To worry that things will kick off in London this week?

[sunnydaytoday0]

By that I mean civil unrest? I certainly hope not but is it a worry given the simmering tension around things like peaceful protesters being warned they'd be arrested, people being reminded they're living in an incredibly unequal society during a cost of living crisis, the anger surrounding the police shooting of an unarmed man recently etc.

I image police officers are being drafted in from all over the country in near record numbers, but is anyone else worried a few heavy handed arrests over the next few days could actually tip the balance into serious disorder?

No.

It has crossed my mind. Also the risk of terrorism with having so many world leaders in one place.

Given the way the last few years have gone, and that this year has been spectacularly shit on a personal level and externally everything seems very unstable, nothing would surprise me…..

I live in fairly central London.

I think there’s a possible terrorism risk, but not for it to kick off over the things you mention. While they’re valid concerns generally, right now the mood feels very much focused on mourning the Queen and feeling benevolent towards the King. There’ll be some focusing on the issue you mention, for sure, but not the majority.

No, very much doubt it. People who are really mad against the RF are not great enough in numbers, frankly.

I do wonder if we might have unrest this winter though. Normally, hot summer days tend to be the catalyst, but this winter the problem is that for many people, the inside of their homes will be as cold as the outside!

There’ll be some focusing on the issue you mention, for sure, but not the majority.

It doesn't have to be a majority of people for there to be big problems though?

No

I do wonder if we might have unrest this winter though. Normally, hot summer days tend to be the catalyst, but this winter the problem is that for many people, the inside of their homes will be as cold as the outside

Exactly. I think Extinction Rebellion might have something to say about the thousands turning up to pay their respects, gridlocking London, etc, or the size of the plane transporting a handful of people and a coffin, or the planes going back and forth generally making journeys that could have been planned in a more environmentally conscious way. I'm not a royalist BTW! I am saddened of course by the Queens death but it's like noone cares any more about the planet and our climate.

I agree with you OP.

I wouldn't be surprised at all.

People are being squeezed, squashed, marginalised, ignored, blamed, gaslit and insulted left right and centre.

I don't want to see unrest but at the same time it is sad that so many people are expected to put up with a situation that they didn't cause, can't change and which is crushing them without making a fuss.

A simple 'accident' or birth means some people are disgustingly disadvantaged. I'd be raging if it were me.

I think that highly unlikely. I was in Westminster earlier today and the crowd safety teams are already on duty, the barriers are out, there were police officers there from all over the country. I spoke to one PC from Northumbria.

And there were already huge numbers of visitors who would get in the way of any large scale Republican protest . There's much more a risk of pickpockets and organised thieves/scams than civil unrest.

er no

Given the way the last few years have gone, and that this year has been spectacularly shit on a personal level and externally everything seems very unstable, nothing would surprise me…..

Indeed. I was thinking back to the 2011 riots and the one little spark that set it all off. And the country is arguably in a much crazier state now than back then for all sorts of reasons. The country feels like a big powder keg ready to go off at one particular moment. And the government having done it's best to ban protests will probably have the opposite effect.

Yup. Powder keg.

The death has brought up so much stuff, sectarianism, irish history, colonial history; the country is deeply divided economically, politically, geographically, there is genuine poverty and despair.

While Lizzie might have commandeered a level of "national treasure" status, Charles and his suitcases of money and holidays with Savile, Andrew and his arms dealing and abuse of young women not to mention the ongoing obvious hate campaign against Markle doesnt convey the required dignitas.

The wealth transfer that is going on here is obscene. Billions of tax-free money being passed around, billions more in influence of all kinds, power hard and soft.

We have a weak Prime Minister, a weak parliament, a weak opposition, a judicary that has been neutered, a press that has been bought and a civil service hollowed out from the inside. Billions are being borrowed by the state, risking hyperinflation and the collapse of the pound.

We are really not in a good way, and people know it.

The day before HMQ died there were two consecutive items on the news.

One was about trying to expand school meals to all primary children because they expect children to arrive at school both cold and hungry. That was followed by the then, second, third and fourth in line to the throne starting school at an estimate of £42 000 a year.

I can't have been the only one thinking that the parents who cannot afford to feed their children are paying for royal children to get an education they cannot dream of giving their own children.

Yup. Powder keg.
The death has brought up so much stuff, sectarianism, irish history, colonial history; the country is deeply divided economically, politically, geographically, there is genuine poverty and despair.

@Cailleachian You described what I was thinking much better than I did in the OP. The Queen's death has brought to the fore so many different issues, at a time when things feel so uncertain, unstable and with many people feeling desperate and hopeless.

It's no wonder the police seem so keen to stamp down on any sign of dissent.

Second thread I’ve seen mention this

this week? Seems vanishingly unlikely.

post funeral maybe
but generally I don’t get any vibes of this. General strike, sure. About two years too late. <grumble>

I don't think so at the funeral.

But I do expect there to be organised protests sparked by the cost of living crisis this winter (and I will be there) and they will no doubt lead to some sort of trouble as per the poll tax riots.

Possibly afterwards. At the moment the nation is overcome with a mix of nostalgia and sycophantic grief vampires all stood round hanging on every word of Charles and his weird family.

“I do wonder if we might have unrest this winter though. Normally, hot summer days tend to be the catalyst, but this winter the problem is that for many people, the inside of their homes will be as cold as the outside!”

I just think there will be an awful lot of burglaries.

I’ve been watching the succession and accession quite closely. I think the storm clouds are definitely forming over the monarchy, and once the Queen is buried on Monday there will be a collective shaking of the head, a farewell to the historic pageantry, and it’ll be a whole new world.

The ‘nation in mourning’ (which doesn’t exist) might turn quite quickly on those in power, especially in London. I don’t believe that Charles will be popular for long. He is too rich, too set in his luxury ways, and too polarising. He’s done well so far in PR terms stressing stability and heredity, but it’s only an illusion that he can pull off for so long in the face of modern poverty in an internet age.

I also agree that there are going to be security incidents at the funeral of varying degrees of seriousness, some of which we may never hear about.

I live in central London and the atmosphere at the moment is very good. It is extremely busy, but calm. Lots of people came to Buckingham Palace at the weekend and then made a day of it by doing other things. The restaurants in our area had queues outside them and people were spending money. Definitely not a feeling of despair at the moment.

London here too and I agree with @Skolo , no feelings of despair. People lined the streets yesterday to see both the King arrive and Queen land. I think the monarchy has a lot more supporters than the rebuplicans like to believe. We won't be seeing the end of the monarchy anytime soon.

It has been in my mind that the current situation is surely irresistible to would-be terrorists; huge crowds, massive global media focus, imperialism on parade, royals en masse on foot and visible.

Any would-be terrorist could not expect evade death or arrest but there have been many suicide attacks in recent years so that is not always an obstacle.

Obviously I sincerely hope nothing of this nature occurs. Intelligence must be flat out at the moment. I just can’t imagine.

I strongly doubt it because 99% of people who aren't mad keen on the royals are respectful of the Queen and practice indifference. The 1% are very tiny in numbers. Terrorism is a far bigger worry than a handful of would be republicans with placards

I think you’re entirely wrong. The Queen had a lot of supporters, but with the Queen now dead, a great deal are rethinking their support of ‘the monarchy’. To many, the queen was the monarchy.

Charles’ popularity has never been anything to write home about and now it’s waning further with more details emerging of his ridiculous wealth and petulant attitude.