UKC

Will 'one' be watching the Royal wedding tomorrow?

Nah. They didn't watch mine, so stuff them.

We're seeing Henning Wehn live tomoz, really looking forward to taht.

No national holiday this time either.

No chance I am watching.

hmm, having to decide between watching that tripe and the Zoncolan in the Giro...no contest

Nope. I have to trim my hedge. 

Nope,although I believe Harry’s dad is very excited about it. . . .

And so is Prince Charles 

Deliberately heading to the hills to test out my bike packing gear and get away from seeing any mention of it.

TWS 

I'd love to, but I've got a metric ton of slo-dri gloss to closely watch.

The roads will be quiet, my cycling buddy and I are both around so we've got three delicious choices:

1 - Out-and-back warmup ride up Hartside Summit before the motorbikes come out, then the horror hill up Great Dun Fell.

2 - Linear ride NW from Settle, over Buttertubs, finishing at the Railway Hotel in Appleby then coming back by train.

3 - Circular ride from Settle taking in Airton cafe, Malham Cove and Littondale.

The stretch of road from Malham Tarn over to Littondale has been re-surfaced and is an absolute peach of swoopy tarmac.

Nope. Will be working a sport project all day ????

Am I f*ck!
Now I've found a live stream, I'm doing a Kimono.
Got 80 pints of beer to bottle (which need washing and sterilising - tedious!) as well.

I'm going to a Royal Wedding themed Sex Party.
(Remember, this is UKC, so please no wisecracks about 'Here comes the Bride', 'Taking her up the aisle', etc. It's not big and it's not clever.  Well, certainly not clever anyway...).

Taking a Tesla Model X for a test drive. Quite excited, actually.

Why - whats so exciting about driving a car?

Gosh, really - are they "a thing"?

Oh my giddy aunt, whatever next!

He might be driving it up and down The Ben.

I'm sure someone will come as Princess Anne.
No problem with that.  All tastes catered for...

More than she's ever done.

Are you having this party at Hay Tor?

What, apart from all her equestrian stuff like - how many Olympics have you participated in?

Surely the assumption is that people on UKC  won’t be watching and the question will be what will they be doing instead.

When his brother got married, myself and a mate went climbing at Wilton. Unfortunately, we mistimed things and ended up seeing a bit of the wedding when we went to have a pint in the Wilton Arms.

I’m not sure what time the wedding is tomorrow, but between running, getting done jobs done and trying to watch the action on the Zoncolan and the FA Final, I suspect I will manage to avoid it.

But did she come?

(I think you missed the, rather weak, joke.)

The young Princesses are riding their horses on an exploratory trip around the Balmoral Estate.
Elizabeth says to Anne: "I haven't come this way before".
To which, Anne replies: "Neither have I..." 

So, errr, you wont be climbing then? You are largely going to be sitting on your erse watching others participate in sport? Very good.....

Ah, got your "joke" now.

Too weak for me, big man, too weak

<shakes head and wanders off>

HMHB reference? 

Princesses Margaret and Anne in the bath.
"Wears the soap?" asks Anne.
"It does, doesn't it." replies Margaret.

No I won’t, which is clear enough to anyone that can read.

Am I allowed, just this once, to be smug and say I don't have a TV so can't even catch it by mistake? 

As I'm working (most of) tomorrow, won't be in the hills, and don't have a television, I'm going to buck the UKC trend here and go and watch it in my local pub.

I 'don't have a TV'.   Am spending the day hoovering and tidying and sorting out my garden, thinking about the saying 'Insanity is repeating the same actions and expecting different results' has spurred me to get more organised instead of disliking the disorder.

It may become one of the things I think about when pondering the shape of my life...

Bet you succumb and look for some online streaming!

I climbed at Goblin Combe yesterday so I will probably spend the weekend digging ticks out of my scrotum.  A far more satisfying use of my time.

I shan't be watching. I shall be celebrating turning 55 by losing several golf balls and later enjoying steak and chips with a decent bottle of Zinfandel.

T.

Harry is hoping Meghan is doing likewise at this very moment...

Bizarrely, my brother has managed to cadge an invite to the actual event itself. I am therefore duty bound to attend my Mum's 'Royal wedding get together' and man the BBQ. 

I'm going to be 8 cans of Brew dog in and I have a special playlist of black flag, spiral tribe, and the levellers prepared. 

Parkrun this morning, followed by head scratching about how to rebuild the collapsed garage doors, then a BBQ.

Some comments here definitely breach the "ladies lingerie" boundary! 

Watched it last night.

Oh hang on that was the series finale of Big Bang...

..what were we on about again?

