Obama isn't alone....not invited to Royal Wedding

[nmbluesky]

Tony Blair, Gordon Brown Not Invited to Royal Wedding

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/tony-blair-gordon-brown-not-invited-to-royal-wedding/snubbed/
Well, this comes as a bit of a shock: Former Labour Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown did not receive invitations to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding at Westminster Abbey next week. However, both their conservative predecessors, Sir John Major and Baroness Margaret Thatcher, were invited. A spokesman for St. James's Palace said the Labour prime ministers did not receive invitations because they were not made knights by the queen, while Major and Thatcher were. Blair's relationship with the royal family was strained, as was Brown's, though to a lesser extent. Blair's wife, Cherie, refused to curtsy to any members of the family, and things were particularly tense after 2002, when one of Blair's aides attempted to intervene in making arrangements for the funeral service of the late Queen Mum. All surviving former prime ministers made the guest list for Prince Charles and Lady Diana's wedding in 1981.

[tularetom]

1. 1 billion Chinese didn't receive invitations either

So Obama, Blair and Brown needn't feel so left out.

[razorman]

2. Maybe I'll invite the president to go as my "plus one". Oh wait. I wasn't invited, either.

[Faygo Kid]

3. I'm sure I was invited, but lost the invitation.

Oh well. Too pricey to fly across the pond, anyway. I will leave attendance to other worthies.

[vaberella]

4. If Obama was invited, I would hope he declined. We're not Loyalists. Fuck the Royals.

I lived for 4 years in England and if there was nothing I hated more was the fanatic Royalists. They are a drain on the economy, a drain on the people and live the life of the elite. This need to maintain tradition is ridiculous in Britain and I never subscribed for it. As an American---I get a bit cooky when I think of these idiots living it up off the backs of the tax payer.

[golfguru]

5. What has to happen in UK to change the Royal Stipend?

Is it in their constitution?

[vaberella]

27. Yup yup.

I'm assuming this but I'm pretty sure it's in their constitution. Upon allowing the developing the parliamentary monarchy they have---there was a deal struck by the Royal Family and the big wigs of parliament. They get revenue off of people's taxes.

So basically 50p(ence) which can be translated to $1.20 (give or take the fluctuation of the exchange rate) per tax payer (which is everyone because the taxes are inbedded in the cost of living---ie you buy toothpaste for 5 dollars (no extra tax---that goes straight to federal taxes if I remember correctly).

So let's just say they roll in the moola quite nicely. Of course the gross they receive is not their net. Their gross would include the salary of Parliament. Basically Parliament works for them. While they flit all over the world doing nothing and playing polo---parliament does all the work.


In order to change this would be a vote by the nation that would change the constitution. That will NEVER happen. There are more people who are Royalists than not. You have to realize these people are deeply connected to their history. They are also known for adhering, almost fanatically, to their traditions. They are not about to lose the Royals. Not to mention, even though the public barely ever sees the Royals--like walking amongst them---the Royals kind of reinforce the purpose of the Buckingham Palace, the Palace Guards, the title of Knights and Dames---and so on and so forth. Tourists come from all over the world to get a glimpse of these idiots---and there is no way that the government is going to dump that sort of revenue. Aside from Paris and New York---London is like no.3 in tourists because of those leeches.

So--nothing will change it.

[mwooldri]

37. It is part of the constitution.

Royal stipend exists because of a certain King George - King George III - you know the mad guy who wasn't happy about America becoming independent.

How the Civil List (as the Royal Stipend is called) came about was this: George III found himself broke when he took the crown because George II spent all the money. However George III had a lot of land - the Crown Estate. Formerly the profits of the Crown Estate went to the monarchy but this was all frittered away. So King George III made a deal with Parliament where he would hand over the income and property rights to Parliament in return for a stipend. Parliament saw $$$ signs and said "Deal!". As such, nowadays only the Queen gets the civil list payment, and this amounts to about 8 million pounds a year. The Crown (i.e. the British State, not the monarchy) in 2010 had a net profit of about 810 million pounds.

Soon this "stipend" is no longer going to be funded directly by Parliament. Instead the Crown Estate will assume this role and a Sovereign Support Grant will be given instead.

[silverweb]

6. As it should be.

This is a wedding. It's about the couple getting married.

Inviting high-level dignitaries, like Gordon, Brown, Obama, and others, would turn it into a security nightmare and a political circus.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. It's a security nightmare already

It's got the whole British royal family, half of the British cabinet, kings, queens, princes and princesses from many countries, prime ministers from several Commonwealth countries, the ambassadors of just about every friendly country, and representatives (heads, if they have one) of nearly every religion and sect in the UK. Brown, Blair and Obama really wouldn't make any difference.

This is the annoying thing about the wedding - they say "the families are paying for it all, apart from the security", but it's the security that is running into the tens of millions.

[LiberalEsto]

7. Good for Cherie Blair!

I wouldn't curtsey to the queen or members of her family either.

[MasonJar]

12. You wouldn't bow because you are not British. In England it is

an expected courtesy. I admire the Royals a lot more than the Blairs. Tony was a patsy for W and his war policy. A lot of people died because of W and Tony.

[AzNick]

19. Well, I would not bow for the royals

Expected curtosy or not. They are mere mortals as I am and visit the water closet every now and then, don't they?

[vaberella]

30. That's why I loved Michelle Obama when she met them.

She went in and hugged the Queen, that is completely against etiquette. Of course she didn't know...but it's good she did. They're humans too.

[vaberella]

29. You admire polo loving leeches? What have they done for you? n/t

[Bunny]

9. Obama is not invited because it is not a State Wedding.

That's what I read somewhere.

