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Duty Calls: It certainly calls Elizabeth II – but what about her eldest son? (Monarchy's twilight?)
National Review | March 14, 2005 | Theodore Dalrymple

Posted on 03/02/2005 10:19:33 AM PST by quidnunc

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To: ASA Vet

Kirk Michael.


41 posted on 03/02/2005 6:02:56 PM PST by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
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To: Sam the Sham

Well, Murdoch is anti-monarch because by definition (in his mind) it's the opposite of Democracy. He doesn't realize what an extraordinary benefit they are to England. It's the only issue Rupe is all wet on...IMO.


42 posted on 03/02/2005 6:06:45 PM PST by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
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To: Deb
Deb wrote: Cut it out.

Cut what out?

You mean lay off the Brits?

If so, why?

The scorn — and yes, pure hatred — which I saw generated in Britain against Bush, expecially during the run-up and just after the election has soured me on Brits permanently.

I am thoroughly convinced that were it not for Tony Blair the UK would be sitting on the sidelines sniping at us too.

Maybe not so badly as the French, but sniping nonetheless.

43 posted on 03/02/2005 6:46:00 PM PST by quidnunc (Omnis Gaul delenda est)
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To: quidnunc

Sorry. You're gonna have to produce evidence. You accused Prince Charles of something I know is absolutely not true.


44 posted on 03/02/2005 6:48:20 PM PST by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
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To: Deb
Deb wrote: Sorry. You're gonna have to produce evidence. You accused Prince Charles of something I know is absolutely not true.

I told you what I read.

I don't know it to be true any more than you know it to not be true.

You believe it not to be true, and you hope it isn't true, but you don't know it isn't true.

Here's the article I was thinking of, though I originally read it in a British source, the name of which does not spring to mind:

McGlobal World Order Gets McJihad Snub from Prince Villager

A SERIOUS rift has opened up between Prince Charles and the government because he is seen to be AGAINST a war on Iraq and AGAINST America.

Whitehall also believes the prince is sympathetic to the view of his Arab friends that war on Saddam Hussein is a bid by the US to grab a stake in the Middle East's oil.

Yet despite being colonel-in-chief to 17 regiments, Charles has shown little public support for the soldiers, airmen and sailors who are about to risk their lives in a Gulf conflict.

There are also worries that he makes no secret of his anti-American views in conversations with members of Arab royal families and their leading officials.

A Whitehall source said: "Downing Street tries not to involve the prince in anything — because they have concerns over how he will react.

"He has this lunatic view he is the voice of the people."

Formal

And a diplomatic insider said: "It would be very unhelpful if the prince were to indicate anything other than unswerving support for the government."

The prince's stance was illustrated last week when — in his role as colonel-in-chief of the Paras — he said a stiff, formal farewell to his men as they prepared to leave for the Gulf.

His visit to the Parachute Regiment barracks in Colchester does not merit a single line on his official website. It was not announced by his own office.

Yet his opening of an Islamic education centre in Leicester two weeks ago is reported on the website with 19 paragraphs, two pictures and a full transcript of his speech.

Charles is rightly feted for his pioneering work creating understanding and tolerance between Islam and other faiths.

He also holds many honorary military positions, including chief to the Welsh Guards, the Paras and the Gurkhas. He is Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy, Air Marshal in the RAF and Lieutenant General in the Army.

Critics say the prince likes to cut a dash in the Paras' coveted red beret — strutting around with a chestful of medals on his tunic. But they ask how the men of the Parachute Regiment would feel if they knew their colonel's true feelings on the war.

The prince's views have led to a worrying split with the American leadership. Two months ago, Charles had to abandon an official visit to the US because the White House made it clear he wasn't wanted.

The snub — directly from President Bush — came after security sources advised that Charles's presence in America would be "very unhelpful".

Washington diplomats were concerned the prince would show his disapproval during meetings with President Bush.

Charles — who reads the Koran every day and often adopts Islamic dress at home — spends long hours discussing the Middle East's problems with Saudi royal family members.

One of his closest friends is the former Saudi ambassador Ghazi Algosaibi who wrote a poem in praise of the first woman suicide bomber.

Algosaibi said that the "doors of heaven are opened for her". He once described the Israelis as worse than Nazis and he was a regular guest at Highgrove — Prince Charles's country home — before he was recalled by his government last year.

Charles is also close to King Abdullah of Jordan. His glamorous wife Queen Rania is a close friend of the prince's partner, Camilla Parker Bowles and is a regular guest at St James's Palace.

In private the prince talks about "Americanimperi-alism" collapsing the whole of the Middle East.

"Of course Saddam is an evil man, but American imperialism will not solve the problem," he said in one discussion.

He sympathises with his Saudi royal friends when they talk about their fears of America's true intentions in Iraq.

One close friend said: "They believe the US intends to collapse the whole Gulf economy and take control of oil.

"Once that happens the tensions in Israel and Palestine will explode."

