If you’re struggling to make ends meet (yet another Jubilee thread- sorry).

[MerryLeg]

Full disclosure- I’m not British and don’t live in the UK so wasn’t interested in seeking out a way to watch the full Jubilee celebrations, but I did catch some clips online, read about it in online papers, and saw some coverage on the news.

Overall, I don’t have particularly strong feelings towards the British royal family (as an institution, some individuals such as Andrew are a different story). The concept of a monarchy is foreign to me, so I don’t take too much notice of the gossip or drama.

I saw some clips from the concert and the drone show was really cool. The bit I saw showed a corgi in a crown. Very cute, but I can only imagine the cost. I also read on here about children being given a commemorative book (think one thread mentioned that coating £12m?). Add everything in, and the government has spent a huge amount of money.

There'll be arguments for and against. People will say that the monarchy brings in a lot of tourist income- I’ve been to London plenty of times and have gone to Buckingham Palace etc, but then again, I’ve also been to Versailles and Schönbrunn and neither France nor Austria have a monarchy now, but still benefit from the tourism aspect.

What really hit me during the clips I was watching was the sheer amount being spent. When I was watching the drone corgi, I was enamored with it, but then thought about how I’d feel if I was watching in a cold house while struggling to pay my gas or electric bill, relying on food banks to feed my children, or stuck in a B&B while waiting on housing.

Or does an event like this lift the mood so much, that people see it as a mental/wellbeing boost?

I'm not saying that people who are struggling financially are some form of Pando hive-mind, but wanted to ask-

If you’re struggling to make ends meet, were you happy to see so much spent on the Jubilee celebrations?

@MerryLeg I'm not in poverty no, but the cost of living has had significant impact. I used to save up and go for meals in fancy restaurants (mine and DH's hobby) , now we are fortunate that we can afford the bills but I have nothing left at the end of the month. I used to put £200 a month into savings but the savings have gone and I don't have anything to save at end of month, but yes I'm still a lot better off than a lot of people.

I'm sure it was great if you live close-ish to London.
But at a 6 hour drive each way, we didn't go, but our taxes will still be paying for it.
Lots of people seems to get a buzz from it tho.

Where are you @MerryLeg so we may compare?

I’m not British and don’t live in the UK ...... and yet you feel entitled to wave a shitty stick !. Jog on sunshine.

thought about how I’d feel if I was watching in a cold house while struggling to pay my gas or electric bill, relying on food banks to feed my children, or stuck in a B&B while waiting on housing

But if you're in that position everything is a show and tell of what you can't afford, not just the Jubilee celebrations.

People eating and drinking in coffee shops, restaurants, pubs, even cheaper places like Subway and McDonalds.

People out and about shopping for clothes, holding their smartphones, filling a trolley at the supermarket, buying more than the cheapest most basic food.

Adverts for just about anything you can think of, because most things that get advertised are more expensive and/or non essential.

All unaffordable to people who are really struggling, so I can't see how the Jubilee makes a difference. Even if the money spent was shared out and given to people, it wouldn't be enough to make a meaningful difference to most people's lives (I think the most accurate estimate was £38 per household (or per person, not sure, and some of that came from private businesses).

I’m sure it’s an unpopular view, but I don’t actually want every single penny of my taxation to go on paying other people’s benefits and heating bills. Taxation is for more than that, and everyone who pays it deserves to have a view on how it’s spent. Besides, the public spending around the celebrations will go back into the economy, it’s not as though it all just went into the RF’s pockets.

Not struggling myself but I do think it was a monumental waste of money.

Didnt watch it, not my cup of tea.

Dont like the Royal Familt - think it should end with the Queen.

Enjoyed local festivities - it was a nice distraction from everything.

I agree with you

My GC got commemorative cups, every child in their area did. This is a borough were educational attainments are low and a cause is a lack of support for disabilities, mental health, SEN and other pastoral needs, as well as general poor schools. The S&L service is down to practically nothing and has been less than useful during Covid. We don't have any surgeons in our two local children's hospital who can do partial tonsillectomy, only removal. I don't know a parent who thinks that the spending was ok. We've also had art installations put in the area that cost £millions. They've turned a shopping area into a bar area, built a theatre and there is nothing for 10-18 year olds, especially those if lower income families. It's a farce.

In my area the community parties provided meals and games / activities. Surely better than sitting in their "cold houses", no? Leftovers were given out freely.

