“Eight days of national mourning”

[Susie477]

Have been announced by the government, leading up to DofE’s funeral next Saturday.

WTF is that supposed to mean? Do we all have to wear black? Are jokes banned and comedians interned? Are radio stations not allowed to play ‘shiny happy people’?

I'm sorry that someone has lost a dear family member after a long, long marriage but the response/protocol is ridiculous.

If people want to mourn, make donations, write condolences, send flowres, then fine. If the BBC want to put on a documentary fine.
What I object to is the enforced mourning on people, nothing else to watch (I'm talking specifically about people who don't have access to other tv channels beyond the basics, those who can't get out), nothing else on the news. Many of us have lost loved ones and the world didn't stop for them. In a pandemic situation this seems particularly crass when hundreds of thousands of people have died well before their time, and we're weeping and wailing over someone who lived to 99.

My aunt and uncle were married for nearly 70 years and when he died nobody other than direct family gave a shit. My mother died when I was 30, again, other than direct family nobody cared. I've lost too many people far too young, and have seen so many people's lives devastated in the last year to be able to have anything other than basic sympathy that would normally occur when someone has had a loss.

it’s annoying when people post about announcements yet don’t link the relevant source

@user1495884673

Fucking hell, we're trying to claw our way out of a pandemic and the government is stopping working for eight days. The mind boggles.

Except they aren't Did you actually read the article?

People are being weirdly nasty about this. Poor Queen.

I agree. It's awful.

oh great, my birthday was supposed to be lockdown free but now it falls in the national mourning period

@ATieLikeRichardGere

People are being weirdly nasty about this. Poor Queen.

I agree. Of course the general public is not grieving, but taking every possible opportunity to tell everyone you aren’t personally mourning (as if you would be - what an odd suggestion), aren’t sad and don’t care comes across as rather unpleasant to me.

It’s like the endless tv threads. I do take the point about showing the same material on multiple channels, so email the bbc if you feel strongly enough. But some of the posts yesterday sounded like they were trying to whip up people’s anger and indignation.

@mooonstone so how do you think your birthday will be impacted by being in the period of national mourning?

@ATieLikeRichardGere

People are being weirdly nasty about this. Poor Queen.

I agree.

@user1495884673

Fucking hell, we're trying to claw our way out of a pandemic and the government is stopping working for eight days. The mind boggles.

Try reading... that is not what’s happening.

@orangejuicer

Where does it say government is going to stop working? I've seen the government advice on the mourning period and it will have little impact on my job (civil service), so curious where this has come from.

Just people taking a tiny nugget of information and making shit up to suit their narrative. Nothing new.

Yesterday I happened to post something on face ache which pointed out that I'm not particularly interested in his death - was more bothered when I thought it was my friends dog that had died ( she texted me, " Dukes dead")
And I was told to ' show some respect' and ' shame on you'
Why??
There have been thousands and thousands of deaths this last year of ' common' people and I care about that very much.
I care deeply about the local 18 year old who recently took his own life.
I cried when I heard someone 10 year old daughter had attempted to end her life.
But I will not mourn and over privileged 99 year old who died peacefully in his sleep after living what can only be described as an easy life!
I do feel sad for the queen who's lost her husband but people are saying ' she's lost the love of her life'
How do we know that?? Maybe they tolerated each other because divorce is simply not an option.
Many be they adored each other but he was 99!!! It's hardly a young age.
Oh and someone said to me ' I hope you get more respect when you die'
Well actually I won't give a shit because I'll be dead!!
I genuinely care about real people with real struggles and the sad deaths of so many from covid or from suicide during these impossible times .
I don't care about the royals .

@Mairyhinge would you care if your family had to listen to people being horrible about you after you died

Just because you don't like the royal family doesn't mean you need to be a fit.

Just because thousands of others have died doesn't mean one other life isn't a shame to lose.

