We have a new King

[PA5COR]

Been watching the telly a bit today watching the Queen abdicate and the installation of Willem Alexander as new King.
http://news.yahoo.com/willem-alexander-becomes-dutch-king-081540031.html

Visibly emotional, the much-loved Beatrix ended her 33-year reign as queen in a nationally televised signing ceremony as thousands of orange-clad people cheered outside. Millions more were expected to watch on television.
Just over four hours later, King Willem-Alexander, wearing a fur-trimmed ceremonial mantle, swore an oath of allegiance to his country and the constitution in the historic New Church.
In a speech in the church, Europe's youngest monarch underscored the ceremonial nature of his monarchy in an egalitarian society but also the symbolic and economic value a king can deliver on state visits aimed at drumming up trade.
"I will proudly represent the kingdom and help discover new opportunities," he said.

[N2NH]

Best wishes for you and your country on the crowning of a new monarch.

It is something most Americans cannot fathom.

[NQ6U]

Best wishes for you and your country on the crowning of a new monarch.

It is something most Americans cannot fathom.

Who needs a king when you have a Pope?

—Pope Carlo l

[NQ6U]

No offense intended, Cor, but I liked this quote from the article to which you linked:


Amsterdam resident Inge Bosman, 38, said she doubted Willem-Alexander's investiture would give the country much of an employment boost.

"Well, at least one person got a new job," she said.

[W4GPL]

Congratulations, may he reign with the same longevity and dignity.

[PA5COR]

Typically a republican which lacks any knowledge, yes we have them too ;)
The Queen and now our King travel all over the world, taking with them a large selection of businessmen doing trade in the favorite atmosphere that our Queen and now King always have with other Kingdoms or countries, that delivers more jobs and tax as they ever cost.
But who expects a ( Dutch) republican to look further as his/her nose? i mean come on, facts are ebil and all that :)

[KB3LAZ]

I dont really know much about the royalty in any country. What I do know is that "the need for a king" is a common debate here. It would seem that most think that it is outdated and unnecessary. I would suppose that depends on the role said king or queen serve. IE..how much power or influence do they have and what is it used for. On the other hand, historically, it interests me.

If it is a good thing for you and your countrymen, congratulations. If not, my apologies.

[K7SGJ]

Is he a ham?

[NQ6U]

Is he a ham?

No he's not, although his mum calls him Pork Chop.

[PA5COR]

Nope no ham, he was trained in the military served on board of naval ships, got his military flying papers and became a pilot.
The role of the monarchy is very limited in our constitution and more of decorum and representing our country abroad.
The political power is in our bi cameral chambers Senate and House.
The political power is the Minister President, which does report to the King but does not take any orders from hm.
The house of Orange has been with us since 1559.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Orange-Nassau.

The people here have always been massive fans of the house oof Orange, the Kings and Queens have always been close to the people and always had an open ear for the problems in the society and glued the country together.
Our new King is not a fan of protocol and wants to be just as close to the people as his Mother Beatrix.

From a travel site:
The first time I saw the Dutch national soccer team playing in the World Cup, I wondered -- as many people do -- "What's the deal with all the fans wearing orange?" The colors of the Dutch flag are red, white and blue -- there's no orange at all. So what's the Netherlands' relationship (make that borderline obsession) with the color orange?
The answer: Orange is the color of the Dutch Royal Family. The lineage of the current dynasty -- the House of Oranje-Nassau -- dates back to Willem van Oranje (William of Orange). But while the color orange has royal roots in the Netherlands, today it symbolizes a broader pride in the country and in being Dutch.
Perhaps the biggest display of orange national pride occurs on Koninginnedag ("Queen's Day") (http://goamsterdam.about.com/od/eventsfestivalsholidays/a/queensday.htm), the April 30 holiday commemorating the birthday the country's (former) Queen. You'll be hard-pressed to find a Dutch person who's not sporting the color on this day.


Dutch people have feelings of love and admiration towards their Royals. Every year on April 30 a festive, carnival-like Queen’s Day (https://forums.hamisland.net/queensday/) (Dutch: Koninginnedag) is celebrated all over the country. If the date of May 30 falls on Sunday, the Queen’s day is celebrated a day earlier - on Saturday 29th.


One possible explanation for the Dutch royal house's abiding popularity is its close association with freedom from foreign rule: first, in the early 19th Century, that of the French under Napoleon, and more recently, in 1945, that of Nazi Germany.


