To not understand how the UK can afford to pay £250 million for the coronation?

[Kedfs]

When there are people reliant on food banks to survive and we are told that there is no money to pay for nurses and teachers pay rises?

Whatever your thoughts are on having a monarchy, having a coronation is unnecessary and was abandoned by other monarchies years ago. If he really wants one, can’t he pay for it himself, given that he has billions of pounds?

Well I wouldnt have spent it anyway because its not a trip I would do, Ive only booked it because the bank holiday gave me the opportunity

I know you're trying really hard but come on!!!

When there are people reliant on food banks to survive and we are told that there is no money to pay for nurses and teachers pay rises?

But we can afford these things, they are opting not to. I thought everyone knew this now it's so blatant.

Exactly this. MNers do love a good froth, and the argument needs to be all one sided so they can indulge..

Also, honestly, those of you who think that if there wasn't going to be a Coronation event then the money would instead go to help people who need it are being beyond naive.

@amicissimma

At the Queen's funeral the security guards were lining the streets, about a metre apart, which must have required thousands and at least that many, if not more, will be employed on Saturday.

Do you mean members of HM Forces or somebody else?

@Aslanplustwo

Also, honestly, those of you who think that if there wasn't going to be a Coronation event then the money would instead go to help people who need it are being beyond naive.

This in spades. As I said, we haven't had a Coronation for 71 years. To begrudge the Royal Family and their supporters this Coronation, is spiteful and pathetic.

Oh nooooo, it's only British Royalty who we are allowed to attack and berate. The 10s of millions other countries spend is irrelevant. Also it's incredibly fashionable to bash the British, particularly the ENGLISH, and double woke points if it's the Royal Family.

Ditto if it's a thread about badly behaved children. Children from every country in the world are impeccably behaved. English children are feral monsters. 🙄

America has Presidential Inaugurations every 4 years. How much do they cost? Do they attract even a fraction of the worldwide media attention that the Royal Coronation will?

Did you miss the multi billion cost of furlough and other support schemes during covid that were aimed at ordinary people?

But the British royals are amongst the richest people in the world. They have enormous wealth and they can afford it. Not so the British people.

Apparently our PM's family is richer than the royal family so when posters talk about redistribution of wealth it's worth bearing in mind.

Yeah I'd really like to see the sums for that.

But we've recently celebrated the Diamond Jubilee, and had two state funerals. We will also have all the usual pageantry this year of Trooping of the Colour etc.

Other European monarchies have either replaced coronations with simpler ceremonies to mark an accession (e.g. Norway and Denmark) or have never practiced coronations in the first place (e.g. The Netherlands and Belgium). So they just have a simple oath taken in front of the country's legislature and I don't understand why the UK can't do that too? Then give the money saved to fund a hospice or a specialist hospital or something?

Prince Charles could have read the room, dressed in an ordinary suit and signed a book and had the Archbishop of Canterbury there to say a simple prayer to wish him luck and God bless the British people. To be anointed in great finery seems awfully pompous and out of sync with modern times and I think it will come to be seen as a mistep.

I wish they had gone for a far more pared down coronation and think it’s missed opportunity to modernise the monarchy and send a message.
That said, I can’t get worked up about it. As a country we spend silly money on state events every year, and it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the money being wasted by the government daily. We have food banks and all the other issues in this country because of the crap (and often corrupt) political choices made over the past 13 years, not because some guy has invited people to watch him play dress up on Saturday. It’s a crass amount to spend on that yes, but just a distraction from the real issues.

A fiver spent on promoting such a huge symbol of the inequality that is destroying our society would be too much .

But surely the real issues are the point aren't they?

If you read the headlines it's full of strikes from transport workers, nurses, junior doctors. Working families having to resort to using food banks. An unprecedented level of homelessness. It takes a fortnight to get an appointment with a GP, for a dentist it's even worse, public transport is expensive and broken, council and public services have been ground down to the bone.

