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How do you folks in the UK feel about Royalty?
August 14, 2012 at 3:51 pm
While watching the olympics I noticed that, on occasion, some member of royalty would be present. I also couldn't help but notice that during the opening and closing ceremonies the people making speeches addressed themselves to "Your Highnesses, distinguished guests.... etc."
This makes me wonder how the people in the UK feel about "Royalty". To my knowledge, they hold no political power. Why have a taxpayer supported privileged class that serves no useful purpose? Or do the royals serve a useful purpose? What is your opinion? Would the UK be better off without royalty? Or do you like the idea of kings, queens, princes, etc...?
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RE: How do you folks in the UK feel about Royalty?
August 14, 2012 at 3:57 pm
They do have some power, but choose not to use them. In my opinion, they are a completely useless waste of money (upwards of £130,000,000). They give us no benefits ( the widely used "they get us a lot of tourism" is complete bullshit, the palaces would still be visited regardless. Look at france - Versailles gets loads of visitors.)
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RE: How do you folks in the UK feel about Royalty?
August 14, 2012 at 4:02 pm
(August 14, 2012 at 3:57 pm)Tobie Wrote: They do have some power, but choose not to use them. In my opinion, they are a completely useless waste of money (upwards of £130,000,000). They give us no benefits ( the widely used "they get us a lot of tourism" is complete bullshit, the palaces would still be visited regardless. Look at france - Versailles gets loads of visitors.)
I agree they take more than they give. However i have nothing against them personally. I dont think they are "bad people" just extremely fortunate, who happen to have found themselves benefitting from an out dated parasitical relationship with the rest of the country.
Whose to say that if I were born to be royalty I wouldn't take full advantage.
Anyway they seem quite nice in person, (I must have mentioned that I've met Camilla).
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RE: How do you folks in the UK feel about Royalty?
August 14, 2012 at 4:04 pm
(August 14, 2012 at 3:57 pm)Tobie Wrote: They do have some power, but choose not to use them. In my opinion, they are a completely useless waste of money (upwards of £130,000,000). They give us no benefits ( the widely used "they get us a lot of tourism" is complete bullshit, the palaces would still be visited regardless. Look at france - Versailles gets loads of visitors.)
So they do have some power? I wasn't aware of that. What power do they have? I'm sure it's nothing like the power they used to wield.
You're not the first person I've heard who thinks the royals are useless. I believe I heard Tracy Ullman say something like, "Why do we pay people to be better than the rest of us?" On its face, it seems silly for a democratic country to have kings, queens and such.
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RE: How do you folks in the UK feel about Royalty?
August 14, 2012 at 4:04 pm
(August 14, 2012 at 4:02 pm)downbeatplumb Wrote: (August 14, 2012 at 3:57 pm)Tobie Wrote: They do have some power, but choose not to use them. In my opinion, they are a completely useless waste of money (upwards of £130,000,000). They give us no benefits ( the widely used "they get us a lot of tourism" is complete bullshit, the palaces would still be visited regardless. Look at france - Versailles gets loads of visitors.)
I agree they take more than they give. However i have nothing against them personally. I dont think they are "bad people" just extremely fortunate, who happen to have found themselves benefitting from an out dated parasitical relationship with the rest of the country.
Whose to say that if I were born to be royalty I wouldn't take full advantage.
Anyway they seem quite nice in person, (I must have mentioned that I've met Camilla).
I do agree that most of them seem like nice people, and Prince Philip can often have good entertainment value, but still not worth it.
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. - J.R.R Tolkien
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RE: How do you folks in the UK feel about Royalty?
August 14, 2012 at 4:09 pm
(August 14, 2012 at 4:04 pm)Tobie Wrote: I do agree that most of them seem like nice people, and Prince Philip can often have good entertainment value, but still not worth it.
I must say that I at least have respect for the royals who serve in the armed forces. I'm not sure if this is a requirement for them, but I'm guessing they could choose not to and no one would make them. On the other hand, how does an officer feel when he has a member of the royal family under his command? He might be reluctant to give a less than favorable performance review when the guy's grandma is the queen.
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RE: How do you folks in the UK feel about Royalty?
August 14, 2012 at 4:10 pm
I'm a Republican, in the traditional sense, not in the American political sense.
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RE: How do you folks in the UK feel about Royalty?
August 14, 2012 at 4:12 pm
I'm a Northern Irish "Catholic", so I was raised to absolutely hate the royal family. However, I don't. I actually don't know a hell of a lot about them, but I believe most of them do quite a lot of charity work (The Prince's trust, for instance). Whether the amount they raise offsets the money they earn, again, I have no idea.
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RE: How do you folks in the UK feel about Royalty?
August 14, 2012 at 4:16 pm
(August 14, 2012 at 4:12 pm)Gambit Wrote: I'm a Northern Irish "Catholic", so I was raised to absolutely hate the royal family. However, I don't. I actually don't know a hell of a lot about them, but I believe most of them do quite a lot of charity work (The Prince's trust, for instance). Whether the amount they raise offsets the money they earn, again, I have no idea.
It's nice that they do charity work. However, if I didn't have to go to work every day, was fabulously wealthy and had servants to attend to my every need, I would also do a lot of charity work.
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RE: How do you folks in the UK feel about Royalty?
August 14, 2012 at 4:20 pm
(August 14, 2012 at 4:09 pm)Thor Wrote: I must say that I at least have respect for the royals who serve in the armed forces.
Why? I don't get why people 'respect' those in the military? They're almost a complete waste of my tax ££. I'm being dramatic, but semi serious  . I've never understood the kudos factor of sitting on your arse for 22 years and rarely endangering your life outside of the shooting range.(previous 11 years accepted). The costs of babysitting royals in the military must be stupendous. Not to mention it's doubtful if some have even met the minimum criteria for officer entry.
I'm happy to be taxed, in fact i'd like to be taxed more, but I prefer it to go to something useful like healthcare and education and not to babysitting ginger princes and inbred crowd wavers.
Oh, i'm a republican, in the traditional sense. 
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