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Original poster

Queens speech

796 replies

Imfinallyhappy1 · 04/04/2020 23:05

Am I the only one who actually couldn’t give a shiny shit what she has to say at this time.

People are dying , everyone is affected so the last thing we need is a rich old woman sitting in her ivory castle asking us to stay calm.

It’s really wound me up, it’s constantly being mentioned on the news!

OP posts:
Mamamia456 · 07/04/2020 11:12

Wolfgirrl - That's a question that's difficult to answer because one person may do something that you find abhorrent, but you can't hold the whole family to account. The same with any family, unless of course everyone is involved, but that's very rare.

CathyorClaire · 07/04/2020 11:24

one person may do something that you find abhorrent, but you can't hold the whole family to account

How many then before you do?

Mamamia456 · 07/04/2020 11:48

CathyorClare - Well it depends on the crime doesn't it and the circumstances surrounding it, that's not a question you can answer generically.

CathyorClaire · 07/04/2020 12:12

Mamamia456

Well you've had example after example of royal greed, manipulation, creative accounting, and freebie blagging from dubious billionaires and that's not including solid links with known paedophiles both historic and recent so again what would it take to shake your support for them?

Brefugee · 07/04/2020 12:39

@ravenmum I meant you were talking about continuity and how you lived abroad and how people in DDR times lived in a totally different society than the one today.

Well 60s Industrial North was VERY different from what it is now, but the queen has been there all along. Wait, i think i just got your point.

Sorry, carry on.

(on the other hand: the queen and her family can do one. I have no patience with them at all)

ravenmum · 07/04/2020 12:44

@Brefugee I know, it's not a very strong point Grin but it is the one positive thing I can come up with! The other argument that makes any sense, that the royal family brings in lots of tourists, is countered for me by the fact that I live in Dresden, which makes huge amounts of money from tourism thanks to a king who died in 1733.

Pedallleur · 07/04/2020 13:34

Nobody actually sees the Royals tho do they. Apart from an occasional trip to church or a ceremonial occasion that's it. Prob slightly more visible than 50 yrs ago. Andrew staying quiet and his family don't count. The rest are just out of sight. I will say that if covid was some ultra fatal disease instead of a possibly fatal virus the Royals would be out of the country in some bunker reserved for them

Brefugee · 07/04/2020 18:13

I live in Dresden, which makes huge amounts of money from tourism thanks to a king who died in 1733

@ravenmum I love Dresden - you have one of the best museums ever, the Hygiene Museum. I flipping love that place!

FunkyKingston · 07/04/2020 23:28

@Brefugee I know, it's not a very strong point grin but it is the one positive thing I can come up with! The other argument that makes any sense, that the royal family brings in lots of tourists, is countered for me by the fact that I live in Dresden, which makes huge amounts of money from tourism thanks to a king who died in 1733.

And Versailles doesn't seem to be short of visitors either. People don't come to see Royals, they come to see the trappings of royalty, the houses , the shinny jewels, the carriages. All of which could still be seen after the Royal family were given the boot.

The royal palaces could remain open to tourists all year round rather than opening and closing at the whims of the Royals.

grapesofraf · 08/04/2020 08:58

Yeah definitely think we’d get more tourists if there was no monarchy. All those huge empty castles and palaces where kings and queens once lived. 😎 Tourism is a crazy reason for keeping such an outdated institution anyway.

JorahsMistress · 08/04/2020 09:31

@FunkyKingston

And Versailles doesn't seem to be short of visitors either. People don't come to see Royals, they come to see the trappings of royalty, the houses , the shinny jewels, the carriages. All of which could still be seen after the Royal family were given the boot.

Good point, but how would we get rid of the royal family? Is there some sort of official process or would it have to be a full on revolution? Ive always wondered this

ravenmum · 08/04/2020 09:44

Referendum.

JorahsMistress · 08/04/2020 09:51

Ahh i see, I personally cant see it happening in my lifetime, but if there was one and the result was to get rid, what would happen to them all? I suppose they would be given somewhere more modest to live and then have to get proper jobs

ravenmum · 08/04/2020 10:01

They'd have to work out what their actual assets and property are, I guess, but they wouldn't be working down the post office or anything, would they?

Sue Townsend's book The Queen and I is from the days when Diana was still around, but still great. She imagines the Queen and the rest being sent off to council houses. Liz has a rude awakening, but thrives, unlike Philip :) The dialogue between her and her neighbours is great - she tallks about her "house" and they repeat "Arse?" in confusion.

Brefugee · 08/04/2020 12:23

Good point, but how would we get rid of the royal family? Is there some sort of official process or would it have to be a full on revolution?

I'll get my knitting...

LaurieMarlow · 08/04/2020 12:24

The ‘How’ is definitely the interesting bit for me.

I don’t like Revolution. But they probably wouldn’t go quietly.

FunkyKingston · 08/04/2020 12:31

The ‘How’ is definitely the interesting bit for me.

There's a clear distinction between what the queen and other members of the royal family own as private citizens and what is owned by the institution of the monarchy. For example, in Scotland Holyroodhouse is the official residence and Balmoral the private one. They're quite welcome to keep what they own as private citizens.

LaurieMarlow · 08/04/2020 12:35

Sure. But how do we depose them?

FunkyKingston · 08/04/2020 12:39

I think old age will do for them eventually. A succession of balding men in late middle age shuffle onto the throne, reign for 15 odd years in their dotage before shuffling off. There's not much mystique in that is there?

donquixotedelamancha · 08/04/2020 12:51

A succession of balding men in late middle age shuffle onto the throne, reign for 15 odd years in their dotage before shuffling off.

Charles is elderly now. William will be in late middle age when he gets it, but that still gives him 30odd years.

I'm hopeful Charles will royally fuck up when he finally gets his hands on the big sparkly hat.

MarshaBradyo · 08/04/2020 12:53

Referendum could do it.

CendrillonSings · 08/04/2020 12:59

Sure. But how do we depose them?

The democratic way - have a political party win a General Election with a manifesto commitment to abolish the monarchy.

Should be easy with all the reasons you’ve put forward and all the supportive posts on MN - give it a go and let us know how you get on Smile

MarshaBradyo · 08/04/2020 13:02

They don’t need to have abolish as part of manifesto just say we’ll do a referendum. Interesting to see result.

Maybe wait a few years as population ages.

CendrillonSings · 08/04/2020 13:05

They don’t need to have abolish as part of manifesto just say we’ll do a referendum.

I presume you mean have a manifesto commitment to hold a referendum? Because holding a referendum on the biggest constitutional change in the UK’s history without a manifesto commitment wouldn’t be very democratic.

FunkyKingston · 08/04/2020 13:06

Fair point, he's in his 70s now. Say Liz 2 potters on til 2025. That puts Charles at 76/77 similar life expectancy to his parents we will be looking at 2045-ish when he pegs out. By which time William will be of pensionable age himself. (Although be does seem to have gone into semi retirement and he's not yet 40).

I think it will be interesting to see what happens when the current Queen snuffs it. I suspect a lot of affection Dr the monarchy is affection for Elizabeth 2, rather than the institution itself. It's a good story, never expected to be queen, ascends to the throne as a young woman and given the role makes a decent fist of it, albeit resistant to change and raising four children all unfit in one respect or another to be monarch.