In addition, Dutch monarchs were never absolute rulers. Before the House of Orange ascended to the throne, the Netherlands had long been a republic. The ruler's powers were held firmly in check by the Dutch constitution: the monarchy was supposed to be there for the people, not the other way around.
As a result, the Dutch people tend to look to the royals as symbols of unity in times of turmoil or political division. Even the populist politician Geert Wilders and his revolt against the Dutch establishment have done nothing to change this. Neither has the fact that in these times of financial crisis, the Dutch monarchy is one of Europe's most expensive to maintain.

However, Queen Beatrix, did not win the people's love and respect without a little tragedy.
The Queen's Consort, Prince Claus, suffered from depression and died in 2002, at the age of 74. On the eve of her abdication, Queen Beatrix said that marrying the plain-spoken German nobleman had been the best decision she ever took. It certainly helped to convince her subjects that she was a woman of flesh and blood.

Tragedy struck again in February 2012, as Beatrix's second son, Prince Johan Friso, suffered a skiing accident and fell into a coma from which he is yet to emerge.
This time, the queen was not afraid to let her emotions show. The shows of sympathy and respect from the Dutch people were overwhelming.

[VE7DCW]

Who needs a king when you have a Pope?

—Pope Carlo l

I think being a Pope would be more exciting :sarcasm:

[K7SGJ]

No he's not, although his mum calls him Pork Chop.

So did Maxwells mum.

[NA4BH]

So did Maxwells mum.

She sure is a nice lady.

[K7SGJ]

She sure is a nice lady.

Shes a pig.

[NA4BH]

Shes a pig.

Your cruelness makes me want to go hog wild.

[n6hcm]

What I do know is that "the need for a king" is a common debate here.

while the king in your location was once loved a generation's worth of intransparency has turned the monarchy into a questionable luxury. the scandal at hand at the moment isn't helping.

the last significant scandal to affect the netherlands monarchy dates back to world war ii. they've managed to do what the english (and others) have not. the only real objections to the monarchy in the netherlands are to the cost (a fair gripe, imho) and the idea that, in a society that is otherwise fairly egalitarian, having a monarchy seems out of step with the times.

[PA5COR]

The mobarchy will stay here for centuries to come.
99% of the people don't care hoot what the royalty cost, they also know that with their countless visits to other countries a gaggle of business people travels with the royalty to do serious business and that alone delivers massive orders with jobs and tax income far offsetting any cost we pay for the Royalty here.

I know from one visit last year to the Arab peninsula delivered direct business of 600 million Euro, follow up business will add some 100 millions more.
The tax from that alone will pay for a whole year our Royalty.

Thanks for all good wishes here, it's appreciated.
I think i cannot convey what our Royalty means to us over the last 500 years, you just have to be here and celebrate Kingsday as it is called now to see the bond between the people and our Royalty.
Not to be compared t the UK Royalty that keeps aa distanc between themselves and the public, ours is totally different, gets into the public and generally don't behave as the i am better as you Royalty we see in Europe, nor would that fall well with the Dutch people.

Must be our Calvinistic look at life, we abhorr people that act as they are better as you or any showing off.
Most Dutch are hard working people without preteentions and expect the same of our politicians and Royalty, they are there for us not the other way around.
THe main reason the Royalty political influence is seriously curbed by design in our Constitution.
We are a Monarchy since 200 years, before that we were a Republic where the house of Orange played a more important role in politics and leading the country as Stadhouders, that role was seriously brought back when the People chose to become a Monarchy.

[KB3LAZ]

while the king in your location was once loved a generation's worth of intransparency has turned the monarchy into a questionable luxury. the scandal at hand at the moment isn't helping.

the last significant scandal to affect the netherlands monarchy dates back to world war ii. they've managed to do what the english (and others) have not. the only real objections to the monarchy in the netherlands are to the cost (a fair gripe, imho) and the idea that, in a society that is otherwise fairly egalitarian, having a monarchy seems out of step with the times.

From what I gather, a lot of people here like the king, as a person. It is the position that they question. Not that many of him really know him personally, they just judge from the impression they get.

[WX7P]

I see your comments about the royalty bringing home the business bacon, but as an American, I just can't wrap my head around having a monarchy.

I don't understand Americans obsession with the British throne. Who cares about future King Willie and his egg donor?

At least your monarchy doesn't have the pull the British do. The concept that the Queen of England can dissolve governments in the Commonwealth is patently ridiculous.

[K7SGJ]

Your cruelness makes me want to go hog wild.

Now you're just being a boar.

[NQ6U]

Now you're just being a boar.

But he always has some mighty fine swine.

[K7SGJ]

I heard he put it in hock.

[NQ6U]

I heard he put it in hock.

In a pig's eye! Well, then again, he is a ham, after all.

