“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’?

“it's feeling that if there are minutes of silence, flags at half mast and black armbands, they should be for the 127,000 dead recently before their time.”

Absolutely! There have been nhs workers who spent years working anti-social shifts, giving personal care to people and then put themselves at high risk to care for those with COVID, who themselves then contracted COVID and died. Their lives of public service have been cut short and their deaths virtually unremarked on. I believe it is in very bad taste to give one individual so much airtime and column inches as though his life is worth more than all the 127,000 officially lost to COVID.

We did have a minutes silence the other week didn’t we for everyone who had died from COVID

@user1495884673

No new laws, no press conferences. In normal times, yes we could put these things on hold for a few days. Not when we are actively trying to restart the country and the economy in a pandemic.

You do realise that the passing of all new legislation is suspended in the run up to elections?

As others have said all this means is no new statutes will get Royal Assent in those 8 days- it is well within the bounds of possibility no new legislation would have been passed anyway.

@Breakingplaid

“it's feeling that if there are minutes of silence, flags at half mast and black armbands, they should be for the 127,000 dead recently before their time.”

Absolutely! There have been nhs workers who spent years working anti-social shifts, giving personal care to people and then put themselves at high risk to care for those with COVID, who themselves then contracted COVID and died. Their lives of public service have been cut short and their deaths virtually unremarked on. I believe it is in very bad taste to give one individual so much airtime and column inches as though his life is worth more than all the 127,000 officially lost to COVID.

There was a minute's silence on the anniversary of the first lockdown

[quote ineedaholidaynow]www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-the-period-of-national-mourning/guidance-for-the-period-of-national-mourning[/quote]
Your post should be made a sticky at the start of this thread.

The levels of ignorance on here are breathtaking.

There was the minute's silence on the national day of reflection yes, and that was important. It was right that we had that.
I still feel that the wall to wall coverage on PP in majority of news is over the top. And feel it's very strange indeed for broadcast music to be sombre (even in my local co-op today). That didn't happen on the day of reflection. There was no gun salute or similar (not that I'm saying there should have been, but there was also an awful lot less coverage). It does show that some individuals are considered worth more than others for no real reason. My point is, why is PP's death at age 99 considered more important than someone I know who was a NHS consultant treating covid patients who then died of covid himself in his early 50s leaving behind teenage children who still need him. Personally, I do believe that death is far sadder than that of PP.
I have an issue with the culture of celebrity/royalty in general. I don't understand why we put people on pedestals just to knock them off. Why set up a 'Royal Family' who we imagine are special and noble but then when it turns out that actually they're in reality normal individuals and their family is just as dysfunctional as that of the rest of the population, we claim they have let us down. I do everything I can to avoid the gossip but it has taken such an effort to avoid inadvertently hearing what Harry/Meghan said in their interview. Our eternal thirst for pictures and gossip are ultimately what lead to Diana being pursued by the press and dying in a car accident. I wonder why we can't leave all celebrities/royals to live their lives in private as happily as possible (without any financial support from the tax payer) and mourn the deaths of their loved ones in private too, like any other family would want to do.

Radio 1 are still playing Coldplay .

@applecatchers36 the monarchy doesn't decide what is televised , take that up with the broadcasters or simply don't watch then they don't have viewing figured

If a period of national mourning had beef suggested for Captain Tom, people would have jumped at it. Prince Phillip deserves our respect.

Whatever people think of the man, he's part of the history of this country. The national mourning period will have no discernable impact on any of the public. Marking Prince Philip's death doesn't mean that other deaths are not important, tragic, sad etc.

This is how this country runs, if you object so much then go and live somewhere that doesn't have a monarchy. I prefer The Queen over Trump et al any day.

If you don't like Coldplay then stick your chosen playlist on instead.

Whatever people think of the man, he's part of the history of this country.

So are we all. And we can’t just move out of the country any more, had you forgotten? Brexiteers promised us real change here, but I don’t think extreme flags and royalist pushed down our throats were what many had in mind.

People wanted sovereignty back with Brexit, that starts with the Royal Family surely

@Toddlerteaplease

If a period of national mourning had beef suggested for Captain Tom, people would have jumped at it. Prince Phillip deserves our respect.

Really? What on earth makes you think that?

I struggle with the whole concept of national mourning for private individuals. State enforced mourning is just wrong in my view.

So what mourning are people being made to do?

@ineedaholidaynow

People wanted sovereignty back with Brexit, that starts with the Royal Family surely

That sounds like you think everyone who voted for Brexit voted for the kind of social structure described in the famous English novels of the regency and Victorian periods. Jane Austen, Dickens, George Eliot, Anthony Trollope without the Jupiter. Unjustified extremes of wealth built for a few on the back of the morally forced labour of the cap-doffing slum-inhabiting masses? Really? And how do I opt out, as one of those masses born into deprived circumstances?

immorally

Prince Phillip deserves our respect

Why? Doesn’t respect need to be earnt?

@ineedaholidaynow

So what mourning are people being made to do?

Absolutely none! No one is being forced to do anything. 99.9% of the population won’t notice any difference. Flags at half mast will only effect those who are responsible for the flags. Shops will open, civil servants will still be working as normal. MPs will still be working (although it’s Easter recess until Tuesday anyway). MPs WILL be expected to wear black armbands while working which is not a huge inconvenience, and they do swear allegiance to the monarchy before they can take their seat. Nothing requiring royal assent can go ahead but how many laws requiring the Queens approval would normally go through in just over a week anyway?

Some people just can’t be bothered to read.....

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

Prince Phillip deserves our respect

Why? Doesn’t respect need to be earnt?

73 years of supporting the monarchy. Years of service in the Royal Navy. Mentioned in despatches in WW2.

What more does someone have to do to earn respect?

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

Prince Phillip deserves our respect

Why? Doesn’t respect need to be earnt?

Well purely on him seeing active service during WW2 he has earned respect. That's without the many other achievements!

Whatever people think of the man, he's part of the history of this country. The national mourning period will have no discernable impact on any of the public.

So what's the point in a period of national mourning?

What's the point in a period of national mourning?

To express respect and a recognition that a national figure has died. It's part of the protocols of government of the country. The monarch is head of state.

It doesn't have to affect individual citizens though.

I would not regard myself as a monarchist, in fact I’d be quite happy to see them shuffled off to Norfolk and Balmoral as they wish.

However, like it or not, the monarchy is part of our current system and they clearly do still matter to a lot of people here and around the world.

I think part of the problem with someone so long lived is that many people just know him as a crusty old man who made some very unsavory comments on occasion.

They do not know what he actually achieved, a very distinguished war record and the creation of the Duke of Edinburgh awards scheme which has been of benefit to many thousands of young people and support for numerous charities for starters.

@ineedaholidaynow thank you. I only wish other guidances issued by the government were as concise and straightforward.

Eight days without any badly written virtue signalling laws from this government is welcome. I'd wish it was a lot longer.

Nobody is being made to do anything. For most of us our lives will go on as usual and in a week or two, it will be old news. Life will go on for the royal family too but obviously, for them, there is a big hole which cannot be filled.