Victoria Day

What a beautiful picture, God bless the Queen!

Why not a picture of Queen Victoria?

We always called this "fire cracker day" when I was a kid and the Dominion was freer place to live...before all those nasty unsafe freedoms were taken from us as the "culture of safety" arose from the ashes of the true north strong and free.

On so-called "Victoria day" there is little I have to celebrate about monarchy/aristocracy (which I hold to be a ruling tyranny which held back liberal democratic/republican civil evolution for hundreds of years)...the only enduring mark Monarchy left on this nation was the chartered landed gentry that ran the family compacts (ruling cabals) which exploited the colonies and colonists for over 100 years...the tradition of these political "compacts", operating under misappropriated vice regal prerogative still exist today.....( governor in council powers) a scar on our democratic system.

OTOH we had a few democratic/populist watch dogs from the aritocratic class like Sir I. Brock, Lord Selkirk, Lord Durham, Lord Monck...but in the end analysis any true democratic freedom, equitable civil justice and responsible governance gained in Canada was always at the hands of reformers who were the antithesis of the gentry class populating the landed gentry nepotist "compacts" of upper and lower Canada.

May 24 is the opening of cottage season for this 6th generation Canadian...nothing more...Victorian empire worship is a vestage of imperial England and colonial Canada that I would rather forget.

Now..."Dominion day" that's another story. ;-)

...in honour of her majesty, we in Calgary will have the traditional snow falling today.

God save the queen!

(...well Canada also, as a matter of fact.)

...just a correction side note for the history buffs...the picture of the queen used above is not queen's birthday we are celebrating.

It was Queen Victoria back in1837-1901, that's Elizabeth the II in the picture.

http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page118.asp

It's her "birthday". Stop being a stick in the mud and go eat some cake.

...you are correct once again Kate.

The first birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, in 1952, was celebrated in June.

(1952- )Monday June 9, 1952.
Since 1953, on Victoria Day

http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/jfa-ha/victoria_e.cfm

Do I get some mud on my birthday in June?

;-)

God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen!

Oh, yes:

And long to reign over us!

Queen Elizabeth II rocks!

Nostalgia is good; someday it may be all you have left.

Long live the empires of liberty, democracy, and enlightened civilization: Britain and America!

I thought that was obvious, tomax, but thanks for the clarification anyway.

To the queen...up 'er kilt :-)

Canada at a visual glance. Happy Victoria Day

http://members.shaw.ca/wpgwx/robsobs/ywgcams.htm

...goes to show how much a monarch I am...thought it was only for Victoria and never really tried to learn about the holiday, just happy to have time off work.

See I'm learning more from blogs than I done didit in skol.

;-)

My bad.

tomax: We're not shoveling yet in S.W. Cal but here, who knows.
Happy Victoria Day all.

Go Sens Go. oops wrong thread.

...snowing in NW, well more of a sleet factor.

This is May right?

I have nothing against her as an individual...

but I reject her as my head of state....

I reject the Queen....

I have nothing against her as an individual...

but I reject her as my head of state....

I reject the Queen....

for better or worse(i am half italian, and the rest a mixed bag of Canadian, including aboriginal), this country was built on British heritage and traditions...I will always stand for 'God Save the Queen', and it has nothing to do with British roots...it could be a lot worse, we could be American or French!

beautiful shot of her majesty taken by a fine american photographer.priceless.

I think Canada was much better off when we had a symbol that represented out country.
Does anyone ever wonder why patriotism is a fading part of our culture?
Its because we have no anchor, as a nation.

Indeed, a terrific portrait although I'm not too sure why Annie's citizenship has to do with it. I don't recall the Brits being in a snit when Yousuf Karsh captured Churchhill's now famous image.

Happy Victoria Day to all those north of the 49th and Happy Snow Camping Day to those in Calgary or out in the Kananaskis.