Just to add investing in families isn't just paying people's benefits. It's also providing services. I used to like having a royal family until the Queen was walked to her seat by Andrew, yet do nothing for Harry and Meghan, now she can get stuffed.

Same here. I am struggling to make ends meet and it was nice to go out and have fun for free with my community. A platinum jubilee has never happened before, it’s historic.

There's a lot of money wasted in the country, the jubilee wasn't the worst of it. I'm not pro monarchy, I think there's no moral place for it in a modern society, so most of this was not valued by me, but plenty of people did enjoy it so I take a live and let live approach to the celebration.

At the same time the government could and should be doing more to address petrol prices, electricity and gas (and the insane profits being made by utilities companies) etc. No one in a country with as much money as Britain, should be needing a food bank. But not spending on the jubilee wouldn't mean the govt spent it on the poorest people, they'd just blow it on some other self serving project.

I’m not struggling personally but still feel it was in bad taste to spend so much money on the Jubilee celebrations when so many can’t pay for basics like heating their house and food.

Not struggling to pay bills personally. But I have in the past. So whilst I’m appreciative that I’m in a different position now I do remember. I’m also a republican not a royalist.

I see the money spent as just the way it is. There are places I’d rather see money spent and things I see money spent on that I think is worse. I think the Jubliee in general brought out a lovely weekend. Our village had lovely celebrations. Free to get in. Activities for children provided (both free and charged). Lots of people baked cakes but there was no obligation to. An optional donation to charity was requested to eat the cakes which has gone to a local charity. Very reasonably priced BBQ food was sold, meat bought from the local butcher who is supplied by high welfare local farms, thereby money going back into the community. Drinks were sold, very reasonably priced but any excess made used to pay for the free activities and any profits from the day going either to charity or to pay for village hall upkeep. So my personal celebrations I have no issues in the money being spent, or in it being as inclusive as possible to be open to everyone regardless of income.

And I do think these things shouldn’t be a race to the bottom. I’m not well so my immune system isn’t working. I won’t mix indoors, or anywhere too crowded outside. So a lot of the celebrations wouldn’t be safe for me to go to. But I don’t begrudge anyone else having them!

I took the train to London, paid for the tube, lunch, spent a bit in various shops before going on towards The `Mall. I didn't spend a huge amount in the total scale of things, but it's all money I've put back into London and its economy that I wouldn't of done had there not been the celebrations. Multiply me by the tens of thousands there and it all adds up.

I thought it was tremendous, such a great mix of people all there together and in such high spirits.

It would have been nice if everyone in the UK had received some money instead. They could easily afford to do it.

It came to about £1 per UK household (£27m). All the rest spent was paid for through fundraising and there was a Lottery grant for something.
I think that's good value. That £27m would NOT have been spent alleviating poverty or to the NHS or whatever. It doesn't work like that.

Money spent means money earned. Lots of companies will have done well out of this. It wasn’t spent on the Royal family. Like when people whine about celebrities spending a fortune on weddings, it’s not them earning the money is it?

Anyway which publication do you write for?

I live in a very poor area of Glasgow. Plenty of people here live in cold houses (in the winter-not now obviously) and struggle to feed their kids.

We had a Jubilee party at the local community centre. There was a bouncy castle, a DJ, a display by the kids dance club and free packed lunches for the kids. It was very well attended and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

There are people who "don't celebrate" the Jubilee. But the reasons tend to be related to sectarian politics rather than class interests.

Catholics with a family link to Ireland were (by and large) not out celebrating because, of course, she isn't the queen in Ireland.
Conversely protestants might feel a hightened sense of attachment to "their queen" and see the Jubilee as a way of asserting community identity.

I'm personally a republican but I took the kids anyway because its right on the doorstep and its something to do.

I feel that the royal family could have paid for the kids books themselves rather than getting the government to do it. If Dolly Parton can do it, so can Lizzie.

Hmm maybe

can see it forming basis for article

Considering the next Jubilee will be 50+ years away (although will be two Coronations in between), I don't begrudge the cost.

The Coronation in 1953 came amidst dreadful austerity and it lifted everyone's spirits.

But then, you said you don't understand the monarchy...

anger should be with government not the monarchy for cost of living. It’s easy for it to be misplaced at the monarchy

my understanding the jubilee bank holidays made an extra 6billion for the economy.

What's it to you if you don't even live here?
Sound like you're only on here to stir up nastiness.
Bog off