AIBU to think the current Queen has been a mediocre to poor Monarch?

[ComposHat]

Anyone else think all the praise lavished on her is undue? We are all told that she has done a 'good job' but has she really? The servile media, including the supposedly balanced BBC won't broker any attempts to criticise her in any way. We are simply told that she has been 'beyond reproach.'

I'd argue that she's been a dull and unimaginative Monarch, clinging to hidebound tradition and fighting to preserve arcane privileges like a Royal Yacht (actually a mini cruise liner) and resisting paying tax on her income. At crucial moments in her reign she's dallied and shown weak leadership.

On her watch the monarchy has at best stagnated and at worst slipped into an inexorable decline and has begun to feel like an anachronism.

I'll venture that history will not judge her as kindly as all these fawning contemporary commentators do. Her reign will be seen as the point at which the rot set in.

YABU

A good monarch has the best interests of the country at heart. I would say that she does this well and doesn't let herself down. She does no harm. Class and money would divide whether they are there or not.
I think it's good to have someone who's major job is to promote Britain whilst keeping up the standards. MP's do a job but expenses scandals and self promotion just go to show that they are in for themselves.

YABVVU and frankly - if all you wanted was to engineer a spat and a slathering of ill-will - well, was this the best you could do?

I think your OP stinks. Make of that what you will.

YABVU. THe queen has been exemplary in her duty and has put country before self.

I really wish the monarchy good skip Charles and go straignt to Wills and Kate who I think are modellign themselves on Her May.

I agree with Freudian she has played the role of the monarch as laid down by her grandfather - distant, austere, unknowable . But she has done little more than preserve the status quo.

I really wish the monarchy good skip Charles and go straignt to Wills and Kate who I think are modellign themselves on Her May.

That's the whole point with an hereditary monarchy, you don't get to pick the ones you think are nice or good looking. If you want to pick a head of state, the only logical conclusion is a Republic. Which on balance I think would be preferable.

I think it's an interesting OP, am v interested to hear people's perceptions of the Queen as an individual monarch, rather then the usual discussion of the monarchy as a whole.

composhat no way would a republic state work....i certainly dont want to be ruled by gung ho leaders like george dubya bush and his cronies....

YABVVU and frankly - if all you wanted was to engineer a spat and a slathering of ill-will - well, was this the best you could do?

No, it is my belief that the Queen should not be beyond reproach. Believe it or not some of use won't be indulging in the collective forelock tugging on the jubilee weekend.

I think what 'stinks' is your refusal to countenance anything that isn't gushing praise for a public, taxpayer funded office holder - this isn't North Korea.

composhat no way would a republic state work.

Really? the majority of Western Europe seems to do okay. Anyway the US system is unusual in that the President has an executive function. In countries like Germany, the majority of power in concentrated in the hands of the Chancellor and the President is a figurehead.

Anyway if you end up with a bad President, you can vote them out, which you can't do with a bad monarch.

YABU

Historically she and her family during the 2ww did not run fleeing to the hills but stuck around giving moral support and actively taking part where they could. Don't underestimate the role that this played in the past and the fact that the younger royals are achieving this today (admittedly not all - there are parts of the windsor family that are just not really worth a title of any sort)

She actively supports british business through forward thinking accolades, but doesn't run them through the press dramatically - perhaps she should here

She supports the smaller more craft focused individuals here

I wouldn't confuse what role the queen plays within the Royal Family with that of some other players. I also believe she has produced a very fine child in the Princess Royal who is realistic about her role and that of her non royal children and has decided not to let them leech of their "titles".

She has served in a role that has people critcizing it for 60 years, a role that she was NOT born to do but got via default because of rather misguided relative but I think it has benefited this country no end.

I also believe we should celebrate her, I very much doubt we will ever have the opportunity or inclination to celebrate another monarch in the future. And certainly not another one who has the longevity that she has given to this country.

Yes she does something for tourism, and under her reign she has opened up the royal houses to allow the general public access, something that didn't happen before.

Don't forget she has lived her entire life surrounded by the press and having to behave in public, she has never been able to go out clubbing till 3 am and come home covered in vomit or snog a random man should she so wish. She has lived in a gilded cage and has done a stoical job. If she were to abdicate now she would still never be able to have a normal life. I wouldn't confuse stoic with boring.