Great British institutions like libraries and public parks are neglected.

This is modern Britain today! These issues reflect the way in which the very fabric of our society functions. The monarchy, of all institutions, should be listening and taking note.

Which is why I said I wish they had gone down a different route and that it’s a missed opportunity. But on the ‘grand hierarchy of things that piss me off’ it’s very very low level and, as I say, a great way to distract from the cause of the real issues - blame the RF/immigrants/tofu eaters or whatever you want just don’t look at the ones actually causing the problems.

For those who are after figures pub / hospitality group spokesperson saying May will be a great boost due to all the events

Good for tourists, and a good boost overall

Although train strikes will likely dampen it a bit unfortunately

https://www.businessleader.co.uk/uk-hospitality-set-for-2-6-billion-coronation-boost/

This was the Jubilee

https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2022/05/30/Hospitality-set-for-bumper-Jubilee-bank-holiday-with-2.9bn-boost-predicted

If you want to be annoyed at gov spending this is not it. The government throws money away on useless crap all the time. often to personally benefit themselves or their mates. At least this will bring some festivity and generate tourism.

£250 million is about £4 a head. I’d happily pay £4 for an extra day off. And given the razzmatazz and tourism and TV rights and whatever it probably pays for itself. I seriously don’t understand how people can get upset over £250 million but don’t even remember the £38 billlion wasted on Test and Trace, for which head should roll.

YDBear · Today 08:04
£250 million is about £4 a head. I’d happily pay £4 for an extra day off. And given the razzmatazz and tourism and TV rights and whatever it probably pays for itself. I seriously don’t understand how people can get upset over £250 million but don’t even remember the £38 billlion wasted on Test and Trace, for which head should roll.

I agree re Test and Trace. So many other ways in which the Government have wasted our tax payers money, funnelled it towards their friends in corrupt ways and trashed the economy etc.

I don’t, however, agree that tax payers money should be used in anyway to pay for the monarchy. Aristocratic families are where they are today (and I say this as someone who knows and loves some aristocrats) simply because their ancestors where the greediest and meanest people, who set things up so they could keep the power and wealth. Much of the wealth amassed through slavery or having workers in poor conditions.

I am not sure I buy the argument about it making more money than it costs. I’d like to see the evidence. Where have you got that from? Where does the money from the TV rights go? Sure there will be some extra tax revenue from people using hospitality but how much extra?

Regardless of the money it might generate and whether this pays for it or makes extra, I think when people are struggling so much, it is distasteful and crass to flaunt wealth in this way. It’s an outdated institution and it’s time to modernise it. I just hope William does something different.

If you think about the last few years for hospitality it’s been so hard. From pandemic to huge energy costs which are not capped in same way.

12 businesses closing a day, if May starts the end to people losing businesses and jobs then that’s good

Fair enough Purplehyena we are in broad agreement!

I was just reacting to your specific comment about not getting worked up about it.

Just a personal opinion but I think we should be protesting more because I think, as you say, this is distracting us from the bigger picture, but also, I think it goes further than that as it embeds privilege and wealth at the very heart of our society and I don’t think that sets the right example from the top down.

It’s to convince the forelock tuggers and bowing and scraping enthusiasts that the UK is still exceptional. That the fact we’re rapidly becoming poorer doesn’t matter because ‘we’re great and pomp and circumstance’.

SunnyEgg · Today 08:43
If you think about the last few years for hospitality it’s been so hard. From pandemic to huge energy costs which are not capped in same way.

12 businesses closing a day, if May starts the end to people losing businesses and jobs then that’s good

But, this is just one weekend. What would actually help the hospitality sector is for people to have more disposable income. We used to eat out regularly, weekly at least, sometimes twice a day if we were having a lazy day and didn’t want to cook. We now eat out around once a month, if that. We just don’t have enough disposable income and the costs are now much higher. The coronation won’t solve that.

Have a look at the articles I linked below

It has figures on increased overall spend