I was thinking the other day… I bet David Cameron is so happy to be out of office right now. Sure, he seemed depressed when he resigned following the Brexit vote last year. But now that he’s out of office, he doesn’t have to pretend to enjoy man-talk with Emperor Baby Fists. Instead, that honor falls to Prime Minister Theresa May, who visited Washington late last week. It’s customary – as befitting the British-American “special relationship” – that the British prime minister is always the first foreign leader to visit a new president, just as it’s customary that one of the first trips abroad for a new president is a stop in England. What’s also customary is for the PM to extend that invitation to the new president too, which is what Theresa May did. She extended a formal invitation to Emperor Baby Fists to make a visit to the UK. And now people are SO mad.
Calls to cancel President Donald Trump’s state visit to to the United Kingdom rose from across the pond on Monday after a petition backed by members of Parliament and people across the U.K. reached more than 1 million signatures. The petition says that if Trump is welcomed for the official state visit, it will be an “embarrassment” to his host, Queen Elizabeth.
The petition was started over the weekend, after news of the British invitation was made public during Prime Minister Theresa May’s visit to the White House. No date has been confirmed for the actual visit. But, as anger and dismay grew over Trump’s travel ban on refugees, the petition hit the 1 million mark at around 9.45 a.m. U.K. time. The petition says the President should be allowed to enter the country “in his capacity as head of the U.S. Government, but he should not be invited to make an official State Visit because it would cause embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen.”
The opposition Labour Party has called on the prime minister to cancel the visit. And with the signatures easily passing the 100,000 number needed to trigger a debate in Parliament, it is very possible that the debate will now take place. Downing Street says that it will go ahead as planned as the invitation had been “issued and accepted,” the BBC reported.
I think the argument that “it will be so embarrassing to see the Queen standing next to Donald Trump” is okay, but surely there are more significant arguments to be made? Like, I would totally understand if European leaders refused to welcome Trump because, hey, they don’t want to appease Nazis. Trust them, they’ve had some prior experiences with that.
As for the Queen and the embarrassment… yes. I’m filled with shame with I think about how other people perceive America as a banana republic controlled by an unhinged lunatic and his Putin-backed junta. Trump also has a history of talking sh-t about the royal family – he’s previously tweeted about Duchess Kate’s nude photos, he’s claimed that he would have loved to bang Princess Diana, and now he’s trying to avoid meeting Prince Charles face-to-face. Seriously, Trump is the one trying to shut it down, not Charles. Apparently, Trump “won’t put up with being lectured by anyone, even a member of the royal family. Frankly, they should think twice about putting him and Prince Charles in the same room together.” Baby Fists will throw a tantrum if he’s put in the same room as Charles and he will turn a toxic shade of bigly orange-red if Charles even mentions the environment. Apparently, Trump just wants to meet Harry, Kate and William. For perhaps the first time ever, I would encourage the young royals to wallow in laziness and schedule a long-ass vacation to coincide with Trump’s trip.
Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News.
“Donald Trump will throw a tantrum.”
You could’ve just stopped there.
Everyday is a new tantrum. It starts at 6:37am via the twitter stream. How will this be any different?
I read an article the other day that said Trump wants to “out-do” Obamas visits to the UK. I guess during Obama’s first visit he and Michelle had lunch with the queen. Trump said that he wanted to go golfing with the queen, even though she hates golf and doesn’t play. He said she could sit on the sidelines and watch his amazing swing. I can only imagine the tantrum he’ll throw if he doesn’t get a chance to “out-do” Obama! God I hope the queen cancels, the young royals are busy, and Trump has to meet Charles. I just want a sliver of happiness.
Both times Obama came on official visits (one was a state visit, the other not), Michelle Obama went and spoke about empowerment to girls at state schools. Both times, it was honestly like the boy band du jour had arrived. The most successful part of both visits.
Imagine that with the current FLOTUS.
He thinks there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that the Queen will go golfing with him?!
😂😂😂
@Sixer – yeah, I REALLY don’t see Agent Orange or his daughter getting the kind of reception the Obamas did in London (massive understatement).
Sixer, FLOTUS won’t attend. It will be mini Cheetoh – Ivanka.
I think it would be news if there was something, anything, he didn’t throw a tantrum over
I’d love for the Queen to meet with the Donald. She could turn him over her knee and give him a proper spanking.
That and I do believe Prince George is capable of telling him about himself 😏😏. PG also has the advantage of larger hands, obvi.
“Baby Fists will throw a tantrum if he’s put in the same room as Charles and he will turn a toxic shade of bigly orange-red if Charles even mentions the environment”
I’d say Prince Chaz has just been given a gift here, to troll the biggest manbaby narcissist on the planet since Putin.
Oh, and they should totally deploy rubber sheets. Short sheeted rubber sheets.
Can they make a padded room for him at BP?
Can they arrange to have a Coldstream Guard just drop him out the window into the garden, accidentally?
How long does it take a corgi to eat a corpse?
May almost makes me miss Cameron.
I -nearly- felt sorry for her when she had to hold Trump’s hand (can you imagine, vom) and sit in the same room with him for any length of time but now that fleeting thought has been banished by her complete ambivalence and apathy towards the current situation.
I felt like as bad as Cameron was, and he was pretty awful, she’s next level if she will happily pose for photos and try to further her Tory/Brexit agenda by trying to appease him so we get a better trade deal, as well as not speaking out on this immoral immigration ban and meeting with Erdogan in Turkey after all the dictatorial action he’s been taking recently. She’ll be out as soon as there’s a general election, I have no doubt.
People forget what May did when she was in charge of the Home Office, she made it very very difficult and expensive for foreign nationals from outside the EU to get Visa to work or emigrate to the UK. She’s not a fan on free movement from the EU and made the refugee process from the detention camps very long and complex – all this was done under the radar and with the support of Cameron who let her have free reign. She has very conservative views on immigration that appeals to many of the Leave voters (who cited immigration as they main reason they voted) so I wouldn’t be so sure about her losing a general election. Many disgruntled Labour supporters who disapprove of Corbyn would vote for her. She has no viable opposition. Who do we have in British politics that could unite the country against her party? We don’t.
@Digital
Did you see the thing on Jezebel yesterday about Ed Miliband?! Lol lol lol
May I just say that I am very proud of Sadiq Khan (London Mayor) right now? He has been begging for May to not accept Trump on a State visit unless he lift the ban. Wrote for newspapers, made his voice heard.
May is much closer to Trump’s stand on immigration than we want to accept. The UK is not doing things with such fanfarre but it is slowly doing the deed too. I have no pity for May or Cameron. The latter started this whole process, the second is enhancing it.
She’ll be out as soon as there’s a general election, I have no doubt.
Which is why she wants to take us of the EU before calling an election. I’d hope that we have an opposition by then.
@Digital Unicorn – was May the person in charge of that ridiculous scheme to make people from certain (brown) countries turn in a 3k deposit to even get a tourist visa? I remember the backlash on that one was swift and finally rolled back, but by now we should be aware she’s quite actively against immigrants of any kind.