And I think she is probably a game old bird she certainly doesn't stick to her rules and don't underestimate how much she is loved. Although the Jubiliee celebrations may seem gauche in a time of austerity I very much doubt it is her behind it!

Equally though Compos has she ever done anything to assume the role of a bad monarch?

I think you ABVU.

This is a woman who has worked tirelessly for UK Plc for 60 years - who meets hundreds of thousands of people every year, supports charities, businesses, schools, hospitals etc etc etc with her patronage and royal warrants; she has to be unfailingly polite, and be on best behaviour every single second of every single day. She advises the Prime Minister of the day and meets with them every week - and if you have read any of their autobiographies after they have left office, they have all praised her wisdom and diplomacy and have valued her advice and patience. She has to remain neutral and cannot express an opinion on anything (in public at least), at all - ever. She gets damned if she does and damned if she doesn't - I think it's a hideous job that very few of us really understand or would be able to do half as well as she does. She's 87 and yet still has a punishing schedule and will have to keep going until she dies - not much fun really is it!

She has a very wicked sense of humour according to a family friend who knows the Firm.

And I believe that it is true that the MOD budget no longer supported the Royal Yacht - and that the Royals agreed that it had to go - albeit reluctantly. I think it was one of their last bastions of privacy.....

Good post poohbear.

Sovery I agree with you, she has worked hard, to some it may seem that talking to people all day and feigning interest is not as hard as stacking shelves or being down a coal mine, however she does numerous functions in not just a month or a week but each day. Quite frankly there is not enough money in the world for me to have to listen to someone who's only ambition in life is to meet me as obviously they do all the time.

And she has done this every day for 60 years. She hasn't retired and sat gathering her pension and waiting to die, she is a firm believer in not wasting things and frowns upon those of her family who do. Also I wouldn't believe that she sits around drinking champagne all day.

The majority of Western Europe? Except, Spain, and Denmark, and Norway, and Sweden, and Belgium, and the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein...

Funny how liberals fawn all over the Scandinavian and Benelux countries, except for where it doesn't suit them, such as having a monarchy.

How would you like some Tory politician as our head of state? Because that's what we'd have right now.

As some other posters have suggested, she might indeed have been a dull monarch...compared with other British monarchs. She (as far as we know!) hasn't cut off people's heads, had affairs, started wars, gambled, brought her family into disrepute, etc. A boring monarch is a good thing. Actually I don't think she is boring, though - and I think she would much rather not have been queen, but instead been able to train racehorses. It seems a bit unfair to criticise someone who's done a jolly good job at something she didn't even really want to do in the first place.

How would you like some Tory politician as our head of state? Because that's what we'd have right now.

i would be okay with that as they would have the legitimacy of being voted into office and could be removed from office by the electorate.

how can you say she has been a bad monarch....load of shite

Well, as she's been 60 years on the throne we don't have a lot to compare her too, do we.

I'm no Royalist (can I say that and still use a capitol R?), but I think she's done a fantastic job. I can't think of one single occasion where she has let the country down.

She's done a fantastic job, all be it a very well paid job. If she were paid based on how much revenue she brings in to the country, I suspect she wouldn't be too badly off.

Great posts PoohBear and sovery.

I thought the ultimate test of a successful reign was to leave the monarchy in a stronger position than it was when you ascended to the throne.

Has she?

I agree that monarchy is an anachronism and don't see that it benefits the country in any way. I don't think there is any benefit to tourism, if anything is the other way round; visitors come to see the trappings of monarchy not the monarchs themselves, the palaces would still be there if the monarch wasn't. Versailles gets more visitors than any royal palace; people can actually get in to see it.

It is almost neither here nor there whether the current Queen has been a good monarch; the nature of the absurd system of monarchy means that we don't get to choose anyway. We are not in a position to judge her performance as monarch, as others have pointed out here we have too little info of what she actually does. She has however signed away our country (via the Lisbon treaty) and thus arguably broken her Coronation oath. She is no longer sovereign as we are no longer a sovereign state.

The Queen is fantastic. I really admire her. You are well out of order. If you don't like it, move to a country where they have a president. You are obviously in the mood for a row!