To think there are higher priorities than Buckingham Palace.

[lazylab]

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/queen-elizabeth-pay-rise-royal-public-funds-buckingham-palace-sovereign-grant-royal-family-crown-a7809716.html

Whether or not we agree with the monachy i don't think now is the time to throw millions of taxpayers money at one huge old palace. There are far far more important things that need our money. Anyone agree?

That's true puzzled but often those rich families have often had to work there way up, they often came from nothing. They had to strive for their wealth.

user but at least we go out and earn our money, most of the world would disagree with you. Most of the world work far far harder for very much less. You haven't earnt what you have, you were simply born lucky. You live in a country where you have every possible educational opportunity absolutly for free, have so much money paid to you for jobs were your welfare is so tightly controlled that it is beyond the wildest dreams of most, and have a total guarantee that if you get ill you will be treated, if you run out of money and don't work, you won't starve.

You are very high up in the richest quarter of humanity, yet are complaining about being born wealthy?

No it isn't a stupid comparison, at all, it is pointing out to you that if you really think everyone should be totally equal, fine, but lets see you DO IT, before you expect anyone else to. You can start you move towards equality by cutting yourself off from electricity and the internet and selling your lap top. This for a start would mean someone could buy a second hand lap top, and fewer Congalese resource would be stripped unethically from their country.

Go on then!

its crazy to complain about how the royal family came by their land

I somewhat agree, but no one here is objecting to their privilege.

What we are objecting to is that she and her family continue to take huge amounts from the state despite this massive wealth. and the birthright.

take away birthright and state support, I'd have no problem with them.

No it isn't a stupid comparison, at all, it is pointing out to you that if you really think everyone should be totally equal, fine, but lets see you DO IT,

nobody is suggesting giving any one of us 85m.

there are huge disparities in this world. Some earn it, some don't. Most of us in the developed world are simply lucky to have been born here.

The difference between all of us and the monarchy is that half the population in this country think it makes good sense to continually give this particular family huge amounts of state money for virtually no service.

user nefore you talk about everyone having a laptop, how about everyone having a bed for the night. Sorry i haven't got any spare rooms, and where did i say i have a problem with wealth, i said i don't believe we should have as head of state someone whose only qualification was to be born. Also our education and all the other things you mention aren't free at all, we pay tax to get those things. But fine, if you think the refurbishment of a palace takes precedence over everything else. Each to their own as they say.

what about everyone having a bed for the night What have you personally done to facilitate and provide that? I doubt you have done anything at all, you sound like one of those who live in a state of phenomenal good fortune, and still feel constantly hard done by.

rather than someone who is grateful for what they have, and prepared to give of their time and resources to others who don't have their luck.

we pay tax to get those things.

do you really honestly not get how phenomenally lucky you have been to be born into a situation where you can get these things at all! There are literally billions of people in the world who would be desperate for a chance to pay the tax we pay and get the things we get.

what about everyone having a bed for the night What have you personally done to facilitate and provide that? I doubt you have done anything at all, you sound like one of those who live in a state of phenomenal good fortune, and still feel constantly hard done by.

I am not sure how this has moved on to personal philanthropy. it's about good use of state funds, and legitimate rights to power.

no, it is about your discontent with an uneven distribution of wealth, even though you personally benefit from it on a massive scale, although you don't appear to be discontented with THAT aspect of uneven distribution of wealth !

user don't try and tell me what my post is about, it's about the priority given to the queen ahead of other more important things. But while you're on about the uneven distribution of wealth (because it's you who keep bringing it up) i presume you are happy with the fact that the gap between the rich and the poor has never been as big as it is now. I'm amazed at anyone (apart from the rich) who think this is ok.

no, it is about your discontent with an uneven distribution of wealth, even though you personally benefit from it on a massive scale, although you don't appear to be discontented with THAT aspect of uneven distribution of wealth !

Is anyone here taking the other side of that conversation? I have seen at least one person above explicitly say they aren't opposed to wealth.

There is certainly unequal distribution of wealth and a birth lottery. It's certainly a good conversation to have how to deal with this.

But that's not this conversation. None of us are saying there isn't a birth lottery and that the queen hasn't won it. we are saying why should we wilfully compound this injustice by piling on more money onto this family when it would be just as easy, or even easier, not to? Solving the world inequality problem is hard. The only thing standing in our way in solving the royal problem are the monarchists.

user what have you done for those without a bed for the night? fuck all i guess.

what have you done for those without a bed for the night? fuck all i guess.

I guarantee I have done fuck all. But again, I am not sure how personal philanthropy entered the conversation.

I agree chilli for some reason user brought it up.

Hypocrite a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs. ... a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude

Your attacking a woman who has spent her life giving millions to charity, yes this is true.

Her company gives more back than they takes it''s true.

Someone who sets and example people the world over respect, you don't see the Queen going out to talk to people and CHARGE them Millions a year for it, oh that would be ALL the Elected PM's of this country. And the USA...

How much do you give, how many disaster have you visited..

Your words smack of Jealousy, and of course we are all wrong cos you say so.....

Your words smack of Jealousy, and of course we are all wrong cos you say so.....

Well at least OP's words don't smack of illiteracy!

How much do you give, how many disaster have you visited..
Only thickos come out with the old "jealousy" chestnut. You've got to be thick to lack the imagination to not know there could be loads of reasons to be in disagreement of something other than jealousy.
Her company gives back more than they takes its true"
Deary me, are you on fucking drugs? you sound totally moronic, and btw "we are are wrong cos you say so"? well actually loads have agreed with me, but come back when you've learnt how to string a sentence together and we might discuss it more.

The queen has donated millions to charity? Really??

I do lots of Charity work, and have raised tens of thousands of pounds for good casues, this has gone on to help a lot of sick people. and yes i do put my money where my mouth is..

Cos ,, haha you really can't see it can you, your so sure that each person that disagrees with you is wrong, enough said...

I know queen, i'd love to learn more about these millions too

mummy if i was ever going to be swayed that having an unelected head of state was a good thing, it wouldn't be from someone who seems to have the IQ of a five year old. But really, what has your charity fundraising got to do with this thread?

www.itv.com/news/2017-03-15/east-africa-crisis-appeal-queen-donates-to-help-millions-starving-amid-drought-and-conflict/

www.independent.co.uk/news/people/queen-makes-personal-donation-to-relief-fund-for-italy-earthquake-search-and-rescue-a7211916.html

www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2012/jun/11/queen-charitable-support

www.cause4.co.uk/2016/04/the-queen-10-surprising-facts-in-90-years-of-charitable-patronage/

Happy reading, as I am sure one will be a source you don't think is fake.

But you said she's donated millions of pounds. Where does it say that?

While I've got a lot of respect for the support the Queen gives to various good causes, it's perhaps worth making a distinction between this and someone who's "spent her life giving millions to charity" (my italics)

I appreciate there's a link, but can't help noticing a difference between shaking a few hands, unveiling a plaque or making a sppech and actually dipping into your own pocket to help

To be fair I've no doubt the Queen does some of this too, but whether it's the £1.4 billion so often mentioned is perhaps open to doubt - especially with someone who allowed staff to apply for a heating grant from funds intended for those on low incomes

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/queen-tried-to-use-state-poverty-fund-to-heat-buckingham-palace-2088179.html

I agree puzzled there's no doubt that she does help to raise money for charities merely by giving her name to them, but that's totally different to donating her own money. She apparently has an estimated personal fortune of £350 million, if i had that kind of money i think i'd be making quite a lot of donations.