Fraught

Charles's meeting three days ago with French President Jacques Chirac was fraught with diplomatic concerns.

Before the meeting the Foreign Office asked the Prince of Wales's staff if he would promise not to discuss Iraq.

They said yes, but Charles would feel free to give an opinion if Chirac raised Iraq first.

Downing Street is understood to have washed its hands of winning Charles's support.

"At such a sensitive time his views are wrong, wrong, wrong," said a Whitehall source.

"Unfortunately he is making them a little too widely known."  

(Clive Goodman in Radio Pinoy WRMN [Bloomfield, NJ], February 9, 2003)
http://www.radiopinoyusa.com/matanglawin/ml-02-09b-2003.html

I think Clive Goodman is the royals reporter for Murdoch.

I see him quoted on the BBC home page.

Here are some more links whjich you may find interesting.

http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/119

http://www.freedomdomain.com/Templemount/10_13a.html (A repost of an article from The Telegraph)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/monarchy/story/0,2763,573403,00.html

45 posted on 03/02/2005 7:52:16 PM PST by quidnunc (Omnis Gaul delenda est)
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To: quidnunc
Oh, come on. That is your source? There's not a single direct quote, not a single named source. I live in England for half the year and my Beloved is a Welsh, pro-monarchist, Tory who considers the Prince of Wales his Prince. At no time, in any mainstream broadsheet, magazine or TV interview has Prince Charles ever said anything even remotely anti-American, anti-Iraq war or pro-Muslim.

Being a diplomat and a gentleman, Charles would never leave himself open to press speculation or embarrassment to the Queen. Your article is nonsense and you should know better.

46 posted on 03/02/2005 11:58:20 PM PST by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
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To: Deb
And insofar as I know neither has he ever said anything pro-American, unlike his mother.

Actions speak louder than words and if you look at the other links I posted you will see that Charles apparently has a serious Lawrence of Arabia thing going on.

Single sourcing and anonymous sourcing are common in the British press because they commonly pay for stories.

47 posted on 03/03/2005 8:39:23 AM PST by quidnunc (Omnis Gaul delenda est)
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To: quidnunc
None of the links work, but anything from the Guardian I would consider Maxrist disinformaiton.

I'm puzzled why you feel the need to defend this nonsense.

48 posted on 03/03/2005 1:54:38 PM PST by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
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To: Deb
Deb wrote: None of the links work, but anything from the Guardian I would consider Maxrist disinformaiton. I'm puzzled why you feel the need to defend this nonsense.

They aren't hot links they're URLs.

I especially recomend the one to Daniel Pipes' site.

Here it is as a hot link: http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/119

I urge you to read it and go to the other links there.

Obviously you aren't open to the possibility that Charles has more afinity towards Mid-Eastern culture in general and Islam in particular then he does with Western Civilization, but I happen to believe that there is convincing evidence that may be the case.

We simply disagree on this, and it shouldn't turn into an emotional issue.

I have no brief against Charles — except insofar as he may hold anti-American views — but neither do I hold any brief for him.

His mother, grandparents and sister have acted admirably.

He, on the other hand, seems to be more closely following in the footsteps of his great-uncle the Duke of Windsor.

By the way, if I was really out to trash Charles I would post Sue Carroll's Mirror column, which I will send to you via private reply.

Go to the page on Pipes' site which I have linkes and read the materials there with an open mind.

49 posted on 03/03/2005 2:23:52 PM PST by quidnunc (Omnis Gaul delenda est)
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To: quidnunc

A reminder for everyone: Theodore Dalrymple is British himself.


50 posted on 03/04/2005 3:44:52 PM PST by NZerFromHK ("US libs...hypocritical, naive, pompous...if US falls it will be because of these" - Tao Kit (HK))
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To: kingsurfer; Churchillspirit; MadIvan; quidnunc

When and where will the British Royal Family Soap Opera end? Sooner than I once thought possible, or than the Queen deserves. Unless there is cultural reversal, her descendants will one day move among the Umbertos, Farouks, and Zogs of the world.

From this description I can hardly charazterize Mr Dalrymple as socialist or at least hostile to the monarchy as an institution. In fact, he defends the institution and the Queen's dedication toduty. I would say he is in fact attacking the dominant values that has influenced Britain since 1945 and in other words, he is more conservative in temprament than you and I or almost anyone else in the whole United Kingdom.

51 posted on 03/04/2005 3:57:27 PM PST by NZerFromHK ("US libs...hypocritical, naive, pompous...if US falls it will be because of these" - Tao Kit (HK))
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To: quidnunc; MadIvan; kingsurfer; Churchillspirit

The Prince’s own son, Harry, is further proof that the Royal Family is not immune to generational change or wider cultural influences. Pictures of Prince Harry, with his vulgar snarling expression, and reports of his less than amusing exploits, prove that he is fundamentally no different from so many of his British compatriots: drunken, arrogant, violent, and charmless.

Britain, please us another Sir Cecil Rhodes, Benjamin Disraeli, Hudson Taylor, or Rudyard Kipling! The current OASIS, david Beckham metrosexual generation is yet another manifestion of Britain's cultural and moral decline.

52 posted on 03/04/2005 4:02:29 PM PST by NZerFromHK ("US libs...hypocritical, naive, pompous...if US falls it will be because of these" - Tao Kit (HK))
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To: NZerFromHK
Yes, we do seem to be in a bit of a slump - character-wise.

I haven't lived in Britain for more than twenty years, but I am sure MadIvan will know if there are any up and coming hopefuls.

53 posted on 03/04/2005 4:25:51 PM PST by Churchillspirit (Anaheim Angels - 2002 World Series Champions)
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To: Churchillspirit

This is one of the problems with the modern West: pendulums of culture swing wilder in Britain, Europe than the US. The older generation of high culture with icons like Elgar, George Bernard Shaw, or Rudyard Kipling gave way to today's OASIS or even Queen (the band).

Where is the traditional genetlmanly manners we see in the public schools and Oxbridge? We in the rest of the world want the manners back as national psyche of contemporary Britain.


54 posted on 03/04/2005 4:31:16 PM PST by NZerFromHK ("US libs...hypocritical, naive, pompous...if US falls it will be because of these" - Tao Kit (HK))
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To: NZerFromHK
NZerFromHK wrote: From this description I can hardly charazterize Mr Dalrymple as socialist or at least hostile to the monarchy as an institution. In fact, he defends the institution and the Queen's dedication toduty. I would say he is in fact attacking the dominant values that has influenced Britain since 1945 and in other words, he is more conservative in temprament than you and I or almost anyone else in the whole United Kingdom.

Dalrymple laments what Britain has become and in fact has moved to southern France to escape the boorish attitude which has haken root in British society.

55 posted on 03/04/2005 5:02:51 PM PST by quidnunc (Omnis Gaul delenda est)
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To: quidnunc

Mr Dalrymple has the beliefs and courage to point out what is wrong in contemporary Britiain in terms of culture and social trends. Many of his concerns are not unfamiliar to American social conservatives and evangelical Christians (Concerned Women on America, Free Congress Foundation, Focus on Family) and equally to East Asians - I have read tragically far too many accounts of lost spiritual conditions at the home of many 19th Christian missions to China, in Chinese-language Christian periodicals.

However in post-Christian extremely secular modern-day Britain only a minority of people are even aware culturally and socially something is wrong. "Everything is fine! There will always be a Britain around!" seems to me a sign of delusion. As a Bible-believing Christian, I can guess how Britain, a province of the Roman Empire, fits into God's prophetic plans (yet another Christian belief firmly held by many among the great-great-grandparents generation of today's British people, but sneered as "American neo-con CIA plot" by them).


56 posted on 03/05/2005 3:10:27 AM PST by NZerFromHK ("US libs...hypocritical, naive, pompous...if US falls it will be because of these" - Tao Kit (HK))
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To: Quix

Ping to you Quix! I have written briefly commenting on British Christian scene.


57 posted on 03/05/2005 3:11:28 AM PST by NZerFromHK ("US libs...hypocritical, naive, pompous...if US falls it will be because of these" - Tao Kit (HK))
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To: quidnunc

I thought the author would include Charles's self pitying remarks (paraphrased, since I can't recall his exact words), of a few years ago that he was sick and tired of having to explain himself to the public. The implication: He's royalty, above explaining his behavior to those who foot his bills, and they're the 'vulgar masses', lower than the dirt on his boots. Camilla's crazy to have stuck with Charles all these years. He has nothing to recommend him. Nothing. Well, they say water seeks its own level, or do I mean lowest level?


58 posted on 03/05/2005 3:22:10 AM PST by hershey
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To: MadIvan

Dear MadIvan, I do believe that Harry is being ruined by his lack of identity/purpose in life, plus the silken cushion he sits on. Even being sent to some poor country for a month or two to feed the hungry, build huts, or tend crops isn't enough. He knows it's a 'set-up', there are bodyguards, etc., to make sure he isn't harmed or kidnapped. His 'bad' behavior is akin to that of well off American kids who do drugs, drink, party, etc. while their parents are busy working night and day to provide them with every conceivable material thing. Worse, Harry doesn't have a father or mother to nurture and mentor him steadily. When you think about it, he's a latter day Princess Margaret, and no wonder.


59 posted on 03/05/2005 3:29:51 AM PST by hershey
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To: hershey

I am just grateful that Harry is not the heir to the throne. William is, and so far, he appears to be well behaved.

There are lots of problem kids out there - both in Britain and America - it's just in this instance, the problems of this boy are played out to a much wider audience.

Regards, Ivan


60 posted on 03/05/2005 4:07:36 AM PST by MadIvan (One blog to bring them all...and in the Darkness bind them: http://www.theringwraith.com/)
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