Privy

Jeremy Corbyn's been at it again, that security-threatening, terrorist-sympathising, Britain-hating ideologue. What's he done this time, Dan? He's insulted the Queen. He's rebuffed her invitation to join the Privy Council, the monarch's advisory body. He's snubbed her, as The Telegraph put it. Alan Duncan, MP and Privy Councillor since 2010 (pictured above in Privy Council fancy dress), puts it so well:

The Queen has always put herself above politics, but Jeremy Corbyn seems to want to put his politics above the Queen.

An anonymous member of the Council explained just how grave the situation is:

Firstly it is deeply insulting and secondly it is not grown up – not to go to see the monarch is just extraordinary [...] what this really means is that he is not prepared to put himself in the position of a serious leader who can be trusted.

It's astonishing! It's extraordinary! Nothing like this has happened before!

...Apart from on 19 September 2001, when Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith snubbed the Queen by not attending his first meeting of the Privy Council.

...Or 10 September 2002, when Michael Fallon, Minister for Business and Enterprise, and Justice Minister Damien Green both turned down their invitations to Privy Council.

...Or 15 December 2010 when Europe Minister David Lidington had apparently better things to do than show up and kiss hands.

...Or that infamous pair of vicious body-blows delivered by Deputy Chief Whip Sir John Randall against the person of Her Majesty when failed to attend Privy Council on 9 June and 21 July 2010. 

...Or the notorious incident on 9 June 2010, when Chris Grayling, Grant Shapps, Nick Herbert, and Theresa Villiers, Ministers for Work & Pensions, Communities, Justice, and Transport all rebuffed the Queen with a Privy Council no-show.

...Or indeed on 14 December 2005 and 14 February 2006, when a certain David Cameron twice snubbed the Privy Council.

There are around 600 Privy Councillors. Roughly a third of them did not attend the first meeting to which they were invited. Roughly 99% of them are absent at every meeting. The Privy Council is a daft historical relic. This is a non-story. Can we grow up please?