Queen's jubilee show goes on despite husband's illness

a sea of revelers waving red, white and blue Union Flags.

I believe it's called the "Union Jack"... just "Union" makes it sound like an American flag.

No disrespect to our British history or anything, but what is there to celebrate during the Queens 60 years as monarch? The country has been in steady decline over the past 40 years. Record levels of unemployment, businesses closing down, a long running recession, knife crime and murder, poor levels of school education, people waiting for emergency medical treatment, home repossessions, pension schemes collapsing. So tell me. What on earth has this Queen done for Britain during those 60 years?

The contents of their picnic hampers were overseen by Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal and included tea-smoked Scottish salmon; a chilled “country garden” soup made with plum tomatoes, mint and cucumber; cheese and biscuits; and strawberry crumble crunch.

All quite embarrassing when many children in the UK do not eat enough due to poverty.

I believe it's called the "Union Jack"... just "Union" makes it sound like an American flag.

Actually, Union Flag is the correct name for the flag. Many people say that it should only be called the Union Jack when it is hanging from the jackstaff of a boat. Of course no one cares about that so the names are used interchangeably.

Philip, who turns 91 on Sunday, will have to stay in hospital for several days, meaning he will also miss Tuesday’s service of thanksgiving and ceremonial carriage procession through London.

I bet he didn't have to wait for hours for treatment on a hospital trolley in a national health hospital. Sorry, but don't play that sympathy card with the normal working population.

People used to seriously hate the Queen and couldn't see a use for her, a movie comes out about her wins an Oscar and everyone loves the Queen now.

England struggling with its economy and they go and throw millions and millions and millions of pounds at this event, who pays? the average mug in the street does with his taxes.

Waste of money having this pomp for this old bludger and her lot, dump the queen sell the castles and palaces and all the other trappings and pare down the public debt.

Britannia is done and has been for decades.

The rest of the world including the colonies dont give a hoot for this.

Her Corgi's must have been going bananas during the firework display.

Long live the Queen, proud to be British i say.

Read that as "husband's silliness".

Zichi so youre saying the extra security and the police etc that were put on were paid with donated money?

I doubt that very much.

Stomach churning.

Read this link to see how the unemployed were used as slave labour to "celebrate" the royal familys 60 years of sucking on the teat of the public purse.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jun/04/jubilee-pageant-unemployed

Davestrousers, ExportExpert, painting the Guardian story as an attempt to use slave labour is low. It's clear the security company have had a failure with welfare provision but slave labour? I hope people read the Guardian article and see its not as black and white as you make out. If you're so interested in freeing slaves, perhaps you should invove yourselves in a charity helping the victims of human trafficking.

I think the Queens popularity is obvious. For many she represents stability in a world where people's faith in their political leaders is shaken on a daily basis. The world has changed massively in 60 years but the Queen has been there. Whether the Queen costs the nation or draws in way more money in business and tourism is up for argument, but her stability is a fact. I don't support monarchy but I wish her well.

Long live the Queen, proud to be British i say.

Forget about the royal family 'living long'. Worry about your children, your family and yourself.

Proud to be a nation in serious decline and hoodwinked over it's real problems with some over-the-top pomp and circumstance. Tell me. What exactly is there to be proud about in Britain?

For those complaining about them with regards to taxes, do you have any idea how much money they bring into the country with regards to tourism? The same cannot be said for most royal families. They are one of the only royal families that actually gets out and speaks to the commoners, have jobs.... They certainly aren't perfect but the UK would lose a tonne of money and tourists without them.

The only reason any tourists go to the UK, there is nothing else there worth going for, unless you are third world and want a visa.

Plenty to see and do in the UK and in London - which is why it is one of the tourist capitals in the world.

For those complaining about them with regards to taxes, do you have any idea how much money they bring into the country with regards to tourism? The same cannot be said for most royal families. They are one of the only royal families that actually gets out and speaks to the commoners, have jobs.... They certainly aren't perfect but the UK would lose a tonne of money and tourists without them.

I was waiting for that stock answer. Tourism, including this weekends jubilee thing, brings tourist money into the country. But do we benefit from it? Do we see anything in return for that tourism income? You must be joking. Despite the huge input of jubilee tourist money and the Olympics on it's way, jobs are being cut, homes are being repossessed, savings rates are laughable, peoples longterm pension savings have turned into a big lie, and the upper-class privileged government want to cut even more. That tourist income means nothing to anyone in the UK, unless of course you own an ice cream stand on The Mall. Don't be fooled by that 'they bring money into the country' myth.

Tigers, what are you talking about? Tourism provides hundreds of thousands of Britons with jobs and feeds billikns of pounds into British pockets. Those tourists pay taxes too, without which those public services would be cut further. might even affect your dole.

