Our Postmodern Leaders Hit Rockbottom (for now): Queen of England Snubbed for D-Day Commemorations

Of the 121 files on the Articles Blog there isn't one pertaining to snubbed royalty and other breaches of protocol. Not because we consider such matters too trivial, but because those worth the bother simply did not happen ... until today, that is!

I guess we should not be surprised this is happening on these guys' watch! Only they could make such an unprecedented occasion happen. I hope someone makes a point of going to the bottom of this (and I'll eat my hat if it turns out to be the French).

For starters, take note of the 'newspeak' in the following heading:

ITN: "'Queen welcome at D-Day commemorations'" [well, obviously not or the entire article would have been a waste of space]

"Gordon Brown has said he will make it "possible" for the Queen or any other member of the royal family to attend next weekend's official D-Day commemorations in France if they wished to be present." [... the sub heading goes ... only then do we get to the crux:]

"There will be no royal representation at the events to mark the 65th anniversary of the Normandy landings after no invitation was received from the French authorities. Instead the Prime Minister will represent the UK alongside British veterans who took part in the 1944 invasion that helped defeat Hitler's Germany. The absence of the Queen from the guest list for the commemorations has been perceived by some as a deliberate snub, though Buckingham Palace has stressed the monarch is not upset about the situation. " (...) [no, I wouldn't extend them that pleasure either].

Brown appears to be blaming the French:

"I have simply done what is my duty as a Prime Minister - I have accepted the personal invitation of (French president) Mr (Nicolas) Sarkozy.

A moment later Brown is kicking the ball into the Mighty Zero's court:

"I think you know that Mr (Stephen) Harper, the Canadian prime minister, is going, and I think in these circumstances, this particular event was one that the president wanted to be for prime ministers and presidents. He added: "But if the Queen wanted to attend these events, or if any member of the royal family wanted to attend these events, I would make that possible."

Then why hasn't he done so in the first place? Why wait until the sht hits the fan? The French meanwhile are returning the compliment to sender:

"Officials in Paris have insisted the Queen is welcome and blamed the UK Government for deciding who should attend what they said was "primarily a Franco-American ceremony". (...) >>> [the British vets are going to love this one!]

The whole thing is an unprecedented disgrace. When these pinheads were soiling their diapers, smoking reefers or making otherwise a nuisance of themselves, Elizabeth was actually making a useful contribution when it mattered! She's a vet herself for crying out loud!

I hope this will become a hell of a row and (pin)heads will roll [Gordon's for starters]!

Update:

- Here's one explanation: this could be BHO's caustic revenge on the British Empire ...

Mail Online: "Barack Obama's grandfather 'tortured by the British' during Kenya's Mau Mau rebellion"

- Yahoo!News: "Prince Charles to attend D-Day ceremony"

Prince Charles' office said Tuesday that he will attend a D-Day commemoration in France this week after a diplomatic spat over the omission from the guest list of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.  (...) The perceived snub created an uproar in Britain, which lost thousands of troops helping to free France from the Nazis. (...) On Monday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the U.S. wanted the queen to be there, and was "working with those involved to see that it happens." (...)  >>>

Another day, another update: It would appear to be all a misunderstanding, given that the British royals only attend D-Day commemorations every ten years. That said, an article today in FT, "Perils Mount for Besieged Brown", lays a link to present diplomatic dustup and Gordon Brown's increasingly precarious situation after four Cabinet Ministers called it quits. More on the Labour Government's perils and the latest updates on file in "London Calling".

- Filed on Articles in ... ah yes, we don't have a file for outrages of this sort of magnitude (yet) -