@teacakes
Yes I am terrified of May.
A ‘rumour’ is going around among us Eu citizens, Brexit will mean some of us will be deported based on nationality if the country of origin doesn’t offer Great Britain a good free trade deal during negotiations.
There are basically 3 million people in the UK who are being kept here as hostages, no more or less.
USA’s situation looks bad but it’s not like the British government is any better at the moment.
She had to hold his hand because the alternative was to let him continue grabbing her ass.
Deplorable was putting it mildly.
I streamed a feed of the House of Commons yesterday while at work. I couldn’t believe how polite everyone was being to eachother, giving way to one another.
I know far too little about European government (which is somewhat shameful since I’m Canadian with a great gram who immigrated from Scotland) but it was kind of amazing.
So many people were speaking with so much passion about why they should not be allowing the visit. There was so much “How can we go along with this? This is showing our people that we are complicit to this kind of treatment of PEOPLE.”
I’m fighting off a cold, but damn, you got me in the feels yesterday HoC.
Man, debate in the commons is usually really obnoxious, with MP’s jeering each other. I hate watching. If this is making our representatives act like adults and human being, then I suppose…silver lining.
They do have to give way by convention but we did have a few bright moments (I had the debate on while working).
Mike Gapes calling the PM Theresa the Appeaser and the Speaker not making him take back unparliamentary language, which would usually happen.
http://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/826211677372813313
Dennis Skinner naming the Orange One as a fascist (and not being made to take it back either, when he gets expelled from the HoC all the time for this sort of thing):
http://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/826126703844012033
Ahaha – I must have been watching when it was starting to wind down – I missed this!
I mean, we have ‘Elbow Gate’ and Trudeau called someone a “piece of shit” in 2011 – before apologizing moments later. We’ve had people cross the floor and get in people’s faces, so I guess in comparison to some of those moments, this seemed reasonable – but again, I might have been watching later in the feed. It was around 3pm Atlantic so I think that’d be around 7pm in London?
Can you watch tomorrow at 12.30pm UK time? That’s PMQs, the most rowdy session of the week – it’s Parliament holding Executive to account. Debates on pieces of legislation tend to be more sedate. If you tune in now, you’ll see the Brexit debate (this one is for an actual bill so will be serious).
@sixer. Am gutted am going to be missing PMQs tomorrow, have a job interview then. She’ll get roasted tomorrow but I do wonder how like warm incompetent Corbyn will be, he’s such a tool.
This is amazing.
Oh how fun it was to watch Piglet Johnson squirm and stutter. Bring on tomorrow when the PM has to face parliament!!
Sixer – I can! I’m going to have to take a look at this.
I can’t watch. It has become too hard for me.
I will get a recap on twitter.
Erinn – I gave you the wrong time! It’s 12 midday!
Its not normally that polite – in fact just the other day one guy got dragged over the coals for ‘woofing’ at a female MP as she was speaking. Shocking!!
The invitation has been made – only him being impeached will it be rescinded. TQ, unlike her grandson and his vapid wife, will suck it up and get on with it as she has done throughout her life. This won’t be her first controversial visit – she’s had Putin over, the Saudi King etc..
To be fair – neither Putin nor the Saudi King inspired this kind of outrage among her subjects, so I’m a little hesitant to compare (still holding on to hope!)
@ Betti – “The invitation has been made – only him being impeached will it be rescinded.”
And wasn’t the invitation made before he issued his latest piece of idiocy?
@ Clare – there were pretty high levels of outrage at the Chinese state visit.
@spidey – yes, the day after that press conference. There is some speculation that she may have know about it in advance but its highly unlikely that Trump would have told her, the head of state for another country, his nefarious plans.
I wonder if he will grab Kate’s pu$$y? I hope she holds that clutch very firmly in front of her royal parts!!
I have a weird fascination with Today in Parliament and I listen to it a lot on Radio 4 here in the states. One of the best ones was a year or two back and the discussion was about David Cameron and of course there was a lot of jeering. At some point someone speculated about where he was at that moment, there was more jeering and then you hear someone mutter “he’s probably at the hair dresser”. I laughed so hard I was crying. (This was not addressed to Parliament at large, I think this person just happened to be near the recording mike)
I’m one of those who signed the petition, it went from 100k to a million in less than 12 hrs. The visit will most likely happen, but a lot of people aren’t happy about it (the argument being there have been state visits from other countries, e.g. China that have gone ahead in the past).
Erinn, its British etiquette and tradition. They all refer to each other as right honorable etc. Watch Prime Ministers questions if you want to see it get a bit more lively.
I remember when the UK Parliament was first broadcast, and some American commentators saying how democratic it was (!).
I think it is Honourable for Mps and Right Honourable for members of the Privy Council
@becky – i had one international acquaintance say that he loved watching the debates in Parliament as the Brits are masters at the polite b!tch!ness/passive aggressive snark parlay. He said in his country it was an all out cat fight – can’t remember where he was from thou.
Question Time on CSpan is a joy to watch.
HE’S NOT WELCOME HERE! I think the hundreds of thousands of Britons who turned up at protests last night made that pretty clear.
I think Mrs May forgets the UK is not her private party home, and that represents us – the people. 1.6m+ of whom have signed a petition to keep this ogre out of our country.
I think the ‘it will embarrass the queen’ approach was intentional in order to keep this bipartisan and separate from peoples politics. If the petition was at outward attack on May, it would have put people off, I think.
And honestly, a picture of Liz with this wanker is not what we need – those pictures of Edward with Hitler were not a good look.
In other news – if you live in the UK, and haven’t signed, please do! Please also email your MP’s.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/171928
The UK stood up to Hitler (took a while but in the end, they did) and now they’re inviting this fascist POS? You will have The Queen stand next to him? You will have the highest members of government smile and nod at him?
It is embarrasing and pathetic. May should check herself.
Are you Polish or Czech? Because the UK took a lot less time to stand up to Hitler than most countries.
@Cee. Hmm, the Brits were the first country to stand up against the Nazis as we were the first ones to declare war against them. The Nazi’s were warned that invading Poland would be seen as an act of war by the British gov, they called our bluff, and ‘lo and behold Churchill declared war, starting WW2.
Neville Chamberlain declared war. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtJ_zbz1NyY He was Prime Minister then. Churchill came in, in 1940.
I know, that’s why I said what I said. It took a long ass time for anyone to take the step to stand up against Nazi Germany and the UK was the first one to do so. You guys stood alone for some time, that’s why I said what I said. In times when other countries don’t act the UK takes action. I did not mean to imply the opposite.
And no, I’m not Czech or Polish. I don’t see what’s the point in asking that, but OK.
@Cee, the point is, when you single out the UK for delaying in acting against the Nazis and compare it to the UK’s lack of action against Trump, you’re implying that the UK (a) had a particular responsibility to act in both cases and (b) failed to do so, bearing more blame than other countries.
The point of asking whether you are Czech or Polish is because they are the two countries against which Hitler was particularly aggressive in the 1930s (along with Austria). So they are the only ones who get to complain that the UK didn’t act fast enough.