No, busy schedule today

1. TESCO - browsing

2. stare out the window

3. snooze on sofa

4. watch movie

5. stare out the window again

Would not watch even if I had time the whole wedding thing today bores me to tears

Isn't there some soccer match on today?

Not interested in that either...

Switched BBC breakfast news on this morning hoping to get some actual news before the wedding coverage started at 9:00. Nothing, Nada, Zilch, just wall to wall, content free wedding guff.

WTF? Seriously, WTF?

Me too, I switched on the TV for the same reason at 9 AM. I agree, "WTF". What I noticed (on the BBC, and Sky News) was how very breathless and over-excited the broadcasters looked and sounded, well good for them, I suppose they are only doing their jobs

I'm with you.

Nor me. No doubt will pick up the highlights of both in this evening's News

I watched some of it after coming back from a bike ride. Found it quite nice and a little emotional tbh. The fawning on the BBC makes me puke though. 

Watching the Giro now and might catch a bit of the cup final later, but I can’t really be arsed with football these days  

Interestingly enough the only time the wedding has been mentioned on my facebook feed has been from people telling me how they aren't interested and won't be watching it.

Makes I laugh.

Didn't watch it- we were out climbing in the georgeous sunshine

Nope. Went to the vets to pick up pet passport, moved a shed, bought nails for reconstructing the shed, went to work and now sorting the garden for people coming for a fire tonight.

Real life weddings are often not all that exciting. Not interested in watching some strangers getting married on a screen!

So why mention it here? 

Oh how tiresomely predictable. 

Good old George

It's a theological institution which discriminates against women, lesbians and gay people, legitimising the privileges which go with being born into a family that's historically excluded Catholics from it's fold. 

Rule Britannia.    

From an old school friend on facebook.

''My bigoted neighbour today was telling me how she's not sure how to feel about them letting foreigners into the royal family. My response 'Well on the plus side, at least their kids will be born with chins.' ''

It made me laugh.  

Hahaha, Thanks John.

The whole thing went without a hitch, if we ignore the Linda Mcartney veggie sausages I accidentally incinerated.

No breaching the peace though  

So the head of state is a female, the mother of the bride is black, her husband spent ten years in the armed forces and served as a peace keeper in some of the worlds most high risk conflicts, and he is part of an institution that dates back a millennium, has been an agent of stability in times of change, and is the rock on which the freedoms you enjoy are built. Including the freedom to whine incessantly about how rotten they are, how dreadful a country this is. I’m no fan of monarchy, and Charles in particular has made pernicious use of his power/office. Which is why his mother has kept him away from the throne - such is the patriarchal nature of the institution.  Have a nice day. 

Which I did. 

Well choreographed and quite a spectacle. A beautiful day, lots of colour. Lots of pageantry, which Britain does well.

Most importantly of all, good to see such an obviously happy couple , and the happiness in all those there and on the streets.

The feel good factor was great.

Whether you are a republican, a monarchist, or neither, there is nothing wrong with such an overt display of happiness.

I wish them well.

I fitted a new TV to our home/motorhome yesterday, and the wedding was great for getting the picture balance right.

I agree with your post, it was, for those of us able to take a neutral view on events, a pleasant thing to pass time over.

Others are welcome to use it as a vehicle for their own prejudices if they wish.

I was actually being tongue in cheek ,but what you say being true, doesn't mean that both perspectives aren't valid ones, which has me wondering at how it might be a rebuttal of some kind? But anyway, I was being tongue in cheek. 

I actually wish a happy life together for the couple, especially given how the royals live in the media spot light, and Harry lost his mum in such a terrible way.

Thank you but I am sorry I do not understand how you worked out that Prince Harry's "institution ... is the rock on which the freedoms you enjoy are built". Could you please explain that? Thank you very much

I am also wondering how the very numerous countries without such an "institution" (for example France, Germany, the USA) have managed to have the same freedoms. Thank you again

May I politely suggest you read a little more?   Start maybe with the history and thinking behind the Long Parliament.  Cromwell amongst them.  Not about who should govern, but how. 

My comment does not exclude other forms of democracy. The stability of the Crown in Parliament has stood the test of time. Not perfect, for sure.  Never experienced the revolutionary turmoil of France, German fascism or US Civil War. 

OK, and thanks a lot for your reply

Well I at least wasted two hours watching a non-entity of a match that was supposed to be football, and all the talent  on display, perhaps talent is the wrong word. But that cost a lot more than any royal wedding to stage, and a much bigger waste of money and time!

It has been my habit (starting with the silver jubilee in 1977) to always be partaking of vertical pleasure when these events come around. Usually good weather too. Saturday was no different although Stanage did feel as busy as the Mall. Nice to see so many people, young and old, out enjoying themselves. The day before at Froggatt an erstwhile ‘best climber in the world’ of the ‘80’s described Green Gut as “hard for the grade”. He is right of course but you only expect bumblies like yourself to think such.

