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Unable to resist a European (at least for a few more weeks!) perspective on the leadership stuff that brings us a bit more on topic. In the UK leaders are subject to satire on a massive scale and we miss the puppets in Spitting Image. One of the main ways that politicians are mocked is by impressionists like Rory Bremner. There are still a lot of people (usually older) who will not tolerate ANY criticism of the Queen, and a few decades ago, there was a massive outcry when there was a broadcast showing someone doing a comedy act at the Queen's expense .... dressed as the Queen. This would have been enough to send many people into apoplexy, but is was actually worse than that. The person dressed as the Queen and imitating her was a man - Stanley Baxter. It is actually quite funny that there was so much outrage about a man dressed as a Queen! If any man walked down a street today dressed as the Queen, waving to the public, one or two traditionalists might rant about bringing back flogging but 99% of people would just smile.

Uncle Al wrote:We FINALLY had sunshine today
I was skirted all day & didn't have to wear a winter coat.
So, Moon & Jenn, it's headed your way.
Will probably take a couple of days,
but (as Carl said) "The Sun Will Come Out - Tomorrow"

Uncle Al

We finally got some sunshine today. It’s just very windy but I’ll take it any day!

rivegauche wrote:Unable to resist a European (at least for a few more weeks!) perspective on the leadership stuff that brings us a bit more on topic. In the UK leaders are subject to satire on a massive scale and we miss the puppets in Spitting Image. One of the main ways that politicians are mocked is by impressionists like Rory Bremner. There are still a lot of people (usually older) who will not tolerate ANY criticism of the Queen, and a few decades ago, there was a massive outcry when there was a broadcast showing someone doing a comedy act at the Queen's expense .... dressed as the Queen. This would have been enough to send many people into apoplexy, but is was actually worse than that. The person dressed as the Queen and imitating her was a man - Stanley Baxter. It is actually quite funny that there was so much outrage about a man dressed as a Queen! If any man walked down a street today dressed as the Queen, waving to the public, one or two traditionalists might rant about bringing back flogging but 99% of people would just smile.

I was under the impression that the UK has several men who impersonate the Queen. Am I mistaken?

For the past 40 years the main female impersonator, and remarkably does resemble HM, has been Jeanette Charles but I believe that she, unlike the real HM, has now retired. There are one or two others that no-one has heard of.

The only male impersonator that I am aware of is Jason Thompson who looks nothing like but appears to relish wearing the regalia. So not exactly a popular target.

I am excluding impersonations as part of comedy sketches as they don't count. Spitting Image did an excellent puppet of HM and, from unofficial sources at the Palace, she really enjoyed the show and the spoofing of herself and immediate family. Shows that underneath that prim and proper exterior lurks a real woman with a sense of humour. A pity that she isn't allowed to show it very often. I bet there are lots of times when she'd like to say the upper class equivalent of "Shove it up your *rs*, or "Grow up you silly little man and get a backbone."