In today’s terms, the only Western country that has been particularly critical of Putin has been Canada. So the only country that would be able to say that Canada hadn’t been aggressive enough against Russia is Ukraine, because they have been the actual victims of Russian aggression.
And the Queen is 90 years old! And recently ill. Please, Cousins, do not allow that festering POS anywhere near her.
But, please, keep mocking him. One of these days his rage will cause him to explode.
Or, allow him near her, under the guise that he’s going to receive a knighthood; given the fact that Queenie is 90, she might just have a “slip of the sword” during the knighting process, and – lo and behold – problem solved. (There’s probably some convoluted, medieval law protecting her from punishment should that happen). Go for it, Queenie! Your last great act!
Why sign? What’s the point? Lapdog May has already said that Trump will be visiting. Is it too soon to start wishing that when Trump implodes he’ll take May with her (and hopefully before she triggers article 50)…
Then protest all the way from the airport to Number 10, to Buckingham to wherever else he goes. Make him feel unwelcome, unpopular and hated. That will affect him incredibly.
Sign because there is power in numbers, and because we can either add our voices to the chorus, or be complicit in our silence.
if nothing else, I believe large numbers petitioning and protesting will empower MP’s to take a stronger stance on this. If nothing else, it will empower more representatives to go on the record to oppose the visit. Perhaps some won’t agree to meet with his staff. If nothing else, it might embarrass he who must not be named. At the very least it puts us vaguely on the right side of history, for when history comes calling.
Exactly Clare.
I hate to see people say ‘what’s the point?’. What’s the point of complaining and taking no action?
I signed it yesterday, but I will also protest and make my voice heard, because it’s the right thing to do, which is the only point.
I’ve signed. I’ve also written to my MP, the Foreign Secretary, the PM, and Buckingham Palace. Actions that demonstrate public opinion are important participatory acts.
Vis a vis the petition specifically, it’s not a change.org or 38 Degrees thing. It’s an official government petition and the number of signatories is highly significant and part of the democratic process. 10k signatures obliges the government to respond. 100k gets it considered for a debate in parliament.
Parliament has now scheduled a debate in the HoC on the suitability of a state visit for three weeks time, as its response to the petition.
THAT is why one signs, Kris. Because the wisdom of extending this invitation will now be challenged in the national legislature by our elected representatives. I believe they call it democratic participation.
Protest all along DT’s London motorcade, but not about policy because he won’t care. Hit him where it hurts and have signs making fun of his tiny, tiny hands. He’ll be so enraged that he’ll begin any remarks by saying that his hands are yuge TYVM. What a damn fool.
@Giddy, oh, we’re on it. Check out the signs from yesterday’s UK protests: https://www.buzzfeed.com/krishrach/23-very-british-signs-telling-trumps-refugee-ban-to-get-fuck?utm_term=.gyDV4rpvJ#.myE46JPlO
@Tina – my personal favourite is the one that starts ‘Yer maw was an immigrant…..’ LOL. So Scottish!!!!
It is my dream to see people from the airport to #10, lining the streets throwing tomatoes and eggs at him. A non-stop million+ people demonstration. I want them to break through the barricades and pound on the cars & scream at the people in them so loudly they can’t hear themselves think. I don’t want anyone hurt, I want the occupants of that car woke the f*&^ up. What they are doing is affecting untold millions and won’t be tolerated or allowed. They don’t seem to realize this.
@DU(akaB) Yes! Here are some more Scottish ones: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jamieross/yer-maw-was-an-immigrant?utm_term=.gvlKm4Rv5#.emJqoenp2
My favorite sign was the “I want Hugh Grant from Love Actually to be PM.”
Cosign, at least Hugh Grant stood up against the American president.
@ lyla – but would the White House be big enough for both his baby mamas? 😆
The Secret Service had to cancel a trip of Trump to Milwaukee this week because of the danger from the protests they expect. I love thinking about him late at night, stewing over the loss of his trip to Milwaukee’s Harley Davidson factory, ready to tweet out at the 2/3 of Americans who absolutely despise him and will fight him with every breath we have. These are the things that make him nuts, and make him do stupid things like call National Park Service – the more he does, the better for us.
Congratulations. The matter will be debated in Parliament but there will be no change in the position: D. Trump will be making a trip to the UK. Why? Because T. May has hoisted herself on the mast of the special relationship with the US. She needs Trump to take her out of the Brexit mess. I’m all about making a difference but don’t kid yourself that sitting behind a computer signing a petition has made a change. If you really wanted to stop Trump, you should have lobbied your MPs to vote against triggering Article 50. Brexit has caused a dependency of the UK on the US such that May can no longer stand up to Trump no matter how insane his policies become. For a good description of this toxious relationship see the FT’s article ‘Donald Trump is a disaster for Brexit’.
Kris – I think you may be teaching your grandmother to suck eggs. Nobody has suggested that clicktivism is the sole answer to a rising fascist tide – only pointed out to you, sneering from your great height, that it is one tool available to us. A great many people have done the things you suggest and more. If you, with your assumption that clicktivism is the only thing lazy people are bothering to do, had even taken the time to read the rest of the thread, you’d know that – since I myself linked to the FT article yesterday on this very thread. Don’t bemoan people for laziness when you’re too lazy to even read the full thread yourself. Here, for example, is what I, personally, have done:
Actually voted in the referendum.
Participated in clicktivism.
Contacted all appropriate representatives on many occasions.
Demonstrated.
Donated to two of the legal challenges to Art 50.
Disseminated information via social media.
Argued points online and IRL.
So there you go. Don’t tell me democratic participation via official government accountability petitions is a waste of my time when I’ve already explained to you why I don’t think it is.
(The word is toxic. Or noxious. Sorry. Couldn’t resist a petty dig. I’ll never get to heaven.)
Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t the Queen have a say in this as well? Is she obligated to receive him at BP? I thought she had to invite him? I know it’s not her style to be the rebel when it comes to these things but damn, Liz, you’ve earned it. Say no.
Not really. She accepts the advice of the Prime Minister.
Look at me, hoping that the Queen of all people will sack up and tell this man no. Ugh. It’s not like it would do any good but maybe it would annoy him.
Sorry darling – constitutional limitations of the current iteration of monarchy!
Clare, the signs of the Scottish protests were awesome, they were being retweeted on twitter today
A man who can’t handle criticism shouldn’t be president. America will never be the same.
He is so thin skinned we would be able to see right through him if it weren’t for all the fake tanner.
All the slow claps for Megan! Brilliant!
As if Harry, Kate and William want to meet him. Especially Harry who has a good relationship with Michelle Obama.
He also tweeted about Kate needing to/having to be naked or topless more often. If I were Kate I would pretend to be incredibly ill in order to avoid him and I for one will not find her at fault.
I would suggest that Kate wear a pantsuit. Wouldn’t want her skirt flying up with the groper-in-chief nearby.
With her love of theme dressing, she’d probably wear a pussy bow.
