Her Majesty the Queen - Elizabeth II RIP

I suspect it'll be a logistical nightmare to have a tour of London with a coffin which is probably why it's never been attempted. 

Still got his eye on that knighthood! 

Ah that's a shame. To be honest I was so upset by the queue that I just came home.

God bless Her Majesty. There is a time to let people grieve and a time for a wider debate about the monarchy.

Many good friends of mine who are staunch Republicans were surprised by how much they felt when Her Majesty died. Several others weren’t moved themselves but were surprised that their anti-monarchy friends were suddenly sharing a tear about the passing of the Queen.

Personally I would never queue for something like this, it feels mawkish. The people I know who have gone are doing it to “say we were there”, which frankly I think is in poor taste. I did that that for the Olympic Games, not to walk past a dead body.

That said, what Republicans don’t quite get is there are a lot of people, my family included, who are genuinely grieving. I have family members who through various roles did pledge allegiance to the Queen, and they take it very seriously. They are intelligent, successful people and don’t need scorn or to be ridiculed for their trust in establishment. It is like losing a member of the family.

I know that must sound hard to understand, but it is the reality. She has been a rock for many people.

I think it's fair that a lot of people were caught off-guard by how emotional they were by her death. People who may have sneered at the hysteria following Diana's death, or who think of themselves as Republicans, or at the very least didn't identify with the people who waved flags outside Buckingham Palace every time a Royal baby was born. But I think all but the most hard-core Republicans recognise a life of service, or were reminded of the death of someone they were close to.

I wouldn't queue for that long to see the Queen, but whenever I see interviews from the queue the people seem to be having a very positive experience. There's a sense of camaraderie and a feeling of being involved in a big event. That's not for everyone, but there are plenty of people who will travel long distances to watch a football match, or go to a music festival, or spend hours refreshing a website to buy tickets. Someone did research on people in the queue, and it was 60% Remain voters, which goes against the stereotypes of some who sneer, albeit influenced by London bias. Watching a bit of the queue this morning there are a lot of people with military backgrounds, or queueing on behalf of a relative who served.

I feel some sympathy for those who are frustrated that they are told 'not now' to the debate on the monarchy but protests now won't change the system. They might generate a bit of publicity for their cause, but it will also anger a lot of people who aren't particular monarchists, who think heckling someone who has just lost their mum is always wrong. The time and place does exist and it is at the ballot box. They'll complain that the issue doesn't come up at general elections, or that none of the candidates standing on a platform of scrapping the monarchy stand a chance. I'd say 'that's democracy', but actually it's because (sorry to repeat this point) FPTP voting system is a far bigger impediment to democracy in the UK than having a hereditary ceremonial monarchy.

The grandchildren did so well, granny would be very proud.

Was a very moving moment, of which I doubt we will ever see again.

I can’t help but find the live feed from Westminster Hall fascinating. There’s lots of people pausing for a moment to pay their respects, as you’d expect, but there also appears to be quite a lot just casually strolling past. It’s kind of like watching bored tourists wandering disinterestedly round the British Museum or the Tate or whatever. Like they’ve just gone to say they were there. I guess you see the catafalque as you’re coming down the stairs, but still… to queue all that time and then just walk past when you finally get to the end I just find extraordinary.

Ah, right. To a casual observer it looks like the only real delays are caused by them stopping the queues to change the guards. With all the planning that’s gone into this I’m surprised they didn’t find a less disruptive way of doing that.

IF they'd closed roads to allow the coffin to do a tour of London then all of the people who are angry at the presence of a queue that doesn't impact them would be far, far more angry. It would be a security nightmare with far more police and stewards required, which might not be practical, and even if they could organise it, it would be expensive.

I don't think celebrities should get to skip the queue, but I don't mind MPs being given more direct access. Westminster Hall is part of their place of work, and given that two MPs have been murdered in the last six years, the security headache would be too much for police. You could argue that only some MPs would have had a direct connection with her, and few could object to May paying her respects, how do you decide who isn't allowed?

I do object to the DUP MLPs skipping the queue as they are currently refusing to do any work at their own Parliament. There are also questions about whether they are claiming expenses.

Even London's sex clubs are paying their respects and good on them.

It's a logistical challenge to close off roads for events like the London Marathon, the odd protest etc at the best of times closing off Greater London would be impossible