Sports   (Talk about balls here.)

Chatty

I am not a card carrying royalist nutcase, who loves the Queen and all who sail in her, I don't follow royal visits or anything like that, I only occasionally have watched the Queens speech on Christmas Day, because such thing bore the pants off me.
However, I believe that the Monarchy as an 'institution' the 'thing' itself has been very good for our Country.

Pedantic's also bore the pants off me, however on about the Australians, French and the Japanese.

Is 22 years such a long time in history, to say that a referendum is irrelevant, when things like referendums tend to be done on a 'generational' timescale ?

At that time in the late 1990's the fortunes of our royal family were at a very low ebb, after the royal divorces and the death of Diana, that is why the republican movement in Australia pushed hard for the referendum at that time, because of the 'perceived' unpopularity of the British Monarchy, they thought that gave them the best chance to win the republican 'no' to the Monarchy vote, and if they could not win the 'no' to the Monarchy back vote then, I very much doubt that they could win it now.

Australian opinion poles ?

In 1999 those opinion poles said that the 'no' to the Monarchy vote, would win the referendum, that is another reason why the republican movement wanted a referendum at that time, and those opinion poles were wrong.

France ?

I am not sure its popularity with foreign visitors is solely down to the fact that they cut off yon Louis yed
France and the French culture is unique and interesting, Art, History and Science, the French have done their bit, and it is also the gateway to Europe, people fly to France, as a starting point for a visit to Europe, and also a lot of people visit France for the military history of both world wars, in America most families have relatives which were lost in those wars, so they go to France to honour their memory, and visit their graves.

Japanese ?

Whatever

Chatty

I will tell you what I am really interested in, and that is politics, and because I don't have any political allegiance, that enables me to see both sides of political arguments.
For instance Kier is now doing his job, and he is being a pain the arse for Boris, he has made my skin crawl with the way he has played politics with the Covid thing, and the Brexit thing, when he and his ilk should have put the country first, but now we are back to 'normal' in the last week he has impressed me, because he really got Boris going in PMQ's last Wednesday

However, I realise that most people would rather watch paint dry than talk about politics, and I respect that opinion, and all I ask for is that they do the same for me, and respect my opinion, even if they don't agree with it