Some Christmas help from the UK please

[jameslyons]

Tomorrow, the Queen of England is going to be making her little to-do. I assume it's more interesting and lucid than whatever the goose in the White House is going to say. And I also assume her speech has less platitudes than Mr. Brown's rhetoric garbage presented as an hor d'oeuvre or after dinner mint.

What I always wonder, at this time of year, is why England still has a monarchy? I mean absolutely no disrespect. America has tons of flaws, including the guy in charge and the millions of people who voted for him, but really? A monarchy?

I understand the Royal family has like no political power, but why aren't people upset about paying money to somebody who gets to live in a palace? Over the past couple years some Americans and French have been struggling to throw off our nations' close cultural ties. I feel bad for the French nobility--a lot of them were unjustly executed, but I understand the reason why the French wanted their to be no monarchy. Je comprone les francais. Nous famille.

It just seems wrong. Of course, I'm an American, and before that one part of my family was taken from Africa, and another left Ireland in no small part due to English policy. So culturally, I just don't have the history.

Doesn't it piss you off that people are given money for the family name they were born under? Or that you can't go to national sites like the Royal family retreat you all built. Or that national park that they have tucked under their heel?

Just wondering.

:wave:

James.

 

[snowraven]

As far as I can see the Queen is mainly just a tourist attraction who does pull in a fair amount of dosh for the country. The main problem is the huge number of hangers on that there are. To be fair to them they have, over the centuries, commited themselves to a large programme of interbreeding within their ranks in a vain attempt to keep the numbers down but it just doesn't seem to have been enough. Now like all the others businesses in Britain at this time of economic crisis they must become leaner and stronger. Cut out the waste and thereby become a more economically viable institution. Liz and the kids would be enough really. We'd still get to sell the flags and the pomp to the tourists. :rofl:

 

[JohnADreams]

Having them around helps with tourism, which makes more money than they take from us, so I've always seen it as a subsiding the tourism industry. They shouldn't have to be held up with tax payer money but it isn't all that bad, least it's somewhat profitable to do so. I'm more concerned with the financial and human costs of the recent wars we contributed to.

 

[anonymous51]

The royal family are nothing more than a novelty for the tourists really. The same as what the Empire state building is for New York. Most of the land they own and the buildings they live in are all public places now, whenever they leave one of their homes to go on holiday or whatever the building becomes like a museum. As long as they dont interfere with government and pay their taxes I have no problem with them really.

I feel bad for the French nobility--a lot of them were unjustly executed, but I understand the reason why the French wanted their to be no monarchy. Je comprone les francais. Nous famille.

The french nobility were living like gods whilst the rest of france was suffering unthinkable poverty, even by standards in those times the system was horrifying compared to the rest of Europe. I wouldnt say it was unjustified.

 

[Puppy]

Well I'm not a hard core Royalist, but I'm a bit of a Royalist... if that makes sense.
I don't mind paying a little tax to support the Royal Family.

England wouldn't be England without our Monarchy :3

 

[Issaccs]

They bring in tourism, work for charity, part of our national image and history, provide employment and seem to be growing into more charitable every time I see hear them mentioned.
And to be honest, if they completely did away with the royal family I wouldn't see a penny less in tax or a single improvement in any national service so I couldn't care less.

 

[jameslyons]

Thanks for shedding some light on the matter, everyone!