How do you feel about the RF and monarchy?

[MarshaBradyo]

Has it changed, do you support more or less

I had a thought that the Queen’s passing might lessen it for me but opposite has happened. I appreciate the historical significance and process

Also if you’re part of Commonwealth (I’m Aus too so am interested) what’s the general vibe about monarchy v republic

I'm indifferent really. I'm not a republican and I'm not a royalist. Doesn't bother me if they exist or not. I'm sure there are pros and cons to having them. I acknowledge the Queen did a good until the end and I respect her for that. What I really dislike is all the fawning and gushing over them. There

Pressed post too soon! There are so many stories coming out that just make me think "So what?". Someone said they met the Queen and she said she was looking forward to a nice cup of tea. Someone else told Charles they had cancer and he wished them well. Other people think Sophie of Wessex seems nice. I mean so what? They're human beings not Gods. I tell people I fancy a cup of tea all the time but no one remembers this or repeats the fact in a gushing, fawning manner that I once wanted a nice cup of tea!! I find it all so odd. Yes the Queen seemed exemplary (although we'll never really know what she was like) but the rest of them are rather flawed, a dysfunctional, pampered family.

I think theyre grieving and its inappropriate to be debating this when our long lived and dedicated monarch isn't even in the ground yet

Saying if they didn't exist all the money that's currently committed to maintaining a monarchy will be redirected to "worthy" causes likes NHS, tackling poverty, education is like the brexit bus pledge and that didnt happen either.
Not funding the monarchy isn't going to solve societies ills they're just an easy target

I don’t agree

There are polls on you gov re the new King and how well liked he is atm. There’s always going to be a topic at this time when it’s at the fire front of people’s minds.

It’s only a discussion re how people feel. Nearly half of mn is taken up with the same sort of posts - for or against so I can’t see people would be upset by this rather tame thread.

Part of my reassessment has been seeing history play out in a way. I find it quite something to see, the spectacle of it.

Also presidents etc travelling across the world to pay respects, that is also a big deal

I would not want to lose it but I get why people feel differently.

Must be a reason there are so many threads like this now…

Can’t be doing with them.

I’m weary of them.

I would like them all to move to Windsor Castle and those that don’t want to get proper jobs can just live there. Ideally they will be self sufficient though.

I would like the role of monarch to be symbolic only and the king to pour his energies into his excellent schemes to encourage vocational apprentice work as highlighted in the Repair Shop programme. He has done excellent work and can do more.

I would like B palace to become a museum for the nation & would like things like the stamp collection sold off to re-boot a new type of NHS. Likewise, all the palaces (st James, Clarence House, Kensington, balmoral) can be sold or refurbished into affordable housing for families.

I am weary of them. So weary.

Because you just searched through RF section on mn to bump an old thread?

Not sure why but it seems odd to get concerned about threads in this section being on the topic

Plus this was during the funeral which was a time when people were talking about the RF

They are a living link to a large part of my own ancestry so I do, obviously. 😉

My faith in it is renewed every time I have the displeasure of encountering the anti-intellectual drivel. People who have had no exposure to the best of British education and culture, who have read, understood or seen very little, angrily and provocatively trying to put the world to rights by demonizing things which have always worked and endured over the centuries.
What do they have to offer instead of any merit? Nothing. A load of buzzword mumbo jumbo and cliched ideas - much of which was cobbled together in the last thirty years.

The tide is turning back though (as it always does).

Morals of alleycats most of them! Privileged and pampered.

Having said that, I'm not actually a republican. I think we should keep them...if only for the soap opera element! Also I doubt an elected head of state would do much better.

I think the whole royal family needs to sit and watch Game Of Thrones and take detailed notes.

If we’re going to have a squabbling royal family they need to handle things in a more interesting way.

Don’t write a book with a shit title. Ride in on a dragon and burn Buckingham Palace to the ground.

Honestly, they need to make themselves more watchable.

I'm Irish living in the UK. I abhor the idea of hereditary power and the personalities of the individuals is irrelevant to me - we don't get to choose and that's wrong. I like the Irish model.

Having said that, while we have them I LOVE the superficial ridiculousness of the pomp and pageantry and love the weddings, funerals, state dinners. I want the coronation to be over the top in every way, I want gold carriages, tiaras, crowns, women dripping diamonds and men in silly uniforms.

But of course, it shouldn't be happening at all.

I feel they need to change many things if they are to last and remain wanted and popular

If it happens at all it'll probably have to wait for William and Kate; having waited so long I can't see Charles denying himself any of the privileges now

As a republican my view on the overall principle hasn't changed, but all the same I thoroughly object to having a paedophile enabler as monarch and find it a shame that so many don't appear to care about this

As a pp said I think it is unlikely that any elected president would be any better. The UK doesn't exactly have a great track record when it come to electing capable leaders.