Tigers, what are you talking about? Tourism provides hundreds of thousands of Britons with jobs and feeds billikns of pounds into British pockets. Those tourists pay taxes too, without which those public services would be cut further. might even affect your dole.

It's a complete and utter myth. The tourism income goes into the Treasury and that's the last you see of it. Hundreds of thousands of jobs?? We currently have NHS Doctors, treasury staff, passport control workers, and ministry of justice staff on the verge of strike action because of massive job cuts. Feeds billions of pounds into British pockets?? Please tell where I will find my share of these billions of pounds, as I must have got it wrong all of these years. Affect my dole?? I work full time matey and nobody can afford to live on the dole anymore. I have a good friend who is paralysed from the neck down and they are cutting his disability benefit. Maybe you can explain to him how much money we are receiving from the queen's tourism. If we are receiving billions of pounds and hundreds of thousands of jobs from tourism, how come the UK is in such an absolute mess then?

TigersTokyoDome There was a very good comparison of the UK when she came to the Throne 60 years ago and today, and today is a hell of a lot better, so stop critisising the woman who ultimately doesnt change that much and is there to utltimately protect democracy. Check the Democracy index and see how fantastically well Constitutional Monarchies perform compared to Republics.

Dont blame the elected politicians mess on the Queen, if she had enough power I very much doubt we would have joined this EU nonsence and would still be trading millions upon milllions with our Commonwealth. The EU costs us 60 million pounds a DAY, thats where all the money is going.

P.S. The West isnt half as much in decline as it has reached its current maximum potential. The only reason India and China are growing so fast is because their millions of people have yet to meet their potential. Historically the East and West have fought back and forth over being the worlds most successful and I daresay it will change again.

Heres a quick question, we are far healthier and far wealthier than during the 1977 Silver Jubilee, how are we a country so in decline. The rest of the world is catching up with the West, deal with it. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/05/silver-diamond-jubilee-better-off

There are some miserable cheerless people here.

I work for the NHS and my wages are frozen, my pension conditions changed. Am I moaning about the Queen's Jubilee and the costs associated with it? No.

Watching the 250,000 people cheering the Queen made me happy. It made me proud to be British (and Scottish), that even in hard times we can forget our problems for a while and have fun.

Maybe patriotism is a bad word these days.

And to you British Republicans out there, remember one thing: Cromwell killed a king to bring about a republic. He failed in the end... we still have a monarchy.

First of all, I don't label myself as a 'republican' or anti-royal family or whatever. The monarchy is an important part of British history. But it is just history, and a history of the monarchy stealing land from the poor and creating taxes and imposing taxes on the workers. And let's make one thing clear, I live in the UK, work here and pay taxes.

Try living here. Try walking home late at night and using your mobile phone in the street. Try putting your children through state school education. Try saving with a pension scheme and retiring before the age of 70. Try public transport and getting to work and back. Try service in the bank or in the shop. Try finding a half-decent savings rate. Try taking your sick child to a national health surgery.

Good luck to the queen reigning for 60 years. But I find it ridiculous that people are swept along on this wave of euphoria for a family that will not have to experience what the normal working man goes through. So do me a favour with all this flag waving because the royal family won't be there waving a flag for you when you retire.

Heres a quick question, we are far healthier and far wealthier than during the 1977 Silver Jubilee, how are we a country so in decline.

When I was growing-up in London during the early 1970's I could walk home without being mugged in the street. My parents could afford their mortgage and find a mortgage reasonably easily. My parents pension was on course to be enough to retire on. The local national health doctor was a good clinic without queues. My fathers job had some form of security and he would always be able to find a new job. There were good state schools where the students could still get to university.

We are not wealthier than in 1977 and the only reason we are healthier is because of advances from the research into health and educated awareness of health issues. That will soon reverse though.

TigersTokyoDome: as I said I live in the UK, I work for the NHS. I work in Glasgow... you want to see poverty try looking at some if the housing estates in this city.

I don't drive, I fork out for public transport, my wages are frozen, I can't retire until I'm nearly 70 on a reduced pension. Don't me about the recession mate.

But you know what? Sometimes it's nice to have a distraction from the doom and gloom. A bit of colour. There are countries a lot worse off than we are. Being miserable about a Jubilee is fine, but you don't have to give out the impression we live in Dickensian filth and poverty.

Thunderbird, you are entitled to your own opinion. But for someone who works for what is left of the NHS, who lives in Glasgow (I know Glasgow well, have good mates from the blue side, and my Dad used to take me to watch the Rangers), with no wage increase in line with price rises, and no retirement in sight, maybe you should question the distraction of a four day jubilee celebration.

I'm not miserable about the jubilee. And the queen is entitled to a remembrance of a 60 year reign. But a weekend of it would have been enough and the queen could have had her own private celebration without the government 'PR job' of how happy we all are.