And why would anyone want to meet WK? Idk, maybe they’ll all get along because, hey, crappy personalities on a fundamental level!!
Maybe he wants to meet them because Michelle and Barack have met them – you know, he likes to be better than BO 😉
He shouldn’t be allowed to leave the US let alone do state visits. He can’t ban people to visit his country but then travel freely wherever he wants.
It’s a bit hypocritical if you think at the moment he is the most dangerous person on the planet.
If i was PM I wouldn’t let him come to my country where all sorts of people live in. Accepting him means accepting his stupid racist rules.
The shocking thing is, the Mayor of London is Muslim, with a Pakistani background, so he wouldn’t be allowed in the US either!
Sadiq Khan would be allowed in – 2 reasons – Pakistan is not yet on the banned list, and the order does not apply to British Citizens (regardless religion, dual nationality, place of family origin, whatever). How he would be treated by Border agents and the loonbags running America, on the other hand, is debatable.
@Clare – an Australian kid wanting to go to Space Camp was denied entry because his parents are from Iran. He is Australian.
I would suppose the Mayor of London would be allowed in for diplomatic reasons. They have that privilege.
@Clare Unless theres been further clarification that ban applied to everybody who holds citizenship of those countries, including those with dual citizenship. I dont know Sadiq Khans citisenship status and of course Pakistan wasnt on the list but just wanted to point this out.
@Clare, a Swiss woman coming to Harvard to study cures for tuberculosis was denied entry because of her Iranian background.
@Merry @Cee BoJo clarified this yesterday – the ban will not impact British citizens, regardless of dual nationality or familiar background blah blah.
The Mayor of London is also not a dual national of Pakistan, so even if Pakistan were on the list (which it isn’t), he would not be subject to this order. Several other MP’s on the other hand, would have been subject, prior to BoJo’s clarification.
I don’t mean to be snarky or pedantic, but I think its really important that we get our facts straight – lest we be accused of spreading fake news and lies by he who must not be named and his minions. We are all on the same team, after all.
I agree, Clare, TY for clarifying!
@Clare – while PM May may have received “assurances” that the ban does not apply to *British* dual nationals, the actual text of the EOs does not include any such exemption. There is absolutely nothing in the EOs to stop CBP from refusing entry to Brits who have dual citizenship in one of the seven countries of special concern.
@BearcatLawyer I am referring to Boris Johnsons assurance in parliament yesterday that ALL British citizens are exempt regardless of anything and everything. I believe his assurances were based on assurances he has received from his counterpart in the Trump Administration. But, as I said before, no amount of assurance can account for how people are ACTUALLY treated at the border, unfortunately.
Also, huge congratulations on our fantastic news 🙂
@ lightpurple: I heard the woman you mention being interviewed on Radio 4 yesterday – calm, articulate, obviously highly intelligent, unlike the bloke who’s instigated this pernicious ban. She was followed by Betsy McCaughey. Oh my god. What a repulsive woman. When the interviewer told her that Iraq was thinking of implementing a tit for tat ban she said “who wants to go to Iraq anyway” & laughed gaily. I almost drove into a tree I was shouting at the radio so much.
@Clare: you are correct (not pedantic at all! Helpful to have it spelled out, in fact), but what you fail to realize is the current “leadership” in the States has absolutely no idea what it’s doing. Different officials offer conflicting statements, most of which seem to be pulled out of their asses at whatever moment they’re asked a question, and the “rules” (such as they are…) change daily. Sometimes hourly, over the past 72 hours.
Nothing is certain even after it is pronounced by the merry band of nazi morons.
Boris very well may have been assured so by someone in Twitler’s administration, but I wouldn’t take any risks right now based on their words.
Boris Johnson’s so called assurances were contradicted by the US Embassy.
I believe that in between trying to help my clients cruelly impacted by his EOs, I shall write various heads of state and their heads of immigration and ask them to bar Emperor Baby Fists from their countries as a threat to their national security. What’s good for the goose is darn sure good for the gander.
I was thinking of you yesterday, Bearcat. I hope you are coping and someone is also looking after YOU.
Do it!! I think the heads of all nations(except Russia, of course)should refuse to meet with him in the name of human rights.
Ah thank you, Sixer. I got my hands on a copy of the orders on Wednesday, so it has been madness since then. Luckily I have the future Mr. BearcatLawyer to make things reasonably tolerable.
This is NOT how I was planning to announce my engagement to you all, by the way. But even as the world burns, it is still possible to find a bit of joy now and then.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Bearcat, I was thinking of you too. You’ve been such a helpful guide to international immigration law. Good luck with all your efforts!
And, my goodness, wonderful news! Congratulations to you and the lucky future Mr. Bearcat.
Thank you so much, Sixer and Who ARE These People?! I tell him he is lucky all the time, but the truth is that I am the lucky one. I never thought I would marry again, but he changed my mind! 💗
Congratulations! You sound awesome so..best of luck to both of you!
YES I was waiting for you to weigh in, Bearcat. Like others, I thought about you right away when I heard the news about the ban.
And congrats on your engagement–it’s SO nice to have some good news here.
Congratulations! Definitely pleasant news after these horrible 11 days. I also love hearing that you’re involved in the fight. I don’t do immigration work, but signed up yesterday to do a clinic on it so I can help. We lawyers all need to take action right now!
Congrats Bearcat! I am Canadian and don’t practice immigration law, but after I saw all those pictures of lawyers (in their pantsuits, no less) in airports trying to help all those poor people, I donated to the ACLU, because we need to keep fighting the good fight.
Thank you for the kind wishes, friends. I have already decided – and Mr. BearcatLawyer has agreed – that the hymn we will sing at our wedding will be “America the Beautiful.” I particularly like the bits about “Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!” and “Who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life!”
I would have liked to include “America (My Country, ’tis of thee),” but it is sung to the tune of “God Save the Queen.” With many loyal subjects among my friends and relatives, I fear it would be an unholy mess with half the guests singing the American song and the other half loudly proclaiming allegiance to the Queen.
PS – Mr. BearcatLawyer is not a CBer, but he was very touched to hear of your congratulations too. He sends his thanks as well.
Congratulations BearcatLawyer!!! ❤❤
@bearcatlawyer, Congratulations!! 👏👏👏👏👏💞🎉🎇🎆
Congratulations, bearcatlawyer! Happy for you.
Trump isn’t fit enough to wipe the dirt off of Prince Charles shoes. Say what you will about the Prince of Wales but the man is very intelligent and has done great service not just to his own country but the world at large.
How do we know he is ‘very intelligent’? From what I hear he came out of Trinity with a low 2:2, despite having had ridiculous amounts of help? Granted an undergraduate degree is not the final marker of ones intelligence, but by all accounts, he is a man who is unreasonably privileged – at times (not always) he has leveraged that privilege to do good.
I’m afraid I can’t really see evidence of him being ‘very intelligent’ or even his ‘great service’ to the world? In fact, isn’t he known for being rather close minded and stroppy when people disagree with him.
