It’s sad news.
My sister and I were recently talking about her and that it was cool that she was still around. Even though I am an American, I am saddened by this. I remember my history teacher calling her the “grandmother of the world.”
TwistofFate, I’m totally with you on this one.
I thought it was more sad that she’d outlived her daughter, rather than gone before.
I’m also with Twist of Fate. Her passing is sad, but she had a good run, and it saddens me more that she gets mourned more than, say, these people or this person will be.
Having spent most of yesterday with the most hardened anti-royalists you’ll ever meet, I can assure TheLoadedDog that he is talking out of his arse 
flodnak , to answer your question, it seems the Queen Mother’s main sins were these. First, she gave birth to Elizabeth II( who in turn birthed “the great whoremonger Charles”). Secondly, she “used her role-model status from WWII to lead the youth of Britain to Hell in a harlot’s/faggot’s handbasket.” How this was done is not specified. But then, with Fred it doesn’t have to make sense. I didn’t want to link to the fax because some of the material may be considered unfit for this forum, but it can be found at Fred’s website.
It seems the Dubliners here are not prepared to give this great woman her due. I find it quite ironic that the highest praise Hitler ever lavished on anyone was for the Queen Mum whom, he described as *** the most dangerous woman in Europe***
You just gotta love the guts and class and loyalty this woman displayed throughout her long life.
Did you know that the only man other than her husband to kiss her on the lips was a peanut farmer from Georgia? She was not impressed 
What guts? Staying in Winsor every night the blitz was on?
what Class? Living a life of luxory at the expense of the Public?
What Loyalty? her only loyalty was to herself and her family and the highlife she was born into.
Believe me, if she hadn’t lent her names to a charity, Keith Chegwin would have with as good results.
She was an old woman that died. The media frenzy it produces and the resultant faux wailing and gnashing if teeth annoys me to no end.
Her daughters were at Windsor, but she stayed at Buckingham according to all my sources.
The passing of the Queen Mum saddens many people, not as the death of a person, but rather as the death of a public institution. She was not merely an old woman who died. Courtesy of her birth and long years, she was a potent symbol (however distant or unimportant) who resided in the collective memory of a large body of people. We did not care for her personally - it was impossible to do so - but for all of our lives she has existed as a public figure.
You may not disliked the Queen Mother as this public figure and even disliked her as a person. But there is no denying that she was around as long as anything else in our lives.
It was not just another old woman that died at Easter; it was a the passing of an institution known to millions of people. And that’s sad.
Including when it was bombed, prompting her remark that she could look the East End in the face.
Poor old Dudley Moore; even in death, his fate is to be overshadowed by another…
I neither liked nor disliked her. I had my issues with the “Institution” that she was part of, but it was not her fault that she was born into it.
This is not the thread for me to continue in this vein. My apologies for any hijacks.
The Queen Mother did show courage and determination during the War (and probably kept George VI going, too - poor chap had a lot of trouble coping), and did demonstrate genuine concern for other people on many occasions throughout her life. More importantly, she made an effort to pass her values on to her descendants… if the modern monarchy is worth anything today, it’s due at least in part to her. (Of course, there are those who would argue the monarchy is not worth anything today…)
I can’t say I think the death of a 101-year old woman is untimely or unexpected, and I’m not a fan of the forced effusiveness of the “nation’s grief” (read: media’s desire for column inches)… but, on the whole, I think she made a positive contribution to the nation, and she will be missed.
An alternative view from the Guardian. And that really is all I have to say on the subject.
Are any of you planning to watch the funeral? I’m thinking about going to bed a 9 tonight and getting up at 3 to watch it on BBC America.
I taped it and looked at it.
As you could guess from my location I have very little interest in the woman herself but I enjoy looking at big events on TV and if there’s is one thing you can say about the Brits is that they are brilliant at doing this sort of stuff.
I actually was moved at points during the funeral. The pipes and drums where very moving IMHO. Good job and the ceremony did the woman proud.
yojimbo and republican/media whore 
Just my rather belated take on this…
To the relatively small proportion of British people who remember the war, the ‘look the East End in the face’ thing was an important factor in contributing to her popularity. It was obviously a period where patriotism was at its most intense (rightly so, in my view) and all the trappings and symbols of state, including the Royal Family, had a vital role to play.
I think her popularity amongst the wider population is primarily explained by two things.
[list=1]
[li]She was old[/li][li]She kept quiet[/li][/list=1]
Dignified old age will usually engender affection. She came across as a nice old dear and why wouldn’t she be popular? But more importantly, she didn’t spoil the effect by giving us the benefit of her opinions. Unlike many of the younger royals, she has a well developed understanding of the role of the current monarchy. If you want to be popular, don’t bother trying to be modern or relevant. Just smile, wave, wear a nice hat and, most importantly, shut the f**k up.
MWAP (who clearly can’t take his own advice)