5 ms·

Looking at the dates in the article - when Turing was convicted in 1952 the reigning monarch was... Elizabeth II, just like now. That's a long time.

gherkinnn 6y ago
It's quite extraordinary. She's met so many heads of state over the years. They all came and went and yet she remains. The first list I found of her meeting US presidents: https://time.com/5333083/queen-elizabeth-trump-visit-presidents/ https://time.com/5333083/queen-elizabeth-trump-visit-preside...
- yumraj 6y ago
  > They all came and went and yet she remains. She didn't have to be elected..
  - smegger001 6y ago
    She may not need to be elected but there has been on going push to do away with the monarchy for her whole reign. She is still around as head of state only because she has managed to not say anything politically divisive and not stick her foot in her mouth for 70ish years.
strong_opinions 6y ago
She's a very old woman now and will be dead soon enough. It would be nice if that precipitated the end of the monarchy here. Depose them, seize all their land and other assets, it's only fair. Useless scroungers, the lot of them.
- person_of_color 6y ago
  Name checks out. However, like me, you will receive downvotes for your overly contrarian opinions.
  - philtar 6y ago
    Funny enough, you did, and he did not.
    - Engineering-MD 6y ago
      Hopefully because people actually followed the point of the vote: to encourage interesting conversation not if you agree. The latter comment added nothing to the conversation, while the former did.
- uncledave 6y ago
  This is a growing sentiment with the pedophilia scandals and the wealth divide in the UK. I’m on the side of disposing of them.
- inglor_cz 6y ago
  And welcome to the world where complete idiots win presidency with 51 per cent of the vote, or even after losing the popular vote, because federalism says so. Imagine something like the Brexit referendum every four years. Shitty leaders are an universal plague.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - laurencerowe 6y ago
    In Britain, it was often said the argument against ending the monarchy could be made in three words: President Margaret Thatcher... Ireland and Germany seem to have done okay with their ceremonial presidents though. There’s no way the House of Commons would ever allow the dilution of their power by creating an executive presidency like France or the US.
- tim333 6y ago
  Aw. They're fun for the tourists. Also look at our neighbours who got rid of their royals and ended up run by Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco.
  - smegger001 6y ago
    more than that the royal family owns the crown estates as personal property. (its not a royal thing, it a thing that happens to be owned by the royal family) They lease it to the UK government and bellow market value rate. it is worth over 5 pounds. if the royal family were to have the crown removed they could end their current lease similtanously causing the government to have major problem and crater the uk realestate market
    - strong_opinions 6y ago
      No, that's not how the Crown Estate works. It's not the personal or private property of the Royal Family. See this for more detail: https://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/en-gb/resources/faqs https://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/en-gb/resources/faqs
StavrosK 6y ago
It was amusing to me to think that Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, is 72.
jamesgreenleaf 6y ago
Did the Queen have the power to intercede on his behalf? Did she, knowing that he had been instrumental in the war effort, refuse to do so? It's hard to imagine that the trial would not have come to her attention.
- tialaramex 6y ago
  No, although the Pardon Power now exercised by US Presidents is indeed there because Kings had it, in Liz's case that power like any others which were once the monarch's powers to exercise as they saw fit are today exercised by "her" government which was chosen by Parliament, elected by the people. By the time Turing was convicted that power is in effect in control of the Lord Chancellor, part of the British Government. Today although the title is the same, a Lord Chancellor would likely be an MP (ie elected, albeit not to do that specific job) but at the time Turing was convicted I assume it was a Peer (so, not elected) but chosen by the Prime Minister of the day (who is elected). The most recent notable exercise of this power by the British government was to reduce the sentence for a murderer who (during day release) tackled some terrorist lunatic and thereby likely saved some people's lives.

gherkinnn 6y ago

It's quite extraordinary. She's met so many heads of state over the years. They all came and went and yet she remains. The first list I found of her meeting US presidents: https://time.com/5333083/queen-elizabeth-trump-visit-presidents/ https://time.com/5333083/queen-elizabeth-trump-visit-preside...

yumraj 6y ago
> They all came and went and yet she remains. She didn't have to be elected..
- smegger001 6y ago
  She may not need to be elected but there has been on going push to do away with the monarchy for her whole reign. She is still around as head of state only because she has managed to not say anything politically divisive and not stick her foot in her mouth for 70ish years.

strong_opinions 6y ago

She's a very old woman now and will be dead soon enough. It would be nice if that precipitated the end of the monarchy here. Depose them, seize all their land and other assets, it's only fair. Useless scroungers, the lot of them.

person_of_color 6y ago
Name checks out. However, like me, you will receive downvotes for your overly contrarian opinions.
- philtar 6y ago
  Funny enough, you did, and he did not.
  - Engineering-MD 6y ago
    Hopefully because people actually followed the point of the vote: to encourage interesting conversation not if you agree. The latter comment added nothing to the conversation, while the former did.
uncledave 6y ago
This is a growing sentiment with the pedophilia scandals and the wealth divide in the UK. I’m on the side of disposing of them.
inglor_cz 6y ago
And welcome to the world where complete idiots win presidency with 51 per cent of the vote, or even after losing the popular vote, because federalism says so. Imagine something like the Brexit referendum every four years. Shitty leaders are an universal plague.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- laurencerowe 6y ago
  In Britain, it was often said the argument against ending the monarchy could be made in three words: President Margaret Thatcher... Ireland and Germany seem to have done okay with their ceremonial presidents though. There’s no way the House of Commons would ever allow the dilution of their power by creating an executive presidency like France or the US.
tim333 6y ago
Aw. They're fun for the tourists. Also look at our neighbours who got rid of their royals and ended up run by Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco.
- smegger001 6y ago
  more than that the royal family owns the crown estates as personal property. (its not a royal thing, it a thing that happens to be owned by the royal family) They lease it to the UK government and bellow market value rate. it is worth over 5 pounds. if the royal family were to have the crown removed they could end their current lease similtanously causing the government to have major problem and crater the uk realestate market
  - strong_opinions 6y ago
    No, that's not how the Crown Estate works. It's not the personal or private property of the Royal Family. See this for more detail: https://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/en-gb/resources/faqs https://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/en-gb/resources/faqs

StavrosK 6y ago

It was amusing to me to think that Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, is 72.

jamesgreenleaf 6y ago

Did the Queen have the power to intercede on his behalf? Did she, knowing that he had been instrumental in the war effort, refuse to do so? It's hard to imagine that the trial would not have come to her attention.

tialaramex 6y ago
No, although the Pardon Power now exercised by US Presidents is indeed there because Kings had it, in Liz's case that power like any others which were once the monarch's powers to exercise as they saw fit are today exercised by "her" government which was chosen by Parliament, elected by the people. By the time Turing was convicted that power is in effect in control of the Lord Chancellor, part of the British Government. Today although the title is the same, a Lord Chancellor would likely be an MP (ie elected, albeit not to do that specific job) but at the time Turing was convicted I assume it was a Peer (so, not elected) but chosen by the Prime Minister of the day (who is elected). The most recent notable exercise of this power by the British government was to reduce the sentence for a murderer who (during day release) tackled some terrorist lunatic and thereby likely saved some people's lives.