I think Ever bloom is referencing his work for charity. He’s worked hard for his country and those who have worked with him attest to that. You have to give credit where credit is due and he deserves some on this point.
He cuts ribbons, shakes hands and has policy documents explained to him. He gets to pick his favorite charities and get credit for the work actual workers do with money he attracts by merely existing. In exchange, he lives in a literal palace, travels in the best social circles and never has to worry about anything material. As Clare points out, even with all the asssistance he receives he is neither outstandingly smart or talented. So basically I am to give a privilleged man credit for being born of the right loins and doing the job that keeps him in absolute luxury and unearned praise? No thanks.
@HK9, I see your point, but supporting charities is his job – it is what the UK taxpayer subsidizes his expenses for. I ‘work hard’ for my subsidy (salary), too, that doesn’t make me extraordinary. I acknowledge he supports his charities, and perhaps he is very engaged with the ones he cares about – but I don’t think he deserved a special star for that. I also don’t think that renders him super intelligent, or kind. It also doesn’t take away from the fact that he is known to be arrogant and close minded.
Hi Clare, Being from Romania I have comparatively little knowledge about British Royal Family. But Charles is very well respected here.
In my opinion, intelligence can’t be measured by the grades one gets in college. There are well known people who didn’t do well even at school level and still went on to change the world.
And yes, he IS intelligent. He has written many books on the subject relating to ecology and environmental sustainability. His Royal status is definitely an encouraging bonus to the environmentalists. Not to mention, his advocacy of organic farming, gardening etc. which makes him extremely likeable to a tree hugger like me.
He didn’t ask to be born from Royal loins, he couldn’t help being born Royal. His idle, non curious son doesn’t do what he is suppose to do and he gets rightfully criticized, his father does his duty and gets criticized, I think it is unfair.
He IS Prince of Wales and arrogance is part of his DNA.
@Ever Bloom – Doesn’t the Prince have an estate in Romania? I seem to recall a TV documentary about him and his enduring relationship with your country.
I can’t stand May and Trump. If Donald Trump will be brought down, I hope he takes her with him.
From your lips to god’s ears. I never really understood the hatred of The Tories for Great Britain until now.
Yes. All these people who think they can control Trump are idiots and deserve to go down with the ship.
@dodgy
May is quite far right for a Tory too.
I can only imagined how disgusted and apalled the royals will feel having such a rich vulgarian in their midst. They will be friendly to his face but they will heavily criticize him behind his back.
God this makes me angry-who the F**K cares if you don’t like Prince Charles? YOU DON’T GET TO CONTROL THE NARRATIVE IN SOMEONE ELSE’S COUNTRY.
Someone should tell the PM to quit being such an appeaser to fascism.
They have told her over and over again. Next she will start fire people who don’t agree with her. She’s not better than Trump.
‘May looks like Trump’s lapdog’: Owen Jones meets protesters – video
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2017/jan/31/may-looks-like-trumps-lapdog-owen-jones-talks-to-protesters-at-anti-trump-demo-video
Charles’ greatest interest is nature and environment, so I get why Trump would want to avoid that meeting
And helping poor people. Trump would rather they just die in a sweatshop somewhere.
I think that if this visit does eventually come off, they will jiggle the protocol to keep Chuck and the Shitgibbon apart. It’ll be a dinner at most and Her Maj will have to do all the heavy lifting. They might move it to Balmoral and let him play golf then hope he goes home PDQ.
I reckon it won’t happen. Our pusillanimous PM will leave the invitation open. Maybe those surrounding the Shitgibbon might want it to happen since they’d do anything to weaken the EU by fair means or foul or the soft power of a state visit to the UK. But the Shitgibbon will see the public bad feeling and pull the plug on the whole thing himself. He’s not going to expose himself to this level of public ridicule.
Diplomatically speaking, May has shot her country in its post-Brexit and very exposed foot. She is useless.
I reckon it won’t happen. Our pusillanimous PM will leave the invitation open. Maybe those surrounding the Shitgibbon might want it to happen since they’d do anything to weaken the EU by fair means or foul or the soft power of a state visit to the UK.
Already, they are talking about pushing the visit back by months. Every morning we wake up, Trump does something and everyone is all, “You really want to have this special relationship with the US?” But as long as The Daily Mail and The Sun papers bolster her sails, I guess.
Quite.
Three million people turned out the day after the inauguration and Trump basically shrugged. Never underestimate the amount of ridicule he can withstand.
Shitgibbon😂😂😂😂👌👌👌👌Perfect!!!
I know, I’m learning new words for him everyday.
A useful tool:
http://code.rodeo/scottish-insult-generator/
Shitgibbon. Nice! Somehow feels vaguely Cromwellian English Civil War and I don’t know why.
Can anyone explain what is the deal with his side finger pointing? Like he saying ” Check THIS out-“. I have given up hope of him ever showing any semblance of adult decorum, but this is so middle school. Hope Kate does beg off- she can say she has more important things to do- like binge watching The Crown.
I came here to say the same thing about the finger pointing Drumpf constantly does. It is childish and annoying. But then again, this “man” is the perpetual used-car salesman and circus barker: “hey everybody, come look at this fabulous shiny thing that I’m standing next to.”
I came here to make the same point. All newspapers should caption the photos of him meeting leaders with something like “fascist points at a person”. What’s his next move going to be, bunny ears?
Actually, this is one time I’d respect her for saying she has to look after her kids — you know, the ones who are occasionally childish due to their chronological age, not emotional stuntedness.
I think you’ve missed out a few things in the shit storm that’s going on over here in Britain, Kaiser.
The thing is, Theresa May was told about the Muslim ban by Trump, when they met last week and kept schtum about it to the point where her own Tory MPs were caught on the hop.
This after her keeping schtum about the errant Trident missile (that she got Parliament to vote to spend something stupid like £45 billion pounds on it, whilst our NHS and schools are in shambles). because the US asked her not to (and this impacted a very important vote on Trident and the amount of money we were going to spend on it).
On top of that, the Brexiters are trying to throw all their lot with the US, hence her rolling out the red carpet for Donald Trump, even though he’s been in office for seven days. Normally, we tend to wait years before inviting a sitting president to meet with the Queen, et al (Obama took three).
Theresa May has pissed off our soon to be ex allies in Europe for a ‘special relationship’ with Donald Trump’s rule hat looks more and more like Fascism every day, to the point where Theresa May is accused of appeasement. Trump has said that he wants to disable Nato, and wants to disable Europe, and for all of May’s posturing about how she’ll be straight talking, this has shown that all she has is bluster.
Theresa May seems to govern like this – she does something, gets called upon it, her advisers read the currents and then she acts accordingly, but does the bare minimum. This has backfired on her spectacularly since some of her Tory MPs have dual citizenship from the affected nations (Iran, Iraq, etc), and they have been in an uproar. We’ve had protests all over Great Britain re: this, and I think she’s trying to push Article 50 through – although businesses and jobs are deserting our shores in droves. But she somehow has Tories and Labour on side. And in our Brexting desperation, Trump seems to be the ticket. Which… is a bad idea.