[Fire1]

13. And I'm sure they'll lose sleep. n/t

[Mass]

10. Why do we hear about this wedding this much?I thought this country got its independence from England

Sometimes I wonder if the US dont miss royalty.

[MasonJar]

11. Why should they invite anyone they don't want to their wedding? Blair

turned out to be an enormous Bush poodle. I don't know much about Brown. I am pleased for the newlyweds. They seem very well suited and quite happy together. And I like Charles and Carmellia too. He is very active in the environmental movement and the experimentation in organic farming. He and Carmellia loved each other from the time the were young. They should have been allowed to marry. I don't blame Elizabeth. She is a product of her environment and the age she grew up in. In fact I admire a lot about Elizabeth's mother and father too. I like the way they stayed in London during the bombings to be with their people. I believe they were almost killed in the garden by a bomb. Elizabeth herself drove an ambulance during the war.

[Cali_Democrat]

14. He should crash the wedding. n/t

[BeyondGeography]

15. What a relief

[Drunken Irishman]

16. I hear no heads of state were invited...

Only royal families. Obama is a head of state.

[jenmito]

17. I heard on MSNBC that it's also a matter of security. It would be nearly impossible to have all

the Secret Service that he'd need without taking away from the "big day." The Obamas will be with Gabby Gifford watching her husband's final launch Friday anyway. I bet it gets NO coverage.

[KoKo]

18. "Fact Check" has the answer. It's not what you say about security.

http://www.factcheck.org/2011/01/obamas-not-invited-to-royal-wedding/

[Drunken Irishman]

20. Link is outdated...

They did release the guest list and I don't believe any heads of state are on it. They only invited royal families because it's a royal wedding and not a state one.

[KoKo]

25. Link works for me and the information is current.

:shrug: Try it again.

[Drunken Irishman]

31. Then you're confused and reading a different link....

It's right at the very top.

No. The official guest list has not been released. A British newspaper quoted an unnamed source as saying the Obamas are not on the list, but that "could change."

As I said, the official guest list HAS been http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/23/earlyshow/saturday/main20056703.shtml">released.

Also, the article you linked to was last updated on Feb. 22nd. I don't know about you, but where I'm at it's almost May.

So yeah, the link is outdated. The guest list has been released and no elected heads of state (outside the prime minister of England) are on it. Not even French president Nicolas Sarkozy was sent an invitation and it was rumored back in December that he was invited and Obama wasn't (which furthered the 'snub' rumor).

The link is outdated. The information is not current and since that story was posted, not only has the list been released, we've been told the reason why the Obamas were not invited (which is never mentioned at your link) and it's because it's a royal wedding.

From the CBS article (published this month):

Palace officials said that only crowned heads of states are traditionally invited to royal weddings, and that political leaders who are not from the 54-member Commonwealth of nations, such as President Barack Obama or French President Nicolas Sarkozy, weren't sent invitations.

[KoKo]

33. NOPE...Clicking that link leads to what I posted about...It must be YOU who has problem?

:shrug:

[Drunken Irishman]

36. Your link is outdated...

Do you know what month it is? It is April, almost May. Maybe you're confused and that's okay - I know people who get confused about what time of the year it is. Just remember: February is a winter month and April is a spring month. They're separated by March.

Here is a calendar that should help you with each month of the year!



Good luck! :hi:

[KoKo]

34. AHAH!! Gotcha...you were "pumping your post" saying that MY Link Doesn't Work!

GOOD FOOLING...and I'm pumping your crap once again!

Pretty Cool there ...your game.

[Drunken Irishman]

35. When did I say your link didn't work?

I said it was outdated. It is. Your link is from February. It's not February. Do you know what month it is?

[evilkumquat]

21. Didn't we fight a war a couple hundred years ago...

...to NOT have to give a shit about these inbred bastards?

Seriously. Fuck the royals.

All a title means in England is one of your ancestors was a goddamned thief.

[Vicar In A Tutu]

23. As a British citizen, I take offence to that...

...actually, no I don't. :) I really couldn't give a toss about the wedding or the Royal Family. I think it's telling that only hardline Conservative PMs have gotten the invite, regardless of Blair and Brown's (many) faults. First of all, Tories are always much more willing to lick Royal arse, secondly, they're from the same bastardly stock.

[vaberella]

28. A dude...no point in saying that---we got the same problem in America and all over the world.

Incest is the norm. However, I do support fuck the royals. And the last sentence. The Incest thing--nah, that's world wide and sad to say America has done a bit of it's own thievery. Damn the Royals yes---and we have our own nuts like the Hiltons, Rockefellars, adn so on---but at least we have up and comers---it's rare for Britain to have up and comers.

[GomezLives]

22. F the Queen

[Capt. America]

24. It is their wedding, they should be able to invite or not-invite whomever they want.

I heard that William wants to change the rule of ascention to allow for first born girls to take the throne. Anyone else hear this?

[Tarheel_Dem]

26. Is anyone really concerned about this?

:shrug:

[JayceR]

32. Sadly Yes

1,000s of documents leaked today further proving that Guantanamo Bay is an unconstitutional place of human rights abuses. My dad was blaring Rush Limbaugh in his car... this was all he talked about. Figureheads getting married in a wedding that his xenophobic ass otherwise wouldn't have gave a shit about... and how Obama wasn't invited.

[olegramps]

38. I remember one wit in Parliament who remarked regarding the birth of a prince or whatever:

He said, "How charming, another one on the dole." I appreciate British humor.