The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

[Rob McCow]

By far the best comedian of the night was HRH Sir Prince Charles! He effortlessly got much bigger laughs than Peter Kay or Rob Brydon, both of whom fell completely flat in my humble.

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[Anthony Williams]

What I've seen of the Jubilee from over here, across the Pond, has been really enjoyable. I've loved every minute of it - and for someone who has been Head of State for 60 years, I think the Queen deserved all of it. All the celebrations.

In the lead-up to the Jubilee, while I was in England, I was amazed (and very happy) about the displays of patriotism - something that I've become used to in the USA, and really feel has been lacking in the UK, sadly. Yet, this event (probably along with the Olympics) seems to have brought so many of the British people together through one of our greatest traditions.

On Saturday, Whitney and I attended a Jubilee celebration here in Atlanta. There were tents from the St Andrew's and St David's societies in Atlanta, lots of traditional British food (cornish pasties, fish n chips, sausage and mash), even a tea room with cream tea and scones. There was a bagpipe band, and a game of cricket. In all, it was wonderfully British, and we loved it!

[Si Hunt]

The concert was good fun, but it damn well should have been given the Royals had the ability to call ANYONE up. Grace Jones was an odd choice, but a welcome one. Gary Barlow later confessed to be bemused by her twirling a hoop round her waste for her performance, and this speaks volumes - all he did with Cheryl was stand and sing. Why would you do anything else?

But the newspaper reports about homeless assistants being poorly treated, and later Morrissey's rant about the whole thing, gave it an uncomfortable flavour for me. At times I think that Britain, a country that wages war on dictatorships in the middle East, is no more than a dictatorship itself. Maybe we're like the Macra Terror colony, and all brainwashed? Here we are, billions in debt, and we are funding a 4 day sycophantic tribute to a family who live in opulent luxury while many of us are homeless or in financial hardship. I wonder if the Queen could have helped celebrate her Jubillee by ensuring some of the less fortunate of her subjects could celebrate too.

Talking of the Queen, I was really dissapointed that when she went up at the end, she looked miserable as sin. Yes her husband was in hospital, but here was a massive concert and fireworks display in her honour, a woman who has 50 years experience of how to smile and react in public. For her to look that bored to be there must have taken quite an effort. Charles by contrast at least gave a humourous speech and appeared to be in touch with his audience, you know, the people who pay for all his servants. For the Queen to seem so ungrateful makes me seriously question whether she is "in touch" with the British public at all.

Si.

[Rob McCow]

I think there's more to the Queen's expression than that. She doesn't display emotion in public, that's her rule and for the most part it works well. I quite like that she's the opposite of the modern displays of over-emotion that you sometimes get, such as on adverts for car insurance or at US style graduation ceremonies.

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[Si Hunt]

That would be fine, but at the same time she was on the stage they showed clips from down the years of her beaming to the public at various appearances. I thought, we'll have some of that please! I was actually convinced that Prince Philip had secretely died and we wern't going to get told until after Paul McCartney had finished "Live and Let Die" so it didn't ruin things.

Si.

[Stuart Wallis]

I didn't mind that there was a celebration per se; I think four days was a bit much though. I half-expected to hear that Stavros Mountbatten had pulled a sickie for the same reason! That or some water had trickled into the Dukeytron 5000 Robodouble that they use to make sure he doesn't turn up at important turnouts and say something crass on the Sunday...

[Si Hunt]

some water had trickled into the Dukeytron 5000 Robodouble

This made me spit my drink out at work laughing...

Si.

[Stuart Wallis]

Can't you swallow it like everyone else?

I'll rephrase that...

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

HM The Queen has now been on the throne for 61 years! Hooray!

[Stuart Wallis]

No wonder Prince Philip's tetchy - after 61 years' waiting to use it, wouldn't you be?

[Dirk Gently]

Also explains Charles' expression:- "Why won't you let me have a go!?" seeing as he is the longest-serving heir apparent in British history.

[Stuart Wallis]

Why am I now thinking of the end of the first series of Blackadder?

"Good God! I'm King?!" (cue death from shock)