[K7SGJ]

In a pig's eye! Well, then again, he is a ham, after all.

No, no, no. It's in a pig stye.

[NQ6U]

No, no, no. It's in a pig stye.

Are you chitlin' me?

[K7SGJ]

Are you chitlin' me?

I wouldn't do that to someone with true grit.

[NQ6U]

I wouldn't do that to someone with true grit.

How about Margrit?

[K7SGJ]

How about Margrit?


I heard when she was younger, someone tried to Thatcher.

[N2NH]

I heard when she was younger, someone tried to Thatcher.

I heard she had some iron on her Thatcher.

[KC2KFC]

Ahh the monarchy. They usually put on a good show.

[K7SGJ]

Ahh the monarchy. They usually put on a good show.


Yes they do. After all, who doesn't like colorful butterflies?

[kb2vxa]

Irish Catholics?

[N2RJ]

Well I am opposed to a class of people being born into riches and power just because they won the gene pool lottery.

But I guess royalty makes a fine tourist attraction.

GL with your new King.

[PA5COR]

Then you must hate anyone rich enough to be able to use that wealth for power too ;)

[N2RJ]

Then you must hate anyone rich enough to be able to use that wealth for power too ;)

Well not really, just those born into it.

[PA5COR]

They are more as tourist attraction, but then, why bother trying to explain that?

[K7SGJ]

I'm trying real hard to understand what difference it makes if you are born into power, or buy and lie your way in.

[NA4BH]

I'm trying real hard to understand what difference it makes if you are born into power, or buy and lie your way in.

2 months

[K7SGJ]

2 months

I had no idea it was that simple. Thanks. Ya bastid

[N2NH]

I'm trying real hard to understand what difference it makes if you are born into power, or buy and lie your way in.

I'm trying to figure out the difference of being born a child of a king or being born the child of a billionaire. Either way, you are given something through inheritance rather than something that is earned.

[NQ6U]

Well not really, just those born into it.

So, you'd support a much higher inheritance tax on the wealthy, then?

[n2ize]

Chesterfield Kings were the real kings.

[K7SGJ]

Chesterfield Kings were the real kings.


http://file.vintageadbrowser.com/r2vuyhovph776q.jpg

[WØTKX]

Ahem...




Benjamin Franklin to Robert Morris
25 Dec. 1783http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/images/1ptrans.gif Writings 9:138

The Remissness of our People in Paying Taxes is highly blameable; the Unwillingness to pay them is still more so. I see, in some Resolutions of Town Meetings, a Remonstrance against giving Congress a Power to take, as they call it, the People's Money out of their Pockets, tho' only to pay the Interest and Principal of Debts duly contracted. They seem to mistake the Point. Money, justly due from the People, is their Creditors' Money, and no longer the Money of the People, who, if they withold it, should be compell'd to pay by some Law.

All Property, indeed, except the Savage's temporary Cabin, his Bow, his Matchcoat, and other little Acquisitions, absolutely necessary for his Subsistence, seems to me to be the Creature of public Convention. Hence the Public has the Right of Regulating Descents, and all other Conveyances of Property, and even of limiting the Quantity and the Uses of it. All the Property that is necessary to a Man, for the Conservation of the Individual and the Propagation of the Species, is his natural Right, which none can justly deprive him of: But all Property superfluous to such purposes is the Property of the Publick, who, by their Laws, have created it, and who may therefore by other Laws dispose of it, whenever the Welfare of the Publick shall demand such Disposition.

He that does not like civil Society on these Terms, let him retire and live among Savages. He can have no right to the benefits of Society, who will not pay his Club towards the Support of it.

[n2ize]

http://file.vintageadbrowser.com/r2vuyhovph776q.jpg

I always used to love the design of the Chesterfield pack. Really cool design work. An uncle of mine used to smoke Viceroy's but later on switched to Chesterfields. Heck, I would love to smoke cigarettes myself but the health risks don't set very well with me.

[NQ6U]

Ahem...

Verrrrrry interesting; I'd like to hear our resident Teabagger's take on that, seeing how that bunch likes to claim that they know more about what the Founding Fathers were thinking than anyone else.

Franklin seems a bit overzealous with the shift key, though.

[WØTKX]

Oh, the founding fathers get misinterpreted all the time. Same with Adam Smith.

It's so freaking annoying, these pseudo-intellectual doublespeak morans.

Actually I think it was the ƒhift key. ;)

[NQ6U]

Actually I think it was the ƒhift key. ;)

You are absolutely correct.

[WØTKX]

It's painful being right, when I'm considered to be so leftist. :spin: