to wonder why the whole country has gone completely bloody Royalist?

[Hullygully]

Erect the scaffold.

Up the Republicans.

We are ADULTS we don't need a feudalistic Divine Right of Kings addled parasitical bunch of halfwits to live off our taxes.

[perceptionreality]

'It seems that your inability to understand is being turned into frustration and anger at everyone else (a bit like lashing out at people for laughing at a joke you don't 'get').'

'Is your lack of pride because you don't contribute anything?'

I'm not angry, nor am I insulting - you sound that way though! I don't understand the point of the monarchy so I must be a lazy good for nothing? I think you've kind of lost the argument right there!

Americans celebrate earned success like no other nation, they also don't have a monarchy.

The point is that it's reasonable to celebrate earned success and it's not reasonable to celebrate a family who has privilege and titles via accident of birth.

[WinkyWinkola]

Why don't I feel the royals are an iconic symbol of Britain then? I really don't.

I'm proud of our people. They're passionate, industrious, extremely tolerant, humorous. But the royal family is nothing to me.

We should have a GB Day that is nothing to do with the royals. And everything to do with the people. And no bloody jellied eels. WHO eats those? And they're always cited as traditional British food.

[WinkyWinkola]

The republican movement has a very small following because most people don't actually care one way or the other.

And those that are royalist get very angry about those who question the status quo.

[loveisagirlnameddaisy]

Maybe if the Queen sat on her arse day in day out, I'd agree. But she has dedicated her life to doing what was expected of her - she had no choice. You may dismiss this easily, but if you were told from birth that your job had been selected for you and there was nothing you could do about it, do you think you'd feel particularly entitled?

The royal family is credited with saving London's spirit during the Blitz; not a small feat. The current Queen still works incredibly hard despite being 86 - how many other 86 year olds can say that - and through her work brings happiness to thousands, raises money for charity and attracts tourism.

Give me that over Peter Andre's 'earned success' any day.

[perceptionreality]

The 'sheep' comment is based on an observation of mine which tends to apply in many situations where lots of people appear to be doing something because everyone else is.

I wouldn't think it if the reasoning behind it could be explained.....

[loveisagirlnameddaisy]

Actually, Peter Andre is not bad. Jedward on the other hand...

[squoosh]

Maybe there is something deferential in the English psyche that encourages them to bow and scrape. A national quirk maybe.

[loveisagirlnameddaisy]

Perception various replies on here have suggested a reasoning. You just don't agree with them.

[thegreylady]

not bowing and scraping just admiring and respecting

[squoosh]

A lot of actual bowing and scraping does go on though.

[merrymouse]

To be completely cynical, perceptionreality

1. Plenty of famous people have no earned success - they just make their lives open to the media (Katie Price, TOWIE etc.)
   
2. People like a get together and to feel part of a big occasion. The other side of flocking to the palace for a wedding is the madness following Diana's death.
   
   I also think that if people thought the existence of the Royal Family had a negative effect on their day to day lives they would get rid of them. However, the alternative is more politicians and less glamour. I think its quite efficient to split the job of waving and welcoming out from politics, and I don't think we would save any money by getting rid of the Royals - they would keep the stuff that belonged to them, and we would still have to pay for the bits that the country uses.
   
   (Unless of course we had a French/Russian style revolution and just took all their stuff, but I don't think anybody is proposing that).

[WinkyWinkola]

Admiring and respecting for what? I don't think they work harder than many other people in GB. And they live an immensely privileged life.

[wamster]

It's nonsense to say that the royal family saved us from the Blitz. The Queen Mother waved her arms and visited 'blitzed' areas and then went back to a life of luxury. What saved us was the brave men (and women) who gave up their lives for the UK. These people are rightly celebrated.

And, yes, give me Peter Andre's -or even his ex-wife's (that will be Jordan/Katie Price) success any day of the week over royalty.

Katie Price has earned it through intelligence, guile, and using what talent she has. She has a genius for self-promotion and although I like nothing of what she does commercially, she deserves credit for exploiting her talents.

There's no point arguing any longer- the wealth, the niceness-or not- of the royal family is not really relevant- you either believe that people have a right to a life of luxury and have those fawn over them by accident of birth or you don't.

I don't. And never ever will.

[merrymouse]

The republican movement has a very small following because most people don't actually care one way or the other.

That pretty much sums it up.

[perceptionreality]

'Squoosh, if you look back perception appeared to question the concept of feeling proud of your country, regardless of what that country is. She didn't seem to be saying it was a problem with Britain per se. That was what I tried to address, you can feel pride in something if you feel you contribute to it.'

I did not say that nobody should be proud of their contributions to society, I said there is no sense in being proud about the geographical location in which you were born. To be honest though, why can't people get involved with community actvities more readily, when flag-waving and blue, red and white iced cakes and bunting are not around?

[Corgito]

"Why don't I feel the royals are an iconic symbol of Britain then?"

It's not mandatory to 'feel'... but the reality is that they are. Together with red pillar boxes, black cabs, Big Ben, Tower Bridge etc., if you put a montage of all that together with HMQ's face or the Imperial Crown and the vast majority of the world's population would correctly identify 'UK'.

As I said earlier, a great aspect of being British is that we have our own interpretations of what it means. What would be your iconic British symbols?

[perceptionreality]

'What saved us was the brave men (and women) who gave up their lives for the UK. These people are rightly celebrated.'

Exactly - which is why I completely understand the point of wearing a poppy. The royalist stuff goes over my head however.

[noddyholder]

Hully. Head.Wall.BAnging. Ya get me

[ginghamfish]

I agree 100% with the OP. I don't 'get it' either. Can't understand why everyone as gone royal crazy. I'm proud to be British but couldn't give a flying fuck about the Royal family.

[ginghamfish]

has gone crazy! not as gone crazy!!

[merrymouse]

In a few weeks everybody will be tennis crazy and shortly after that they will be really interested in the Olympics. It's the same phenomenon. People like to join in.

[saggarmakersbottomknocker]

Hey Hully - saw this and thought of you.

[Nevertooearlyforcake]

I don't think it's right in a country that is supposed to be democracy that there is a position of head of state and there is no way anyone can achieve that position, no matter how hard they worked, with the exception of one kid who was born in the right place at the right time.

Why on earth would should that be celebrated?

[loveisagirlnameddaisy]

Didn't say they saved us from the blitz - please read posts properly. Said they were credited with saving London's spirit - and this is regularly reported. Two very different things.

[squoosh]

I thought the thing that saved London's spirit during the Blitz was all the 'how's your father' with strangers in the dark in the Underground stations.