Basically, the only thing I will accept from May now is for her to re-enact that scene from Love Actually when Hugh Grant went off on Billy Bob Thorton. Word. For. Word.
i know right? I had to think about that movie in the last couple of days and how true it would ring now, including the groping of the maid…..
she has labour on her side because labour is led by bloody corbyn. we basically do not have an opposition any longer thanks to him, he needs to go asap.
she has labour on her side because labour is led by bloody corbyn. we basically do no have an opposition any longer thanks to him, he needs to go asap.
Yeah, Corbyn is an EU skeptic, and he supposedly didn’t want to campaign for Labour to stay in the EU. Corbyn has been a bloody disappointment, but he seems to have his ardent defenders. I know one who lives in Portugal and I’m like, “Gurrrllll….”
Honestly, for him to tell the Whips to push it through, when he ignored everything by his leaders when he was a bankbencher. W*nker.
yeah, i know he’s a hypocrite as well.
funny thing is that i was also a EU skeptic, as in i thought the EU as an institution wasn’t working all that well, and many things needed to change. however i voted remain, first of all because the campaign was ALL about immigration, based on hatred and xenophobia (i was a child migrant and now have dual citizenship, so as a first generation immigrant this was horrible to me, and i’m one of the ‘lucky’ ones as i’m white, fluent in english and have a british passport). and secondly because i do not believe our current government could ever turn us into switzerland or norway.
i say this because it would be all right for corbyn to be a EU skeptic, and still stand for the rights of EU citizens who have made this country their home. but he refuses to, so he’s just as bad as may as far as i’m concerned. truly shameful.
@ell
He’s totally bad.
Half of Labour members have moved to the LibDem despite what they did in the past.
Dodgy, she’s not good at speaking off the cuff is she? Everything has to be prepped with her.
Just checking but Obama did visit the UK in March 2009, but the official state visit wasnt til May 2011. I remember there was a bit of a hoo-ha about that, and rumours in the press that Cameron and the govt were stressed about being sidelined.
What’s making everything worse is the lack of an effective opposition: Corbyn is a joke, he couldn’t lead anyone out of a paper bag.
dodgy, agreeing with everything you said.
I’m from England too and it’s shameful how Theresa May is skirting round the issues and basically saying ‘US immigration is for the US government to deal with’. You want this to be a ‘global Britain’ but you’re cool with sitting back and letting Tweeting Pumpkin over there close the borders for not just UK nationals but citizens across the world when we would never allow such a thing here?
Handy for the US though that this Muslim ban doesn’t seem to affect one of the richest Muslim countries in the world, Saudi Arabia. I wonder why ever the oil not?
The fact that she’s offered a STATE visit is beyond laughable. I really wonder who on earth okay’d that, they must have known how it would look. He has never been popular here, there was a petition going back during the election race to prevent him being allowed here, so did they think everyone would be fine with him now he’s the one in charge? Makes me feel slightly sick to even type that.
may says she wants a global britain, but tbh they’re just words. she clearly doesn’t, she wants the little britain she grew up in back in her day.
i wish there was a way to go back in time, so i could fling her there myself.
May wants a lot of things. A ‘red blue and white brexit’ and a ‘global britain’ as if her party under Thatcher didn’t malign the Northern Cities to go into ‘managed decline’.
she clearly doesn’t, she wants the little britain she grew up in back in her day.
This!
Instead of investing in all schools and looking forward, she wants grammar schools back on the cards, because that’s what the UKip lite – I mean, Tories want.
Which is… okay, but what of those children who aren’t bright enough for grammar schools (and we don’t seem to have a good vocational school system, compared to say, Germany).
I did tell people that the Britain Farage and the brexiters want is no more. That got left all the way back when.
Love “Tweeting Pumpkin”!
@ell and dodgy
Love all your comments here!
The Saudi Arabia point has nothing to do with Trump though – the US list of ‘bad countries’ (for want of whatever the technical terms are) has contained Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran for years and the other 3 were probably ‘bad’ ones that have been slightly downgraded. We have a list of countries to beware at work and the list has contained Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran for years (and also Cuba, and recently Ukraine I think).
We can’t do business with any of them without special permission and in some cases lots of lawyers have to be involved.
No probs with Saudi. I work for a US Company.
Our countries have been sanctioning those countries for years – that ultimately punishes the innocent people who live there.
Has it been confirmed that she knew about the ban in advance? Am surprised that Trump, or should i say Bannon, would tip off the head of state for another country. And from what i’ve read elsewhere the document was very hastily written at the last min by, as some suspect, Bannon himself.
Am no fan of hers but given how secretive the Trump inner circle is I wonder how true it is.
Has it been confirmed that she knew about the ban in advance?
@digital unicorn
Long story short, we don’t know.
May is highly secretive, and when she speaks it’s all mealy mouthed. May was asked about it in Parliament and didn’t answer. Was asked by the press and again, refused to confirm or deny.
What makes people distrustful of May is the fact that she kept an errant missile test quiet because the yanks told her to, and this in light of the Trident vote (which would have gone another way if she’d been open with Parliament) and other things she’s done, May comes across as secretive, and not as bright or fashionable as she likes to think.
May never says ‘no’ when asked questions directly, and tends to hedge until she hears her advisers and even then, she never gives a straight answer.
It can be read both ways: if Trump didn’t say that to her, and it caught her on the hop, it means that the special relationship she’s in full throated concert about, doesn’t exist. However, if Trump told her and she didn’t speak to him with that shooting from the hip she’s on about, that doesn’t say much for her (admittedly risible) character either.
Either way, May hasn’t done much right so far. For a Remainer she’s gone straight Brexit and UKIP in order to get Farage’s UKIP party votes.
She truly is a Prime Disgrace…
Don’t be nasty to the poor woman, she’s been taken into hospital, she’s having to have an MRI to see if they can find any backbone…
Let him have a tantrum hopefully there will be photos. Charles and Camilla each with a look of astonishment on their faces as the leader of a nuclear armed nation stamps his feet and turns burnt orange red in the face. I want to see Kellyanne explain that on CNN or similar shows
Bigly burnt orange red. . .
She will be able to though, and people will believe it. It’s just ‘alternative colours’, obviously misrepresented by the lying media.
well i mean, as a brit, i believe currently the US and the UK are as shameful and ugly as one another. in fact, look at those two buffoons holding hands; it’s absolutely f-ing perfect.
i signed the petition, although may is ignoring it so i guess he’ll come either way. i’m more disappointed by may (but then again she always disappoints so) not pronouncing herself about trump and the ban, and seemingly agreeing with it. i hope it’s not giving her ideas.
well i mean, as a brit, i believe currently the US and the UK are as shameful and ugly as one another. in fact, look at those two buffoons holding hands; it’s absolutely f-ing perfect
Yeah, I keep telling people I don’t want to hear any jokes about Germans and old World War II songs ever again (I go to football matches) because with Brexit, May and co, and the Americans with Trump, we have no moral high ground. Not that we had at first, but we don’t have it anymore.