My first was Chaz and Di's wedding. We were camping by the Cromlech boulders and decided to hitch into 'beris to restock on food. Greatly disappointed to get there only to find out the shops were all shut because people nobody had ever met, and most likely would never meet, were getting married a few hundred miles away!

Hear hear. “There’s power in love”.  

Churlish sour sentiment doesn’t become you. We all, in different ways and times, celebrate strangers who we may never meet doing things that others may find unremarkable: a speed ascent of El Cap, a Triple Crown, a Glastonbury encore, the County Tops, Strictly...and you whinge because other people took a day off work to share and celebrate in something you cared nothing for. The world, my friend, does not revolve around you. Nor does it entirely share your view of what still makes the UK such a special place for people around the world. 

Second that. All you need is love. 

Second that. All you need is love. 

FTFY

Well, no. She's kept him away from the throne through virtue of remaining alive.

Because they asked. 

Duh !!!

1/10

TV Party tonight?

I don't know the figures but I'm willing to bet that the royal family costs us a good deal less than a handful of nuclear subs and even an aborted footbridge over the Thames but they must earn Britain billions from tourism, which in turn must create thousands of jobs. Anybody who has lived abroad and seen for themselves the magic allure the Royals give to Britain will understand their value. No other country does pomp and ceremony as well as we do. 

A leading consultancy firm found that the Royals contributed £1.766 billion to the economy in 2017. Maintaining the monarchy costs around £292 million - £4.50 per person. Brand Finance measured the monarchy's value as if it were a business and said it was worth £25.5 billion. This included the Crown Estate, the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall and the jewels and art that comprise the Royal Collection.They estimate the Royals will bring in a further £42 billion to the UK economy over the next few years. The report also estimates the monarchy generated £550million for tourism this year, the largest single contribution to the economy.  Last year more than 2.7 million tourists visited royal attractions. Organisations supported by royal patronage, such as Royal Ascot and the Royal Opera House, also generate a lot of money, £150 million extra was brought in to charities this year. 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4950897/queen-money-economy-monarchy-2017/

Yes, I know, consider the source etc. But still, why should we deprive all the miserable gits here of their chance to show how proud, right on, and cutting edge they are by not being interested in the wedding and royals. Their arms must get so tired of all that flag waving.

My opposition to the monarchy as an institution really has nothing to do with the financial cost or benefit. I'm sure general institutional bureaucracy and waste makes a far bigger dent in the national coffers. For me it's purely ideological. The monarchy is the total antithesis of everything that a modern society should be - meritocratic and democratic, and while we still have some way to go to achieve either of those things, I don't think it helps us a society to continue to idolize people who have achieved their position through nothing other than hereditary privilege and the best start in life that money can buy.

While agreeing with your principles, I do not find that they impact my life greatly, and they do provide a national focus. If they truly are that low cost, and bring in such money, why not keep them? No different to maintaining a stately home, if it brings in money. No one is forced to like them, or to bow down to them.

The premier league alone pays around £2.5Bn in taxes. This is almost equivalent to the total government spending on all sports, at all levels.

And it adds £3.5Bn to the British economy. Since I don't have sky TV, I'm not sure its really costing me anything.

Watched and enjoyed, what's not to like?

Glad you enjoyed it.

I didn't get to see it as had previous plans which meant was away from television.

What I did like about the whole thing was the fact that Mike Tindall was not invited to the Stag Do, as apparently was considered a bit of a risk for the monarchy at that sort of thing. 

Imagine - Mike Tindall at Harry's stag do - hmm, perhaps the Red Tops would have made a feature of any "happenings"

You do everything you’re asked. Please shut up then. 

Cor, they're gonna love you! I thought it was only me that listened to stuff like that in my own time!

Democracy and meritocracy are two very different and often inimical things. Despite the term’s abuse by Blair, Michael Young’s Rise of the Meritocracy was a biting satire on the very idea. You replace one elite with another, not a democracy. The demos is close to an unruly mob. It’s the people who brought us Leave. The meritocracy voted entirely for the opposite. Use a little more precision.  A meritocracy becomes a self selecting elite. The monarchy for its power and privilege is constitutionally constrained. 

True. I would swap it however, for being a bit less shit at things like: public transport; social conscience; a fair and balanced media; responsible politicians; not arming regimes on our own list of human rights abuses (did Erdogan hang around for the wedding?); having packaging that will just f*cking peel where it says it will.

Sorry, sudden rush of blood there. Do apologise. *waves little union flag*

Indeed, and the monarchy is neither, which I think was my point. I'm not sure in what respect it required "more precision".

Isn't he all respectable now he's had his nose done?