Are you in favour of the Royal Family?

[enzomari]

DM and I were discussing this last night, she's now in her Eighties and used to really like the Queen (not so much Phillip for some reason) but now really isn't bothered and thinks the RF, as is, should be abolished . I've always been a Republican but I was surprised at DM as she always seemed very pro RF but actually was pro the late Queen.

IMHO it seems so past it's sell by date but I'd be interested to know others opinions.

God, a mystic is a brilliant idea. Failing any obvious candidates, perhaps a post-Meghan Harry could come back to the UK remarried to a Californian shaman, given to oracular pronouncements and Native American sweat lodge rituals in the grounds of Windsor Castle? Or Charlotte could become an adherent of Gurdjeff, or Louis join the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

And hear hear, obviously, to your more serious points.

Don't care if we have them or not but I won't sing that stupid song GSTK or bow to any of them. The honours system is a joke as well.

Always laugh when someone, usually on the right, pass themselves off as anti-establishment yet fawn all over these parasites

@SerendipityJane
"I am sick and tired of Schrodinger's royals who are simultaneously just figureheads and yet the destination for a fucktonne of money power and privilege."

And also. Just figureheads but simultaneously absolutely essential for the maintainance of democracy-after them the deluge.

This is less than I pay.

thats 'only' The Royal Residence at Buckingham Palace is in council tax band H, the highest band in England, and pays £1,828 per year.
But...Is there a swimming pool in Buckingham Palace?

This incredible palace is so large, it has it's own post office, chapel, doctor's surgery and police station! As well as a swimming pool and cinema, of course.
And the royal residence is acc to Google
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh lived in the private apartments on the north side of the Palace, while rooms on the upper floors of the north and east sides have been occupied by other members of the Royal Family.
All seems like jolly good value for money! A Police station??? Hello I've lost my Corgi, can you help?

No

Very much not in favour of the RF

Me too 😡

Can't say I'm surprised though when her late and dutiful majesty who loved the nation so very much appealed against business rates on shooting at Balmoral and succeeded in getting them reduced to below those paid by the local pubs and restaurants:

https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1091046/royal-news-the-queen-balmoral-estate-business-rates-bill

https://www.thenational.scot/news/19098548.queen-gets-tax-bill-slashed-balmoral-estate/

All the nonsense spouted on here about the Royals being above it all. No they aren't, they make sure it's gamed in their favour. No one says it can't/ won't be done. Obv harder since the Press are harder to be controlled. When Edward VIII was having his affair the Press kept it out of the papers but all of Europe was aware. Nowadays Andrew is a story or gift that keeps giving. But Anthony Blunt the Queens Art expert was a Russian spy.

Yes but I bet it wouldn't be just as nice if he had to make money to pay their own bills, or maintain his own stately home or sell half his estate to the National Trust because he can't afford to heat it just like his Aristo mates have to do. They can all live a comfortable, quiet life and do ordinary jobs if they want to. But they would have to exercise restraint in some way that they don't want to do.

Once the late Queen died , should have finished with the lot of them.

Don't forget the attempts to apply for covid hardship funds to heat her palace/asking taxpayers to pay for the fire damage to Windsor Castle ( both of which and advisor had to grow a backbone and tell her it would make her look like a greedy, selfish woman, completely lacking in empathy) and her successful lobbying for exemptions from environmental legislation again at Balmoral with one face but then turning up to Vop in Edinburgh and complaining about other people ' saying but not doing' on the environment. Meaning the little people. She can buy her disgraced son a range rover for his birthday and her 'environmentalist' grandson a helicopter for him to buzz around in daily but the little people need to do the hard yards.

If I were William I'd just do some quiet quitting. Maybe that's actually what he's doing now.

He doesn't seem to have any particular interest in being monarch and I can't imagine he'll bring up his kids to feel great enthusiasm for the idea.

I'm sorry the RF have had various illnesses to contend with, as I'd feel sorry for anyone, but did we really notice the reduction in whatever it is they do? Not really.

Eventually W can get it down to the Opening of Parliament and and a couple of photo ops at major sporting events a year probably.

Willy's been quiet quitting since he left uni...

He doesn't seem to have any particular interest in being monarch and I can't imagine he'll bring up his kids to feel great enthusiasm for the idea.

He can't have any part in the constitutional side of things. Same for Charles when Her Maj was alive.

Apparently he wasn't putting in much effort when he was there either! He had to be moved to something easier because he wasn't up to it and couldn't be kicked out like the rest of us!

She was no better than the current lot, just better at keeping up appearances. Plus people were more defferential and so less likely to see through the charade.

Well, bluntly, they seem of pretty low intelligence and executive ability in general. I suppose at least there was no pretence William was Oxbridge material, unlike the disgraceful, but also hilarious, tokenism with Charles, Andrew and Edward.

