I used to be a rabid paid-up Republican, but I’ve changed.
Of course there are many things I don’t like about the Royals, and I absolutely understand the inequality argument and even agree with it.
But honestly, I have no appetite for any more constitutional change after Brexit. As we’ve learned, it’s very arduous, very expensive, and rarely results in the savings or efficiency people think it will. The Royals cost £80 million a year, for context this is four thousandths of 1% of our welfare bill alone. How far do you think this money would go to effect change? It would be pissing into the wind.
The soft power from the Royals has proved its usefulness this year in dealing with the man baby Trump, whose only reverence seems reserved for British royalty. Compared to our lousy politicians the Queen (the Andrew payoff notwithstanding) did a great job of being a neutral, inoffensive ambassador for the UK and can hardly be described as lazy. The Monarch can’t be, they have too many functions to carry out.
As for booting them out and selling off their land, the land is mostly used for farming, something we desperately need. Would you rather see it sold to greedy developers or dodgy billionaires, desperate to cash in? Do you want to see the tenant farmers kicked out, and build over yet more of our countryside?
I’m all for a big review of spending, laws to make their financials more transparent, and to prune out the lesser members of the family who frankly we don’t need. But I think throwing the baby out with the bath water would be a massive mistake. Once you get rid of them, they can’t come back.