Long ago life was clean
Sex was bad and obscene
And the rich were so mean
Stately homes for the lords
Croquet lawns, village greens
Victoria was my queen
Victoria, victoria, victoria, ’toria

I was born, lucky me
In a land that I love
Though I am poor, I am free
When I grow I shall fight
For this land I shall die
Let her sun never set
Victoria, victoria, victoria, ’toria
Victoria, victoria, victoria, toria

Land of hope and gloria
Land of my victoria
Land of hope and gloria
Land of my victoria
Victoria, ’toria
Victoria, victoria, victoria, ’toria

Canada to india
Australia to cornwall
Singapore to hong kong
From the west to the east
From the rich to the poor
Victoria loved them all
Victoria, victoria, victoria, ’toria
Victoria, victoria, victoria

Best song about the old girl I ever heard. Courtesy Ray and Dave Davies.

Happy Birthday to Queen Elizabeth II of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

Queen Victoria was of the House of Hannover.

In short, they both descend from the HUNS!!

It is too bad that most of my fore fathers spent not a little time firing volleys at Her Majesty's servants. They should have taken up the Christmas Truce of 1914 and we would have saved ourselves a great deal of grief.

If Her Majesty can raise her pint of ale, I will raise my litre of beer and say CHEERS!!

Hans-Christian Georg Rupprecht BGS, PDP, CFP

Commander in Chief

Frankenstein Battalion

Knecht Rupprecht Division

Hans Corps

1st Saint Nicolaas Army

Army Group “True North”

to Hans Rupprecht:
They are related directly.. There aren't two dynasties. Queen Elizabeth is Queen Vic's.. (E David,
Atl, GA.

(bah! stupid xml reserved characters! Sorry Kate. Need to post again.)

to Hans Rupprecht:
They are related directly.. There aren't two dynasties. Queen Elizabeth is Queen Vic's.. (E-G-E-V) great-grandmother(?)
David,
Atl, GA.

WLMR - you have no, absolutely no knowledge of social structure and dynamics. You state that monarchies held back republican evolution for hundreds of years. No they didn't; no monarchy or aristocracy can do that.

There is no such thing as 'evolution of democracy' or republic. It's not a linear path. It has all to do with demographics. Population sizes. And the population is dependent in its turn on the economy.

A two class system is made up of a monarchy or aristocracy and a peasantry. Both classes are hereditary. This is the only political organization functional in a no-growth stable agricultural economy. The hereditary factor promotes stability and the optimum return on capital growth.

If a population becomes larger, it must enable itself to be 'unstable'. That's right. Unstable. It must permit deviation from stability, from the norm. It must develop a non-hereditary, flexible, dynamic middle class. The political system that enables that - is democracy. It is the only functional system for a dynamic, growth, flexible, changing, socioeconomic system.

So- you are absolutely wrong to claim that the monarchy/aristocracy held back democracy. No such thing. Again, there is no linear connection between the two. The two political systems have no relation to each other, and are each utterly dependent on population size and economic mode.

Symbols, by the way, are vitally important in the human realm. They provide stability; they link the present to the past; the present to the future - and the Queen has done a remarkable job - and it is a job - acting as the symbol of the continuity of an ideal (justice, fairness, etc) developed within the British notion of society.

I can hardly wait until Charles gets to ascend the throne and becomes our Queen!

I really really hope that Elizabeth outlives Charles. The day that pinhead ascends the throne is the day I become a staunch republican. With luck the crown will pass directly to King William...

God save our Queen. She has lived a life above reproach and served her subjects with dignity and honor.

We should all pause and give thanks we are a Constitutional Monarchy given some of the politicos we've had "leading" us over the past few decades. It's not perfect, nothing is but it is and continues to be , like the Queen, our saving grace.

It really bugs me me seeing modern conservatives (especially modern conservatives who had their political coming of age in Reform) supporting the monarchy.

God save our gracious Queen.

We, Charter entitled, like it or not, Canadians certainly won't.

That would mean actually knowing who we are and, without looking over our shoulders to see if anyone else stands with us, what we stand for.

Not in Canada. Pity.

mr. texas canuck i see it as a wonderful blend of british royality and american artistry and that makes it priceless.that was a dam fine portrait mr karsh took.who could possibly get in a snit over that.

Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
But she doesn't have a lot to say.

lookout: I think most Canadians know what they are and what we stand for, and I don't think a 19th century imported anachronism fits in there.

Mojo might have attributed his out-of-context quote to the Beatles (super little song):

"Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl,
But she doesn't have a lot to say."

The rest is:

"Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl,
She changes from day to day.

"I WANT TO TELL HER THAT I LOVE HER A LOT,
But I've got to get a belly full of wine.

"Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl,
Some day I'm going to make her mine,
O ya!

"Some day I'm going to make her mine"!!!!!!!

She might not say a lot publicly: as a constitutional monarch--look that up, mojo--she's not allowed to. But, boy, she knows a lot and if one's privy to her thoughts, one's going to be very well informed, indeed.

God save the Queen!

Thanks, Spencer, for your response.

You say that Canadians "know what they are and what we stand for".

And what, specifically, would that be?

(Repudiating the monarchy would seem to put us on par with the republic to the south. Is that perhaps what you had in mind?)

P.S. For Spencer and mojo: Please google Mark Steyn re Victoria Day. (NO, not Stock's relative!)

Rock on, guys!

Queen Elizabeth is a piece of class. Helen Mirren portays her in "The Queen", now rentable, don't miss it.

You couldn't put a burqa on her at the point of a gun, enough said.

lookout: Canadians believe in what the people of every Western minded democracy believe in. Freedom, democracy, equality, all that good stuff. The people who say the monarchy is somehow a uniting force or a definition of who we are are as wrong as the people who say multiculturalism and bilingualism are.

Also, your insinuation that somehow I want to turn Canada into the US is a pretty Liberal tactic. I think we as a country should look at things based on merit, without first putting it through the American filter. It strikes me as insecurity, and I'm certainly not insecure about my country.

Why conservatives should support the monarchy:

The queen is a direct living link to Canada's history and the evolution of the constitutional monarchy that produced the freest and most prosperous people the world has ever seen. Knowledge of our history helps us to reinforce those ideas that got us here and reject fashionable and radical attempts to 'fix' what is not broken.

Liberals hate or are willfully blind to our history because knowledge of it interferes with their constant attempts to implement social engineering programs:

-they threw away the Red Ensign and invented a new flag with no historical links
-they are constantly trying to change the words to the national anthem
-they changed the historical name of our national holiday
-they attempted to replace the historical name of our highest mountain
-they call us a 'young' country despite 500 years of history and the fact that Canada, as the independent country created by the BNA Act of 1867, is older than most of the countries of Europe or indeed the rest of the world
-they are ignorant of our history to the point that their latest government referred to the battle of 'Vichy' instead of Vimy and the beaches of 'Norway' instead of Normandy.

God save the Queen!
Happy Victoria Day

I understand that when BUFFALO BILLS WILD WEST SHOW was in england they brought the american flag around and as it came by her royal box QUEEN VICTORIA stoop up and saluted old glory WONDERFUL ISNT IT?

In an excellent post (read it, Spencer) DF wrote, "-they [Liberals] are ignorant of our history to the point that their latest government referred to the battle of 'Vichy' instead of Vimy and the beaches of 'Norway' instead of Normandy."

Just to clarify: the government that made these egregious gaffes was the "latest" LIBERAL government, not the Conservatives.

Spencer, the monarchy IS a part of Canada's history, indeed, a defining one: like it or not, being a constitutional monarchy is one of the distinguishing features between Canada and the USA . (BTW, I'm rather pro-USA; I'm not in the least anti-American.) The monarch is a powerful symbol, an important link to our history, and a part of our democratic institutions. (However, she has to go along with her PMs: she may advise--all her PMs concur that her knowledge and advice are invaluable--but she cannot go against her governments. So, what's the problem?)

spencer - I think that rather than informing us that you know and speak for all Canadians, that you inform us that you know and speak for only yourself. So, when you speak of values held by Canadians, you should instead refer to values held by yourself. When you speak of what people think of the monarchy, multiculturalism, bilingualism, you should instead refer to what you yourself think of those issues.

Ever heard of 'hubris'?