Is anyone not weeping in to their cuppa today?

[JoshLymanIsHotterThanSam]

Or is it just me? My colleagues are all in mourning and apparently can’t concentrate and do their work properly today and I’m all 😑 at the drama of them.

Don’t get me wrong Her Majesty was a legend and she did a really good job, but at 96 it’s hardly unexpected and I don’t think it warrants quite the level of drama some people seem to be displaying.

The one thread I did actually want to read about 'do we get another holiday day cos the queens died' has been deleted! Do we? That's all I care about.

She was actually extraordinarily lucky to have such a long healthy life and to have died so quickly after a short illness. The only thing that makes me feel rather sad is that it reminds me of the stark contrast with my own parents. But it would be silly to dwell on that!

Me. But mostly because I have nothing else to occupy my brain. In the gym this morning I was fine, in Sainsbury’s afterwards fine, sorting laundry at home fine. Now that I’ve down to eat I’m off again.

Look at MN threads on the anniversaries of 9/11 and see how very many of us say we remember that no more work got done that day and that the atmosphere somehow changed

Very, very different. That was truly shocking and sad!!!

Well, it would be like that if the entire media were saturated with coverage of cycling and/or raisins, if MN itself were replete with threads about both including frequent complaints levelled at those who perhaps prefer sultanas, if the government were going to announce a period of national bike mourning and if there were a realistic possibility that any number of events in the next week or two were going to be cancelled, affecting many people's income, because of raisins.

As it isn't, the situation differs slightly.

Agree entirely OP. Why should life stop for the country? Events, sports etc cancelled. If people don't want to do stuff fine but I fail to see why everything should be cancelled.

People feel like they knew her because they won't have known a time without her. Knowing that she's going to die, doesn't stop you feeling sad and shocked when she now has.
I don't know why posters are bringing race into this. What difference does it make that she was white?

We bowed out of terrestrial TV a few months ago, subsequently don't have a TV licence. Probably for the best over the next few weeks.

Enjoy Netflix. We are same, just using streaming services. Much easier to filter out unnecessary viewing of stuff which isn't particularly relevant.

Crikey! Surely people can say whatever they want, start whatever thread they want, on any subject they want. Who made you the thought police? There’s actually lots of people who don’t feel the way you do and want to talk about it as much as those who feel
they are grieving. People can’t be silenced just because they disagree with the majority sentiment.

Exactly.

I'm glad she died peacefully and I'm sorry for her family's loss, and I think our nation is diminished on the world stage.

Other than that it was always going to happen and I don't get the public outpouring of grief.

Yes, the fact that there are people who feel entitled to state that certain views and opinions on the matter shouldn't be aired is why it's so vital that they are.

If people were just being sad, paying respects etc without any expectations of anyone else it wouldn't be such an issue, but the problem is that far too many of them are unable to achieve that.

'Most nations on earth' weren't colonisers! Just look at Irish/Nigerian/Kenyan/Argentinian twitter to see how the rest of the world views her passing - and the Royal Family in general. A lot of britons seem to have a completely skewed sense of how a lot of the world views them and their history. To many she wasn't a benign old lady but someone who presided over genocidal policies and horrific colonial wars and exploitation.

I do actually agree with you there, padfootlives, I think most of us could be classed as mis-matchers at least some of the time in that we scroll on by the posts we agree with, gearing up to challenge the ones we don't like.

It's the 'shut up' posters that are annoying. If they clocked the sense of the thread and gave it a swerve instead of bumping it with their policing, the rest of us would quickly go back to Netflix or similar. It's the barrage of unfettered (and for some of us, completely ridiculous) emotion that is shocking rather than the natural death of a very elderly lady.

I don't feel sad that the Queen has died, I expect it was a relief to her as you don't get to 96 years old without pain, however attentive the physicians. What I am a bit concerned about is, did anybody check to see whether Boris had actually left the building? That he isn't now taking advantage of the absence in the throne room... and trying on the headgear for size?

As a lover of history, I am very interested in how this is/will play out and what the shift in the monarchy will look like in the weeks/months/decade after this. Never in the history of the world has a monarch ruled over a period with such a huge shift in culture. When her father died Royalty was still considered by many to be a divine right given by God, many still held them up on a pedestal as sacred. Nowadays the tabloids have a field day with any slip, perceived or real and they are (mostly) held to account for actions.

The internet was not even a concept at the start of her reign, people found out about the death of her father in carefully controlled media waves. Last night was live streamed, people could track the progress of the Royal Family's plane zooming up to Aberdeen.

On a personal note, I feel a bit sad. It's the end of an era, feels a little bit like a distant aunt that I never really chatted to, but who showed up to all the family events has died. Nowt more than that though. I reckon she deserves all the pomp and ceremony of a state funeral as the last of the old school, but that the monarchy should be much pared down from that point starting with Charles.

Some people will be genuinely sad and grieving. A lot of chancers are just using it for a skive.

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe yes nobody should be censoring anyone else. It isn't shocking that she has died and it isn't 'sad' in the sense that she has had a very long and interesting life. However that could be said for anyone, my grandma died at 80 which is still a good age. I was able to accept her death but I was still sad about it. And no, the queen isn't 'family' in the literal sense but she has been such a constant and familiar presence that many people do feel like they know her. Being able to evoke that feeling in so many people is an achievement in itself. She gave her life to the country and I am very, very sorry to see her go. It marks the end of an era and a definite change in the country.

I do agree that the constant, repetitive rolling coverage is tedious though.

I'm also a bit sorry to see her go, padfootlives, it's a jolt, isn't it?

I actually can respect that. We're forced to pay towards them, might as well extract whatever we can on a personal level.

I've been on holiday all week but I reckon I won't be able to concentrate when I'm due to go back to work on Monday 😬

Aye Me

Living to 96 is bloody lucky.
I have no interest in the RF.

We all seem to care but no one is crying, we are quietly working

I was dreading ant anti Charles comments but have ignored only one and we are not really discussing thankfully

Me OP!

I had a brief moment of emotion when they announced it - but possibly because it felt it had been dragged out all day.

This does made me reflect on the notion of a monarchy. It sticks in my craw because we have such a shit storm coming our way and the Monarchy has nothing to offer us by way of solutions.

But the Queen was a member of a family, and I sympathise with them. And she did have a role in our country - albeit very ceremonial.

But it really isn’t the time to unpick all of that now. I’m quiet and respectful at other peoples grief - I’m just going to mind my own business and hold my opinions to myself for now.

I find it sad that an old lady has reached the end of her life but weeping for s person you never knew is very odd.

Why would you be 'dreading' comments about Charles? He made the foolhardy statement in the first place. As he's now king I imagine he'll be well able to stand up for himself too. No need for an 'Off with their heads!' stance.