Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to loathe the Royal Family

401 replies

InWinoVeritas · 21/04/2017 18:29

The way the media is so gushing about everything Wills, Kate and Harry do, just been watching the evening news, there is a story about Wills and Kate doing a radio broadcast, makes me want to vomit..
And the issues about mental health - really? Do we need Royal 'endorsement' just to get more funding?

OP posts:
DonaldStott · 23/04/2017 08:52

The subtext of all of your post are that you'd rather pay a similar amount for someone who is elected because you object to royalty getting something for what you perceive to be nothing

NO!

Pardon my French, but what are you royalists not fucking getting here!!!!!!

It is NOT jealousy. It us pointing out the system is ARCHAIC, UNFAIR and ELITIST.

Hereditary privilege is a fucked up, flawed concept.

Can you please tell me why the state should pay for say, Prince Andrew travelling the globe and publicly befriending paedophiles?

Erm, can you please tell me what Prince edward does?

Phil the Greek is an insulting, sexist racist.

If he had said half the things he has in a 'normal' job, he would have been sacked for gross misconduct, as would a fair proportion of the royals.

They are the untouchables. Unanswerable to anybody, and regardless of wealth, how is that justified????

songlark · 23/04/2017 09:02

Nanny you say "money grabbing politician", and you don't think the royals are tarred with the same brush? and no it's nothing to do with envy at all. We don't need them to represent us at home or abroad. Our importance on the worlds stage shouldn't be represented by a member of a family who is only in that position through birth rather than having got there through hard work and experience. Prince William has been "trained from birth" as you say, but already he's shown that he doesn't care for the responsibilities of the job, but rather "have his cake and eat it".

If the monarchy ever does get abolished, it won't be because of envy, it will be when people have decided they no longer want to support a family who are only in their position because of the accident of birth, nothing else. There shouldn't be any place for them in a supposedly equal and democratic society.

songlark · 23/04/2017 09:04

Donald you are so right, love your post.

Chavelita · 23/04/2017 09:07

God, it's like talking to the wall. It's not some kind of mystical mantle, it's a job. You don't need 'training from birth'.

No career politician would be interested in an essentially powerless ceremonial role, especially when you can't also charge hundreds of thousands for after-dinner speaking or do deals on the side with other heads of state, so we can rule out Tony Blair. In Ireland, you don't need to be a politician at all to run. All you need is to be an Irish citizen over 35, and to get the backing of 20 members of the Oireachtas or 4 local authorities, and there are strict rules on campaign spending.

And some posters on this thread seem to have a very poor opinion of democracy, with all their shrieking about 'popularity contests'. The last three presidents of Ireland (two who stayed for two 7-year terms), the only ones I had a vote for, have been admirable. Why are you so sure the UK can't come up with someone as good?

NannyOggsKnickers · 23/04/2017 09:11

What I don't get is the vitriol. These people have done nothing to you personally. It is envy, jealousy and naivety. Do you really believe that there is any form of society where there isn't an elite? Would you rather it was bankers? Or better yet a military elite? Reading about Stalin's inner circle opened my eyes to the fact that there is always a priviledged elite. As far as the royals go they are on the better end of that spectrum.

I just really don't believe that we need to replace a system that works fairly well with one that introduces politicians to another level of power. Aren't almost all politicians from the priviledged elite? How is voting in an elite politician who is only out for their own gain any more beneficial to the people of this country? It will cost about the same but we'll get the satisfaction of taking part in the illusion that we have some control over those at the top. It will be no different to the current parliamentary system.

songlark · 23/04/2017 09:13

Just thinking about that "trained from birth" comment, Andrew and Edward didn't do too well with that then did they, how did they manage to fuck up so badly. Who ever "trained" them didn't do a very good job.Shame they couldn't be sacked, you know like in proper jobs. The untouchable royals.

AwaywiththePixies27 · 23/04/2017 09:14

People who loathe the royals just for what they have are essentially saying 'I can't have it so no one should'. It's really childish.