For May to push Article 50 through with minimum consultation, and civil service understaffed to take on the task ahead, with Europe’s hackles raised, May and co are treacherous, tbh.
Here’s how I see it:
Post-WW2, Britain has been an Atlantic Bridge between the US and Europe (latterly EU). Because it retained top class diplomatic and intelligence capacities post-empire, it provided the defence join for NATO between the US and EU. Because most of its trade is done with Europe, it joined the EU in harmonised trading relations.
Now, in the light of Brexit, the UK will have to rely on the US for both trade and geopolitical alliance.
This would be fine under Obama or Clinton or a sensible Republican. But the US doesn’t have that. It has the new axis of evil in a Trump administration about to commit horrors on its own citizens, become protectionist regarding trade, alter the geopolitical balance by aligning with Putin, a fellow authoritarian populist, and fully intends to attempt to weaken the EU.
It’s a total disaster and May is placing Britain within the sphere of influence of a global fascist alliance and one which will likely be inimical to Europe. It’s as if we chose the side of Germany and Italy in the 1930s. (And I’m so sorry, American friends, to be naming your country as the fulcrum of a global fascist alliance. It makes me want to cry.)
The FT today is putting this much better than I ever could:
http://www.ft.com/content/fde7616a-e6cf-11e6-967b-c88452263daf
Yeah, for May not to see that, and just to proceed ahead and deaf to common sense (especially since if Hillary had become POTUS, the UK would have been at the back of the queue, and Britain would have had to pause) is sobering. But at this case, May seems to be competing with Farage, which is supposedly one of the reasons why she rushed her visit to the US.
The only answer to the international problems we find ourselves in is to NOT Brexit. And it matters because the world is realigning and not only are we are on the wrongest of wrong sides morally, we’re also going to impoverish ourselves by the choice.
But imagine NOT Brexiting in the current domestic climate where all sense and reason has been jettisoned to xenophobic rantings and even the bloody BBC acts as a amplifier of UKIP. It would be carnage.
We’re flucked, basically.
And I say this as a very reluctant Remain voter in June. But the world has changed and changed dangerously. If the referendum was held again today, I would be the most enthusiastic Remain voter ever seen.
yes, it’s like the sides are switched. i was just thinking about this earlier.
@ell
He has already given her ideas……
Trump won’t be lectured by anyone… this explains so much. He basically is the very bad version of Pippi Longstocking. In her theme song she was singing about making the world as she wants it to be.
Why does he have a beef with Charles??? And btw, if he’s meeting with the Cambridges, Kate better carry her biggest clutch purse and keep it very close to her since Chetto has a very known preference for you know….
There was a suggestion that Charles might bring up climate change. Of course, since trump is intent on destroying the environment in the name of oil profits, he couldn’t have that. How dare anyone have the temerity to have a different opinion, one actually backed up by science?
I can also envision him later tweeting about how he could have been the princes’ stepfather or something equally crass.
The bar is so low, it’s below ground level at this point.
Probably the environment/climate change, Charles has always made his views public on that subject. He’s also been outspoken about architecture.
Thank you Becky and Susanne. I image he thinks that whoever doesn’t stand by his tyranny is against him. Well now I really hope he gets to meet Charles and discuss with him, just to bother Chetto.
If I was Charles I would be having a tantrum at the thought of having to meet Trump.
Maybe it would be good for Charles to become king sooner rather than later so he can be the voice of reason instead of spineless May. The queen has always tried to be neutral but it is expected that Charles would be quite a political monarch.
Unlike many people I actually like him. He and Diana – both flawed people but both charitable with a social conscience.
I doubt very much that Charles will be so political once, and if , he becomes King. (In that I mean if he outlives his mother).
Maybe it’s just me but every time I read the royal articles on the DM, I have the feeling they want a Rexit and their own President Trump.
The DM does like the Queen, and Charles, barely. But you do think that Kate Middleton has been a bit of a disappointment, which ironically stems from her wardrobe and the Royal Children being under wraps.
Wardrobe wise, they call her the boring Duchess (more Boden than designer, tis true), and the fact that the children are cloistered away, you don’t really get the ‘bond’ of seeing the little ones grow, unlike say, Prince William and Prince Harry themselves, which is one of the reasons why they had all this good will even before their mum’s death.
But yeah, you think once the Queen goes, the right wing papers will start to stir trouble if Prince Charles doesn’t come ‘correct’ in their eyes. It took them a LONG time to warm up to Camilla, iirc.
The DM is already in “attacking Prince Charles” mood. At least I had the feeling when I read the last 2-3 articles about him.
Hmm, I’ll take your word for it, but it wouldn’t surprise me. There’s an annoyance that he’s pledged himself as the defender of all faiths instead of just the Cof E, and he’s deeply political where it runs to liberal, I guess? He’s for environmental protections, and he’s just given a speech re: the lessons of World War II http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/prince-charlesprince-charles-second-world-war-horrific-lessons-danger-forgotten-world-jewish-relief-a7554741.html
Thanks for the link.
The problem with the DM is that they hate everybody who is against Trump.
So many negative comments:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4166548/Prince-Charles-says-public-obsessed-Brexit.html#comments
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4120946/Charles-Ladybird-eco-warrior-Prince-writes-52-page-book-global-warming-cover-based-one-dramatic-video-looks-LOT-like-rescue-photo.html#comments
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4138736/Climate-change-wolf-door-says-Prince-Charles.html#comments
These British politics posts are really interesting. Isn’t cosying up to Bush 44 was what brought down Tony Blair?
Yeah, and damaged Labour after that, I think. It cost us a lot of money, a lot of face (because we dragged some of Europe into it too), and Labour lost a lot of ground.
The older Millibrand brother (David, whom I liked) was rejected by the party out of hand for his younger (and less talented brother, Ed) because he was too close to Blair and damaged by his taint.
A lot of things that Blair did damaged Labour in the long run (and helped to sow the seeds for Brexit, I think, but that discussion is not the remit of this website), but at least Blair had some backbone. Corbyn on the other hand… ._.
That Theresa May thinks it’s a jolly good idea to put Her Majesty The Queen, who wore a military uniform in the fight against fascism some 70-plus years ago, in photographs beside the leader of a nu-fascist regime absolutely blows. my. mind.
http://all-that-is-interesting.com/queen-elizabeth-ii-serves-as-a-mechanic-during-world
#GodSaveTheQueen #EndTimes
A historical side note–the Queen’s grandfather George V (d.1936) had a pretty clear grip on the menace (unlike his more ‘progressive ‘ son Edward VIII). He refused to send the Prince of Wales to a family wedding (the current Swedish king’s parents in Coburg) because it was going to be a full on nazi celebration. He also had some words about the nazi regime for his ministers. And I think (I’d need to double check) he refused to meet the german representatives in England or at least had to be dragged into it. And this was when many in England were still ‘oh Hitler
isn’t so bad’.
The petition was actually very clever, by using embarrassment to queenie, it’s managed to mobilise the baby boomers, daily mail readers and brexiters to sign. They don’t care about Muslims, but don’t want the queen standing next to a man who said he could have shagged sacred lady Di.
