coming to an inglorious end.

Regards,

kev35

RE: The Golden Jubilee

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 07-05-02 AT 08:02 PM (GMT)]Firstly, as a Brit, I think this country of ours would not be the same without a Monarchy. The Royal Family is, or should be, the very epitome of duty. For many people in this country the pomp and ceremony surrounding Royal events is an integral part of our national identity, as seen by inhabitants of the UK or, more importantly perhaps, those abroad.

As to the jubilee, I understand it to be a time of national celebration. The question now is whether the reign of Queen Elizabeth II is worthy of celebration. If it is just about longevity then yes it is a time for celebration, but if it is about the quality of her reign then for me the whole jubilee comes into doubt. I feel our present Monarch has not changed with the times and she seems very much out of step with modern society.

A few examples of this are in the early nineties the Queen described one year as her ‘Annis Horibilis’, her misfortune revolving largely around a fire at Windsor Castle. The repairs were paid for not by the Royal Family but by the general public. I can now go and visit the castle restored to its former glory, but I have to pay admission to get in. In the year that the British Government has made many national museums free to enter, It is a pity the same cannot be said for the Royal Family.

A second case would be the disgraceful handling of the death of Princess Diana. The Queen was reluctant to break protocol by lowering her standard to half mast as a mark of respect until she finally bowed to public pressure. Also her reluctance to make a public appearance to talk about the death of her daughter in law drew much criticism. This shows a great lack of respect for Diana, Prince Charles or her grandsons.

It has also been revealed that the Queen is believed to have made a deal with the Conservative Government in 1993, to waive inheritance tax due upon the eventual death of the Queen Mother. If you’re fortunate enough to have a few million pounds to leave in your will, see if you can get the same deal.

A final example of how out of touch she is with the nation is the recent speech where she appeared to rule out abdication. This must have been a cruel blow to Prince Charles, who, perhaps contrary to public opinion, I feel would make a decent King.

So, sadly for me, the jubilee is not something to celebrate. I fear the passing of the Queen Mother was the death knell for the Monarchy unless they agree to change, and at present, that seems very unlikely.

Regards,

kev35

RE: DC-3/C-47

PII,

The aircraft I flew in was Danish Air Force and I had about 40 minutes in it. We flew from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland on a familiarisation exercise. My memories are that it was a noisy aircraft and there was quite a lot of buffeting in the windy conditions. This particular aircraft had a really pungent smell of oil to it, apparently the result of an oil spillage on a cargo run the previous week. The seating was two rows of canvas seats along the fuselage, uncomfortable but it all added to the experience. The most abiding memory was knowing that I had had the opportunity to fly in something just that little bit special.

Regards,

kev35

PS I didn’t realise you were a modeller.

Spitfires over Birmingham

Just to go off at a bit of a tangent, something you all realise I’m good at by now, has anyone seen the sculpture of three Spitfires mounted above the traffic island at Castle Bromwich?

I’m not much of a one for modern art but I find this to be quite spectacular. (Also gives you something to look at while stuck in traffic on the Chester Road.) It seems very fitting as the Castle Bromwich factory ran along the length of the road and is now occupied by the housing estate of Castle Vale.

Regards,

kev35

RE: GREEK SPOTTERS

“Kev – I think the nature of this case is that the group had permission to be at the open day on the base and as such activities like ‘plane spotting’ would be thought natural – after all if you don’t want everyone to see your secret aircraft the best thing is not to invite the public round. It’s a bit like leaving your front door wide open at night and then being surprised when all your jewel’s have gone in the morning.”

David,

I take your point that this would indeed be the rational viewpoint to take regarding this incident. However, I believe the spotters were asked not to take photographs. If that was the case it wouldn’t take the greatest leap of imagination to guess that the Greeks would not want you taking notes either. I feel sorry for the families who are going to suffer an incredible amount of financial hardship at the very least over this matter and I like to think I would have more common sense than to jeopardise my families future over a hobby.

To more enlightened societies plane spotting, though often misunderstood, is tolerated. I think the onus now lies in educating spotters as to what is allowed in the countries they visit and also trying to educate countries with a negative view of spotting what an innocent hobby it is.

Regards,

kev35

RE: Favourite War Movies / themes

Favourite war movies? probably too many too list. If I wrote five down I’d only end up thinking of ten more.

In no particular order I’d choose:
Saving Private Ryan
Went the Day Well superb b/w film from the 40’s.
In Which We Serve (same as above)
Gallilopi (appropriate for ANZAC Day)
Blackhawk Down

As for the music, the instantly recognisable 633 Squadron, the soundtrack for Zulu, and although not a movie theme, suite two from the Band of Brothers, a 9 minute piece of heaven!

Regards,

kev35

RE: What makes you proud of your country?

I’m British, or more specifically, English and yes I am proud of my country. What makes me proud is harder to define and as the posts show, each individual will have their own reasons. That’s something that makes me proud – our right to our individuality.

Looking at the wall above my PC and seeing photos of my Father, Uncles and Grandfathers in uniform. All prepared to play their part in time of war, none of whom made the ‘supreme sacrifice’ thogh three of them received serious wounds. There are pictures of other soldiers from the Great War, none of them known to me, no idea if they survived, but their photographs did. Tattered, torn, stained, unbelievably someone else’s rubbish, but they have pride of place now.
There’s also the heritage, the ceremonial, the Countryside, all the things other people have mentioned. But most importantly for me it’s a feeling, an emotion, which I doubt would ever leave me even if I moved to the remotest spot on earth.

Regards,

kev35