NannyOggsknickers I completely agree.

songlark · 23/04/2017 09:15

nanny you're not worth arguing with.

songlark · 23/04/2017 09:17

Appropriate name there then pixie

DonaldStott · 23/04/2017 09:17

What I don't get is the vitriol

Bloody hell Nanny

You just don't get it.

Why is it vitriolic to be anti something?

Please tell me?

Is there nothing you are against?

Chavelita · 23/04/2017 09:18

I can't speak for all republicans, but I am saying that hereditary privilege is archaic and morally wrong, and serves to legitimise inequality in a country which is increasingly unequal.

NannyOggsKnickers · 23/04/2017 09:20

song I feel the same about you. I just find your view point naive and reductive. Abolishing the monarchy is not going to redress all of the issues in society and suddenly make deliberately underfunded public services work. An elected president will be no less elite and a damn sight more self serving. I think you are being blinkered by hate.

songlark · 23/04/2017 09:21

I was vitriolic about Margaret Thatchers government then, oh and envious too. Well it couldn't be anything else could it. Confused

Livelovebehappy · 23/04/2017 09:21

Agree with a lot of what Nanny says. But I think he Royal Family need scaling back as regards financial support. Only the Queen and direct heirs should be on our payroll. The others should go out and get jobs and support themselves. Polls amongst the public have always suggested that the majority of the UK are royalists and support what we have, so I guess getting rid of he Royal family is not going to be an option anytime in the near future.

AwaywiththePixies27 · 23/04/2017 09:21

Thanks song. I thought so myself. Smile

Donald. It's not vitriol to be anti something. There's a difference between being anti something, which is perfectly fine, and then calling someone a bunch of inbreds on the first page, which is not fine and vitriolic.

AwaywiththePixies27 · 23/04/2017 09:24

I always find it ironic that those who champion their rights to be anti something / have their own opinion, then go on to be offended when someone disagrees with them.

Mumsnet is a worldwide forum, with people from various walks of life, all of whom are going to disagree with your stance or opinion at some stage in life. Some people think they're pointless, others disagree with you.

DonaldStott · 23/04/2017 09:24

I wasn't the one who said 'inbreds', which I don't find vitriolic btw.

The royals are inbreds, marrying first/second cousins and what not, to keep the bloodline blue.

It is merely stating fact.

songlark · 23/04/2017 09:26

nanny of course it wouldn't redress all the issues in society, why would it. Why is that a reason for keeping them. It is your naivety that is showing in all your posts though. That you think republicans are motivated by envy, it's a strange thought process.

Chavelita · 23/04/2017 09:27

Honestly, it's like turkeys stubbornly insisting that Christmas is a great occasion.

DonaldStott · 23/04/2017 09:27

Also not offended when people disagree. Nothing wrong with a bit of healthy debate.

I may not respect what they say, but they are entitled to their wrong opinion Grin

songlark · 23/04/2017 09:28

Anyway can't stay, bored now of all the fawning forelock tuggers. Bye everyone.

AwaywiththePixies27 · 23/04/2017 09:29

I didn't say you were the one that said they were inbreds Donald, I was simply pointing out why people thing some posters are being vitriolic.

BarbarianMum · 23/04/2017 09:29

Chavelita Grin

Wordsmith · 23/04/2017 09:30

Well I think if we were planning a truly fair society we wouldn't invent the royal family, but....

They are here, we have them and they do a decent job within the confines of what we, as a parliamentary democracy, allow them to do. Yes it's nice to have the clothes and the shoes and the palaces and the holidays but really... What choice do they have? What are their options? They can't just chuck it all in and go backpacking like anyone else without causing a major constitutional crisis. Would you like every minute of your life put on show for people to comment on? I certainly wouldn't.

AwaywiththePixies27 · 23/04/2017 09:30

It's not their wrong opinion though. An opinion can not be right or wrong. It is just different to yours.