When you walk through Glasgow on your way in to work, maybe look around and see how much the Eton-educated government have done for Glasgow and for Scotland. Mine is not a questioning of the royal family and the queen, mine is a question of whether this is the right time for constructed partying.

But do we benefit from it?

Yes, you do. If you got rid of tourism all those flight to London would be gone. All those ferries not needed. All those hotels, all those shops... Job would be lost, tax revenue would go down... The UK has numerous problems. The main one is that the government fosters a welfare system that allows people to sit on their ass and collect money. Have another kid, luv, we'll get you a nice big house - that middle class folks who are working their asses can't afford. Don't blame the royals for a greedy public. You had free uni education for years and what did it produce? A generations of slackers who think they are too good to work a job that doesn't pay them benefits. But hey, easier to blame the Polish and the Russians for coming in and taking jobs, right?

Don't blame the royals for the pathetic workforce and "get up and go" desire the UK used to have. Long gone and you can blame the government and the voters for that. Do cuts suck? Sure but some of the people getting those cuts have been over paid for far too long - and certainly not paying enough taxes.

Try living here. Try walking home late at night and using your mobile phone in the street. Try putting your children through state school education. Try saving with a pension scheme and retiring before the age of 70. Try public transport and getting to work and back. Try service in the bank or in the shop. Try finding a half-decent savings rate. Try taking your sick child to a national health surgery.

Blame society for this, not the royal family. What are YOU doing yourself to make it better? Sitting on the internet complaining isn't making your community better, is it?

I've done everything you stated except for the kids thing. I didn't have a problem with any of it when I lived there. If you don't like it, change it.

TigersTokyoDome Everything you complain about is due to society and the government elected, its is ridiculoud to blame the Royal Family for such issues. If youre having a bit of a hard time do you drop Christmas ? Your one of the ultimate signs of why the Republic of England failed, Republicans refuse to simply enjoy something . Youd rather a US system where medical fees often run into the hundreds of thousands bankrupting people, and university leaves you with debts for life, where Presidential elections Every four years cost a hell of a lots more than this. Of the Republic of France where its government holds so much power its lost its title as a full democracy. Const Monarchies protect democracy and that is what she is there for, to ensure the government doesnt go too power mad. If youre really pissed with whats going on petition your elected government or MP. The Labour party has left the country in ruins. Thatcher was unpopular but atleast the country was 25% richer after her, not to mention the massive slide down in equality in labours time.

P.S. I hate all the idea that people think they have the right to retire at a certain age, the population is aging and the younger generations cannot afford to be paying for you in your extra years thats why the pension age raises. Come to Japan where you regularly see people in their old old age working. It is laziness that is killing the UK

I wish British people would just bite the bullet and accept that immigration is the problem. No Im not saying all crimes are committed by immigrants, but the UKs absolutely astounding levels of immigration are the problem. Per land hectare the worlds highest, far higher than the US. The problem? They take the jobs an those that fail to get a job end up on the street jobless-immigrants or not.

Immigration is a privilage not a right, I say the British people need to cut immigration back significantly and look after their own first, 250,000 immigrants a year is crazy. How can any society like Britain thrive when the poor of Europe are pouring onto Britains doorstep to take a job or benefits.

Japan has a very peaceful society on the whole and 1000 immigrants a year, I dont think its pure chance. the British are scared to approach this issue for fear of being called racist. But it has come to a point where the white British are being ignored for the minorities. 250,000 a year into tiny Britain, the US with 48 times as much land takes 1million. 1 in 3 Londoners was born in a foreign country and we pretend immigration is not an issue.

They take the jobs an those that fail to get a job end up on the street jobless-immigrants or not.

Wrong. Legal immigration actually helps employ people. Illegal immigration is the problem, not immigration as a whole.

Japan has a peaceful society? Ha! You've been drinking the kool-aid. Not a pure chance that Japan has the highest debt of a nation in the world, right?

TigersTokyoDome, I grew up in the early 70s too. I remember the three day week, power cuts, miners car workers and even dustbinmen striking for more and more causing massive hardship to millions of others. I remember how unsafe it could be to walk the streets at night in Streatham where I lived. I remember massive youth unemployement and year long hospital waiting lists. My widowed mother brought up 5 boys alone with no benefits to help, she went out to work. Better then? I dont think so.

Focus your ire on the real causes of Britains current problems like the global finance industry, personal and corporate greed, impossible levels of debt, political ineptitude, the collapse of Britains trading partners and two generations of a huge out of work underclass too lazy to realise the benefits of a free education. Taxes are going up and services cut because there isnt the money to pay for them. Britain can get out of the mess but will only do it by trading its way out. The money for all those NHS jobs, public services and disability benefits has to come from somewhere. Tourists do contribute billions to the UK as the many thousands that work in the industry will attest. Without it the country would be stuffed.