I don't agree with the hereditary principle of monarchy but I think the alternative could be even worse. There is enough division in the country at the moment without another divisive referendum about the monarchy. There are also much more important issues to deal with first.

I'd vote to keep them because I like the history/pageantry/usefulness as a carrot for UK foreign policy. I do think the royal court and the way it's run should be scaled down and used more efficiently. There have been rumours that Charles intends to do that so we'll see how successful he is.

Interestingly William chose a financial reformer for his current private secretary who worked for several Chancellors of the Exchequer, is a graduate of the London School of Economics and was known in Whitehall circles as being a budget slasher and cost cutter. So it looks like he's got plans for reducing expenditure.

I'd possibly be up for a republic and a complete overhaul of the hereditary privilege system we have now if we ever get a strong and ethical government in place that can come up with a fair and useful replacement system and not just use it to create a money-making chaos for their rich buddies or as an excuse to increase their own political power at the expense of what's best for the country.

I think Brexit has shown that the Tories are not the party to do that. I'd be interested to hear from the republican Labour politicians for their plans and how they would make it work. The problem is a lot of the Labour politicians enjoy their elite circle privilege, Royal honours and House of Lord's titles eventually.

I totally agree with you. The RF are a bunch of parasites but the sycophants are happy to adore them. The RF have had the best of everything all their lives. If they gave their numerous homes for the homeless and desperate I might have a bit more time for them.

The Royal Family keep behaving totally awful and the Royalists keep fawning.
They have been friends with paedophiles and convicted sexual abusers and sex traffickers. Allegedly raping a sex trafficked teenager. Lots of dodgy financial shenanigans. And the morals of alley cats. They also expend a lot of energy getting laws changed to benefit themselves and accumulating more and more wealth.
Even the so called nice stories shared to show their sense of humour do not portray them in a good light.

I’m a republican both as an Australian and British citizen.

I still find them very interesting.

I would not marry into the royal family if asked. I do not envy their lives.

This.

Plus Brexit has shown what a mess it is to get rid of something rather than making a positive choice of a different model. If there was a thought through, costed alternative model for a Head of State that had a realistic chance of being better for the country (with those benefits clearly defined, costed etc etc) then I would probably vote for it. In the absence of that, a knee jerk 'get rid of them' would only bring a huge amount of division and damage, without necessarily resulting in a better system.

Given how wealth and privilege are perpetuated in our democracy, as can be seen in the Cabinet, I think the RF are a symptom of a wider issue which will not be changed by having an elected Head of State.

Lifelong republican - hopefully I will die in a republic , with the monarchy felled by their own hands. - can you hear the people sing ?

First though the House of Lords where the sovereign sits when allowed to by Parliament aptly named of course the House of Commons.

theconversation.com/labours-plan-to-abolish-the-house-of-lords-what-exactly-has-been-proposed-and-the-chances-keir-starmer-will-adopt-it-195976

I am broadly in favour for a couple of reasons.

An elected Head of State gives us the likes of Trump or Blair, career politicians in it for personal gain.

I accept that the monarchy system isn't a perfect alternative, it's a gamble - and luckily Charles was born first, before Andrew. But at least the ones in line know what's in store for them and they can either bail at the first opportunity or decide to get on with it and do the best they can and learn from those further up the line.

The Queen was well respected by other heads of state because of her depth of knowledge and experience, she had probably seen most eventualities and had the benefit of a lot of hindsight. Most of our own prime ministers appreciated being able to talk to her. She didn't tell them what to do, but she would have been able to comment on what happened last time and why. She took the job seriously and kept up to date with home and word events.

If we have a head of state then let's have one that appreciates the office and what it stands for, and one that is well respected and one that is in it for the long haul, and not just for there own 15 minutes of fame. If we are going to do it, let's do it well.

Charles used to be laughed at back in the 70s and 80s because of his speeches on plastic waste etc. He was right.

His Princes Trust has done so much for young disadvantaged kids, and helped others who weren't so disadvantaged but needed financial backing to get small business off the ground.

I have a lot of time for him.

Monarchy isn't perfect, but when it's done well it can be beneficial in ways elected heads of state cannot.

I've been surprised there hasn't been more of an upsurge in republicanism following the queen's death.

I don't understand the fawning for a family of nincomputs.

Hopefully the commonwealth will break up and that will cascade into the whole shebang.

@Createausername1970
"An elected Head of State gives us the likes of Trump or Blair, career politicians in it for personal gain. "

Politicians are ineligible to stand as president in many countries

It's simple

And Trump is constantly referenced- and it's stupid as the US is almost unique in combining what would be PM with presidential role.
It's a false comparison