Just because you find it annoying doesn't mean a tradition that goes back long before your Granny was born should stop (they also do this in other countries).

No you don't have to like the Duke but you don't have to lower the tone/mood of others because you're bitter about something.

[quote ineedaholidaynow]@mooonstone so how do you think your birthday will be impacted by being in the period of national mourning?[/quote]
Yes I was wondering this too!

But some of the posts yesterday sounded like they were trying to whip up people’s anger and indignation.

This is what MN is about nowadays, whatever the topic.

@SleepingStandingUp

The Queen an her family not working I get but the Govt just sit about for a week pretending to be sad in the middle of lifting lockdown? Will lockdown even go ahead of they're not allowed to do any publicit

Try reading the article properly. They are still working just not passing any new laws that need royal approval

@WitchisDead

From the article "MPs are expected to wear black armbands while they are at work".

Has anyone worn that given the thousands deaths being reported by politicians over the last year or do they have the wrong social standing to merit official recognition?

Quite.

MPs wearing black armbands for 8 days for one man who lived a privileged life for almost a century when 127k people in the UK have died in the pandemic is just distasteful. Dressing sombrely, I could just about stomach but the outdated tradition of wearing black armbands is just a step too far. A symbol of Parliament serving the queen, when they should be serving the public. It seems so out of touch.

Ditto the Downing Street press conferences being put on hold during a pandemic. Ditto both BBC channels only broadcasting memorials to the Duke.

It feels more like the Royals exerting their power and privilege rather than a nation showing respect. For me, it's the last straw that has made me a Republican.

@mairyhinge I'm not a supporter of the royals but Prince Philip and his family were exhiled from his home country when he was 18months old (he was carried to safety in a Fruit box because of concerns that his parents would be assassinated), his mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and put in an asylum when he was ten and he barely saw her for the rest of his childhood when he was sixteen his sister and her family died in an air crash and then he fought in ww2...yes in some ways his life was very privileged but I don't think it can "only be described as easy!"

While I do feel very sorry for the Queen, having been with him for so long, and his children, the degree of impact of 8 days mourning in 2021, let alone during a pandemic, seems inappropriate and disproportionate.

How many people on MN say they don't watch the Press conferences or just get annoyed by them. Are they the same people now complaining that they are not on!

So how much impact will 8 days of national mourning have on you @colouringindoors

Are all those spouting off actually understand what a period of National Mourning means?

Nothings being shut down. No new laws will pass assent during the period, government will wear black armbands whilst working and flags flown at half mast.

We aren't closing all the things we were opening on Monday down.

But the Queens husband has passed away. Everyone knew it would mean national mourning for months as we've watched him get iller.

I think the Duke's death has impacted some people's reading and understanding ability

@JennyBond - that is true.

The more I think about it, the more I feel like if people are this unhappy about the tv schedule and so on it would be far better for them to channel their energies into supporting UK republicanism. There is a very strong argument for it, but it’s an extremely niche movement in this country with very little interest. Supporting it is positive action - it’s about values and principles. By contrast, I just find these threads negative and tasteless.

[quote thevassal]@mairyhinge I'm not a supporter of the royals but Prince Philip and his family were exhiled from his home country when he was 18months old (he was carried to safety in a Fruit box because of concerns that his parents would be assassinated), his mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and put in an asylum when he was ten and he barely saw her for the rest of his childhood when he was sixteen his sister and her family died in an air crash and then he fought in ww2...yes in some ways his life was very privileged but I don't think it can "only be described as easy!"[/quote]
Exactly.

If a regular person on here had said that about their childhood, the responses they'd get would be massively sympathetic.

He didn't have a privileged start. He had a tough childhood. He did lots of good in his life and as such the country is entering a mourning period. It's not demanding you mourn for him, just some things will be changed during this time. It's about recognising the loss of the Queens husband. If you don't want to mourn then don't. But MPs wearing black armbands doesn't affect you in the slightest.