Are the upper echelons of Irish Society Royalists at Heart?

[highorlow]

After the mind numbing week that was in it the media and other wanna bee higher class people of the country really are portraying a false impression of what the majority of the nation are thinking and it is only them and the invitees to yer wans events that say how great and remarkable this visit is.

The like of Vincent Brown, Dunphy and the whole of RTE would sicken your hole over the last 4 days of this figurehead worship horseshit.

VB had a lad on the other night who thought it was great that they gave India back?? He also stated that they will gladly give back the North when a majority vote for it.... not one person on the panel pulled him up on the fact that the majority on this island would vote to get it back. No more VB in our house after that!

I'm not anti British or anti English but the whole false nature and band wagon jumping by the press and TV over the last few days is absolute putrid reporting and does not reflect the true feelings of the vast majority. It is this bandwagon mentality of us Irish (mainly led by the media) that has us where we are today, i.e. the developers trying to out do each other in D4 and elsewhere, the banks trying to out do each other by over lending, ever tom dick and dart user having to have an apartment on the DORT line at 1/2 a mil per sq foot, all these foreign shops coming in (bring back the coops), sky and the soccer supporters trying to out do each other for the 'title', all this shit caused the crash but yet again the oneupmanship starts by inviting a figurehead over for a week of cringe.

Just wondering what other people think thats all.

[AZOffaly]

Yes. I certainly think that a significant proportion of our society see themselves as better than a lot of other people, and completely buy in to the notion that some are privileged, and they love the notion of royalty.

I don't think there's a question that a lot of people would like to be in the Commonwealth. They stop short of wanting to be British, but they are really 'into' the British institutions.

Edit, I just read the rest of your post though, as opposed to just the subject , and I think you're going overboard. I think the property bubble etc is a symptom of the same thing, rather than a cause of it. As for the foreign shops and all? I presume you're joking.

[ross matt]

It's not just the elite/upper echelons of Irish soceity that have a fascination with royalty. It's many ordinary people also plus the majority of mainstream media. I for one dont share or understand it but I think after this week I'm in the minority. For most of them its nothing to do with politics or English/Irish relationships. Its the whole crowns/titles/castles paraphanalia.

[highorlow]

Its the whole crowns/titles/castles paraphanalia.

Yes, where did this mentality come from?

Is it the 800 years of oppression and we now have to strive to become imperialistic ourselves? I think its only a minority really, anyone I've spoken too either doesn't care or hates the whole event.

[Ulick]

Good post highorlow.

[Tony Baloney]

After the mind numbing week that was in it the media and other wanna bee higher class people of the country really are portraying a false impression of what the majority of the nation are thinking and it is only them and the invitees to yer wans events that say how great and remarkable this visit is.

The like of Vincent Brown, Dunphy and the whole of RTE would sicken your hole over the last 4 days of this figurehead worship horseshit.

VB had a lad on the other night who thought it was great that they gave India back?? He also stated that they will gladly give back the North when a majority vote for it.... not one person on the panel pulled him up on the fact that the majority on this island would vote to get it back. No more VB in our house after that!

I'm not anti British or anti English but the whole false nature and band wagon jumping by the press and TV over the last few days is absolute putrid reporting and does not reflect the true feelings of the vast majority. It is this bandwagon mentality of us Irish (mainly led by the media) that has us where we are today, i.e. the developers trying to out do each other in D4 and elsewhere, the banks trying to out do each other by over lending, ever tom dick and dart user having to have an apartment on the DORT line at 1/2 a mil per sq foot, all these foreign shops coming in (bring back the coops), sky and the soccer supporters trying to out do each other for the 'title', all this shit caused the crash but yet again the oneupmanship starts by inviting a figurehead over for a week of cringe.

Just wondering what other people think thats all.

I haven't seen any statistics to suggest what the majority view is so are the majority against it due to historical baggage, against it due to cost, or apathetic as it's only the Dubs and Cork folk really involved "and sure you know what they're like"!

[Bingo]

Maybe the majority of people have no problem with the royals and its the minority who do?

[AZOffaly]

Maybe the majority of people have no problem with the royals and its the minority who do?

I think there's two flavours of those 'not opposed' to the visit and all the pomp.

There are those who have 'no problem' with the Royals (like me) and believe that in general this visit is a good a symbolic thing (like me) and who respect the institution as an integral part of a neighbouring equal state (like me).

Then there are those who figuratively drool over the UK Monarchy, and other UK Institutions, and who give the impression that would actually rather have a relationship with the UK beyond friendly neighbours. There seems to be a surfeit of these in public positions, and certainly in those who give us our news through various media. At the very least, I suspect that the likes of Tony O'Reilly, and quite a few other media types would only love if the Queen was 'ours'.

[seafoid]

I think if you were to take out all the readers of Hello! Heat, the Sun, the News of the world and the Sunday Times
you would have a stab at the % of the population who are not fascinated by geegaws and slebs and and it wouldn't be a lot of people. 

[Hardy]

I too have been taken aback by the gushing of the great and the good here. I'm well inured to the anglicisation of popular culture here, from Coronation Street to the Premiership. But I'm very surprised to see the political and intellectual elite falling over themselves to come across as more sycophantic royal worshippers than the royal correspondents of the BBC. Vincent Brown, every cabinet minister who has opened his/her mouth, even some FFers and virtually all of RTÉ's shapers of opinion have all been way over the top.

