To think that most people don't understand the significance of the King's Speech

[MargoLivebetter]

As it is happening today, I wondered whether fellow posters would be watching and if they knew what it was all about? I work in the broad field of political matters, so I'm very conscious of it, but I wondered if it meant anything to anyone else.

Interested to hear if I'm being AIBU. I hope I am!

Nobody wants to close down discussion. The whole point of discussion is to be able to say that opposition to the monarchy, whether expressed moderately or not (usually not on here) is just a point of view. There are perfectly good reasons to support a system for the head of state being both non-political and historically significant.

That view may not go down well in the staff rooms of universities or LibDem branch meetings, but, frankly, who cares what they think?

There's a 60 second 'what happened' on the BBC news website. That should get you up to date.

It's easy enough to read the speech, it's not very long. The main bit is the underlying background information which is over 100 pages!

Edited: they've also done a summary here, which as far as I know is a new thing: Ten things to know from the King's Speech - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

On the plus side, there's no mention of any ban on so-called 'conversion therapy' (which is not conversion therapy) - is this a sign Labour are seeing the light at last

Sadly it is on the list of new bills.

They don't want to develop green spaces. They said they will prioritise brownfield sites and "grey" belt, an example of which is a disused petrol station in the Green Belt in West Drayton (I think) which lies unused because it is technically in the Green Belt but is patently not a green field site. However, I don't know how it got developed as a petrol station in the first place!

For those looking for more detail on any of the proposed legislation:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6697ac9cab418ab05559271d/King_s_Speech_2024_background_briefing_GOV.uk.pdf

I'm interested to know what the government's plans are. I'm not interested or find any significance in it being presented as 'the kings speech'. Meaningless twaddle.

@Squirrelblanket but the King's Speech is what the Government's plans are!

Your thread title is condescending and it just picks up from there. Of course many of us know the significance of the KS.

You literally copied and pasted this from the Institute for Government website, and you want to educate US on this?

I don't think you understand the point @Squirrelblanket is trying to make.

The plans still exist without the King reading them out though

@ItsAlrightDarling they definitely do. At the moment, that is how the sessions in Parliament start though and without that procedure being gone through each time, then there is no start to the legislative process. I think there is a huge opportunity to reform and modernise, but at the moment that is how it works.

I have no interest in the opinions of an unelected monarch

@QueenMegan it is not his opinions, it is the Government's plans. The Monarch reads it to show that he is bound by Parliament, not the other way around. The point of the whole thing is to show that the House of Commons, the representatives that we elect hold the power. Sadly, I think this gets lost.

Is that what you think the King’s Speech is.

Call me sentimental, but as we do have an unelected Monarch, I think the symbolism of the whole King's speech is far more important than all the other ceremonial dressing up box events, designed to blow smoke up their asses and tell them how important and special they are. That the King can turn up in his crown and all his other nonsense but has to wait outside Parliament to be let in, and that he has to sit there and read out things we know he doesn't agree with ( he had to read out Sunaks Kings Speech where he rolled back on net zero commitments, which was arguably worse than building on some grey belt and brownfield sites). It reminds the Monarch ( and the rest of us) that he has no power.

Yes I have to admit, it was many years before I realised the King's (Queen's as it was then) speech was written by the government. Thick I know - I knew they searched the cellars for explosives, but I thought the Queen - well her advisors - wrote the speech with reference to the government.

I sued to think it was all of fashioned and stuffy, but in the last few years I’ve started appreciating that history and politics lead us to life how it is now. It’s interesting to see things like this in action and read up on what’s going on.

But that was exactly the poster’s point. The Government’s plans are the interesting part, and you don’t actually have to watch the King’s speech to know what they are. They’re listed on the BBC news website, for one. So there is no need to watch it.

Which bit of my grasp is on that level @malakkalakka ? I'm not an A level politics student, but would it matter if I were?

I'm having a discussion and I'm interested in people's opinions. If someone asks a question, I'm going to try and answer. If you think I've said something that is incorrect, please let me know. I didn't say I was an expert, I said I worked in the broad field of politics and it interested me. I wasn't sure if it was of interest to anyone else.

I put it in AIBU with a title that could be considered AIBU, as I think that is the point of AIBU, but again if you think I've got that wrong, please do say so.

We always watch it, however it's no more enlightening in this instance than reading the manifestos were. Nor would I expect it to have been as so little time has passed. Zero surprises, including which elements of the previous government's plans are intended to be continued. Let's see what happens once the details are fleshed out by ministers....I've got money on some never coming to fruition.

It's interesting the emphasis on National Rail, this will go ahead I'm sure as despite the publicity this is also a legacy from the tories who started the process 3 years ago and had already mapped out the end of franchise take back. Shame they haven't wanted to do this with trickier industries such as water which is in dire need of public hands.

As with the manifestos something for everyone in there.

OP I think in spite of your condescending attitude, you do not understand what is happening. The government have already said in their manifesto what they plan to do. This speech lays out the bills they plan to enact the manifesto. We already knew the contents before the speech happened.
You say the manifesto is vague, the speech is even vaguer. And we know from past speeches some things will happen and some will not.
It is just a piece of pomp left over from the 15th century before mass media. At that time the Kings speech did serve a real purpose. But not now. It could be abolished and few would even notice.

@MargoLivebetter You work in the broad field of politics? That surprises me.
I would have thought you would know that it is many many years since there was anything in the King or Queens speech that had not been covered by the media beforehand.