Yes exactly and what I found outrageous is that we weren’t given a choice after a reign of seventy years! Charles was proclamated as King within a few days of Her Majesty’s death.

And when anyone protests about that on RF threads, they are told off like a child by all the ardent Royalists who say “this is what you get with a hereditary monarchy” as if we didn’t know that, and as if somehow our lack of choice is a good thing!

Very few reasonable people are going to protest right in the middle of the mourning period for fear of being disrespectful. So when would be the right time to register a vote against a monarchy and how exactly do you do that? It’s not altogether clear and imho that is not an accident because it protects the status quo.

Nice system 🤨

The other thing that irritates me is the ridiculously fawning commentary on so many of the tv broadcasts and programmes about the Royals, as if everyone is naturally in agreement about having a Monarchy.

And how much air time these truly odious royal reporters are allowed: the Dicky Arbiters, the Camilla Tomineys, the Rebecca Englishs, the Penny Junors? All taking great delight in telling us how we should be feeling! I mean really? A rich trade in ludicrousness! Why are we paying their wages? They are as bad as the royals themselves!

We see more of them on our screens than we do politicians asking serious questions about our schools, factories and hospitals.

It was said that religion was the opiate of the people; well now it seems that the Royals are fulfilling that role! In the 21st century no less! How very depressing.

Andrew didn’t go to university.

Not in favour. I think it should end with George and be agreed now that his will be the last generation.

@Notnecessarilynothing6532

You are spot on with your post. No one could say anything anti Monarchy after QE2 died, ditto now with illness in the family.
There appears to be no good time to say enough is enough.

The Royal Reporters are sycophantic twats and as for the 'royal' programmes... I only have to turn my telly on to see advertising some sort of Christmas with the Royals disguised as Christmas at the Palaces or some such guff. Who wants to watch such twaddle?

Last time I watched Liz's royal address, she was sat in front of a massive lavish grand gold piano, all whilst talking about Brexit and austerity. I thought to myself... is this a JOKE?? They are completely tone deaf and do not have a clue about their 'subjects'

@MaybeALittle To be fair, William has a reasonable degree from St Andrews. And Harry went to Sandhurst and a reasonable career as a soldier.

I have been thinking of how to reply to this.

First of all, the comments on here are not directed at this lady directly, who is facing such immense sadness in her life. And of course any decent person has nothing but sympathy for anyone in her situation. She deserves a lovely Christmas doing exactly what she wants!

Happily in the UK, we all have the choice of who we admire and who we go and see. And the threads on here aren’t preventing this lady and her family from fulfilling her wish to greet the royals on Christmas Day.

Respectfully, Republicans have the same right to express their preferences too.

And I agree that it’s possible to do this - on both sides of the argument - without sneering or condescension.

What many of us on the Republican side are asking for is simply the right to have a say! Instead of it being taken for granted that we all feel the same way.

In the interests of honesty, I suppose I do go on to wonder, just personally, why anyone would want to meet a Royal?

Again, to be clear, I am not saying anything to be condescending, but to broaden the argument and be more objective generally, what is it about them that people find alluring?

I would suggest that it’s related to their high status, wealth, and the mystique that those things bring with them?

What would the lady herself say? I’d be interested to know. Is the interest related to what they represent? Or to them as individuals?

It’s hard to express the next bit without sounding condescending but I don’t mean it to be!

Is their attraction related to what we have all been told is alluring from an early age? Beautiful clothes, opulent lifestyles, priceless jewellery? Is it because we secretly would love to live a life like that?

Or is it something purer about feeling that we know them and seeing their dc grow up? A sense of security and continuity? And respect for them because they represent all the fine things in our United Kingdom?

It’s hard to pin down isn’t it?

A Royalist might say, yes I am interested in them as a family and everything they represent such as our forces, our charities, our beautiful countryside and culture.

And Republican might say, we are sold a picture of a family that we know, but we don’t really know them. And for us, our rich culture, beautiful countryside and amazing charities, are all entities that stand on their own merit.

I guess that is where the difference lies.

The other thing that irritates me is the ridiculously fawning commentary on so many of the tv broadcasts and programmes about the Royals, as if everyone is naturally in agreement about having a Monarchy.

Also worth remembering the royals can and do exercise a veto over what can and cannot be shown on MSM and have done for decades.

See QE2 suppressing the 1960's fly on the wall documentary (TBF it's mostly hugely dull), Willy 'demanding' the Diana interview never be shown again and more up to date the Palace having a 'perpetuity edit' on what can and can't be shown of the funeral and coronation.

Disgraceful when this includes footage filmed by the publicly funded public service broadcaster.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66817219