I'm positively disposed towards the visit and subscribe to the ostensible motive for it as a symbolic underlining of the GFA and the new dispensation, etc. But I really am surprised to see supposedly hard-nosed observers losing all objectivity and twittering about "her majesty" in terms that would remind you of a swooning teenager in the presence of some pop singer. I've seen nothing like it since the Pope came here and sensible people lost the run of themselves in similar fashion. It wasn't surprising in the case of the Pope but is certainly is in the case of the British queen, especially since the official narrative keeps telling us how much we've "grown up" since those days.

[ross matt]

I too have been taken aback by the gushing of the great and the good here. I'm well inured to the anglicisation of popular culture here, from Coronation Street to the Premiership. But I'm very surprised to see the political and intellectual elite falling over themselves to come across as more sycophantic royal worshippers than the royal correspondents of the BBC. Vincent Brown, every cabinet minister who has opened his/her mouth, even some FFers and virtually all of RTÉ's shapers of opinion have all been way over the top.

I'm positively disposed towards the visit and subscribe to the ostensible motive for it as a symbolic underlining of the GFA and the new dispensation, etc. But I really am surprised to see supposedly hard-nosed observers losing all objectivity and twittering about "her majesty" in terms that would remind you of a swooning teenager in the presence of some pop singer. I've seen nothing like it since the Pope came here and sensible people lost the run of themselves in similar fashion. It wasn't surprising in the case of the Pope but is certainly is in the case of the British queen, especially since the official narrative keeps telling us how much we've "grown up" since those days.

+ 100.

[winghalfun]

Apolgies if this has been previously discussed. But Paul Costello certainly nailed his colours well and truly to the mast in this recent Late Late appearance.

Unfortunately the bit were he talked about the Queen going to Croke Park is not included in the clip but even Ryan Turbity couldn't believe what he was hearing and had to pull him on the significance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaBl-Sb3hOc

[AQMP]

I too have been taken aback by the gushing of the great and the good here. I'm well inured to the anglicisation of popular culture here, from Coronation Street to the Premiership. But I'm very surprised to see the political and intellectual elite falling over themselves to come across as more sycophantic royal worshippers than the royal correspondents of the BBC. Vincent Brown, every cabinet minister who has opened his/her mouth, even some FFers and virtually all of RTÉ's shapers of opinion have all been way over the top.

I'm positively disposed towards the visit and subscribe to the ostensible motive for it as a symbolic underlining of the GFA and the new dispensation, etc. But I really am surprised to see supposedly hard-nosed observers losing all objectivity and twittering about "her majesty" in terms that would remind you of a swooning teenager in the presence of some pop singer. I've seen nothing like it since the Pope came here and sensible people lost the run of themselves in similar fashion. It wasn't surprising in the case of the Pope but is certainly is in the case of the British queen, especially since the official narrative keeps telling us how much we've "grown up" since those days.

Very good post Hardy.  At least you haven't been exposed to the UTV coverage with Paul Clarke, Ken Reid and some boy McFadden?? trying to out fawn each other.  Though I am largely indifferent to the Queen's visit (it's the missus who insists on watching it, honest), I think the impact, to paraphrase Bill Gates on technology, will be "over estimated in the short run and under estimated in the long run"

[Mentalman]

Have to say I have been taken aback by the number of fawning monarchists on show this week. Where were these folks educated? Obviously not in a CBS  My own approach is that she is the head of state of our nearest neighbour and as such should be afforded all the normal protocols and priviledges that would be extended to any visiting leader. I also recognise our unique, and unfortunate, history together and that this is another step in a democratic process that started with the Anglo-Irish agreement and was further cemeted by the GFA. However I have no doings with monarchial systems, or privliedge bestowed by accident of birth and as such have had little or no interest in her as a person, other than not wanting to see her harmed in anyway. Similarly to the wedding a few weeks back I cannot for the life of me understand peoples facination with royalty. The whole thing about Kate Middleton going from commoner to Princess? Please, she's the same person she was prior to the cermony, it's not some frigging faerytale. As was mentioned above the views being espoused through the media and around the world that Irish people are some how overjoyed with the visit is at best manufactured. No ordinary citizens have got within an asses roar of her. For the majority of people I've spoken to the emotions range from overwhelming rank indifference to the visit, to concern that nothing go wrong while she is here.

[brokencrossbar1]

Lads it is symptomatic of the Pop Idol, Corrie watching Sun reading, Chelsea supporting(insert team), Indian takeaway eating attitude that has been evident in this country for years.  Lets have it out in the open, we lost our sense of Irishness, as a nation, a long, long time ago.  People spout off about the West Brit/Blueshit when someone disagrees with a republican viewpoint.  The reality is that unfortunately the notion of True Republicanism is long dead and lying in the Garden of Remembrance.  We all look East for a lot of our entertainment/news/jobs and we have become, understandibly so, very reliant on Britain.  This has gnawed away at our identity gradually and will continue to do so.  The one thing we have is the GAA and no one can really touch it or compare to it and perhaps it is the last bastion of "irishness", even more so than our own language. The concern though is even it seems to be losing its way as well with the gagging by the President against anyone else speaking about the QUeen's visit.  Freedom of speech so long as it doesn't offend I reckon in the last 15 years there are more native Polish speaking people in Ireland than there is Irish speaking. We have allowed our essence to de chipped away and in many ways the forelock tugging by the "great and good" of the last week has put a final nail in that coffin.