I couldn’t give a fig about the queen. She met Mugabe. I signed though because he is a horrid man
“She met Mugabe.”
The bad guys never pay. Never. They are rewarded for their most horrific behaviours. Trump will be too, just watch.
I’m a baby boomer and a brexiter, and I don’t recognise the picture of me that you are portraying. Some of us think just the same of Trump as you do.
And we don’t all hate Muslims, or idolise Lady Di.
Ah, forget it. Deleted. (Delete please, kind Celebitchy, thanks.)
.
Lets hope that something worse than this happens:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/11/queen-chinese-officials-very-rude-xi-jinping-state-visit
@Clare, what assurances they may have given to Boris could differ greatly from the orders given to ICE staff at airports. As of Sunday, Reince Priebus and Kellyanne Conway were contradicting one another while State Dept workers were saying that even those with dual US citizenship would be denied.
Oh, they just lie and lie and lie… no assurances whatsoever!
I’m no Prince Charles fan, but even I was amazed and disgusted that Trump would try to control him. He thinks he runs the world, people, not just the U.S.
Since there are so many Brits on this site, I wanted to ask a question. Are the Royals obligated to meet with him if he comes? I would hope that Will, Kate and Harry would at least show some independence and be on “‘vacation!”
Not an expert, but the Royals are supposed to be politically neutral, so it would make it difficult for them to boycott a state visit – especially as a STATE visit by definition means meeting the British Royal Family. This may interest you:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jan/30/donald-trump-state-visit-uk-controversial-tradition
It is interesting to note that de Gaulle despised us despite the help we gave his country in WWII, and he also vetoed an earlier application by the UK to join the then Common Market. No good deed goes unpunished or what?
Since there are so many Brits on this site, I wanted to ask a question. Are the Royals obligated to meet with him if he comes?
Technically, the Prime Minister will ask the Queen to entertain said dignitary with full honours if the relationship is deemed beneficial to the ‘national interest’. The PM seeks (and receives) an audience with the Queen once a week, so I’d hope that any issues would be thrashed in the meeting. Supposedly The Palace is annoyed at the Queen’s presence being offered ‘like a bauble’.
I can see why Theresa May has spent a lot of her time being silent. When she opens her mouth, she puts her designer shod foot in it.
Donald will throw a tantrum, no question about it. The tweets will be interesting.
The Queen will find herself at Windsor with another dreadful cold and unable to appear in public. Charles and Camilla will be making a previously scheduled good will visit abroad. Will and Kate will be on vacation in the Caribbean.
Theresa May will be stuck hosting. Her invitation, her mess to clean up.
Fingers crossed.
This has been interesting…
And it’s not just the people who are irked by the whole thing. The Palace is too, the Times reveals. Buckingham Palace didn’t take kindly to the state visit being offered to Trump at a press conference as if it were a bauble to be handed out by the sitting Prime Minister – they regard it as a gift to be extended by the Queen, from head of state to another.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2017/01/government-believes-they-have-nothing-lose-buttering-donald-trump-theyre
So Trump doesn’t want to meet Harry?
That’s because he is a big baby asshat!!!
Perhaps the Queen will invite him to go riding in Windsor Great Park:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/5f/d6/df/5fd6dfacf85ac882e1c2420ed39f624c.jpg
Perhaps an accident could happen
I’m hoping for a pack of rabid corgis…
That’s mean.
What, the accident or the corgis? Because I don’t think we actually have rabies in the UK. 🙂
feed him to the corgis
Why poison cute puppers?
What is the point in inviting Trump to Britain if we’re not going to lock him in a room for 24 hours with nothing but Prince Charles and a slideshow on Climate Change.
On a more serious point, I took ‘it would be embarrassing for the Queen’ as another way of saying it would be embarrassing for Britain. Whilst the American flag is sometimes seen as a stand in for the US itself, I and I think others view the Queen as a personification of the country in circumstances like this rather than a specific person.
We don’t want the Twitler-In-Chief over here at all. So him & May can continue their transatlantic love affair.
May is a spineless coward and doesn’t represent me. She is equally complicit by being evasive, silent & sly. She won’t call Twitler out on his BS but she asks others to do so. So the special relationship isn’t spoilt.
I’m glad members of Parliament are strongly opposing her & will debate about this. We don’t pay our taxes so Twitler, Bannon & co can come here on the dime of the hard working tax payers of this country.
If Theresa May was smart she would have went straight to Mexico to negotiate a deal. It would have been the perfect FU to him & his administration.
You know what makes me angry? A portion of British citizens (not all) are slamming fellow British citizens for protesting the Muslim ban and saying it has nothing to do with us. They need to get woke af fast because it has everything to do with us, we are negotiating a trade deal with a racist and facist regime. Our healthcare system may possibly be part of the trade deal. Twitler will line his pockets first and foremost.
On a lighter note, many congratulations to you BearCatLawyer & FutureMrBearCatLawyer. I’m so happy for you!! Amongst this madness it’s nice to hear some positive news.
May is a spineless coward and doesn’t represent me. She is equally complicit by being evasive, silent & sly. She won’t call Twitler out on his BS but she asks others to do so. So the special relationship isn’t spoilt.
This! She says nothing, and then we hear hours later from No 10 from a representative ‘the official word’.
They need to get woke af fast because it has everything to do with us, we are negotiating a trade deal with a racist and facist regime. Our healthcare system may possibly be part of the trade deal. Twitler will line his pockets first and foremost.
Say it one more time for those in the back. The Sun and The Daily Mail are pushing this hard. They won’t be satisfied until Britain is completely destroyed. Those newspapers and the Tories really do hate this country.
@dodgy – May only spoke up when there was a lot of public backlash against her. But not everybody is buying what she is selling. She is still getting heat for this from the public and members of Parliament. Who can blame those MPs for wanting to delay triggering Article 50.
Lol, quite gladly! It couldn’t be more important to be aware and alert of what is going on in the world around us right now. Whether it’s political, social issues, civil rights, racism, xenophobia, islamphobia, bigotry and women’s rights.
The Sun and the Daily Mail are quite possibly the most racist, xenophobic and bigoted newspapers in this country. Paul Dacre and Rupert Murdoch are the embodiment of these views. They do. Only people who they care about is those with money, power and influence.
Who invites people to a UK State Dinner? Is it the Queen?
If so, I hope she trolls Cheeto Hitler by inviting a lot of Muslim activists and prominent people. Then, Charles gives up his place to Sadiq Khan so the Orange Fuhrer has to sit next to a Muslim throughout the whole dinner.
Who invites people to a UK State Dinner?
Technically, the Queen does, but this is at the behest of the Prime Minister (I think the PM has an audience with the Queen once a week). But a State Dinner is the highest honour, tbh, and for May to just offer it to Trump after seven days when he was barely in power comes across as desperate and grasping. Supposedly though, Prince Charles has said that he’d confront Trump on global warming.
Actually Canada is the first international visit.