Wales Children in Coronation procession

[AskAwayAgain]

George, Charlotte and Louis will be in the Coronation Procession. A shame Archie was not invited to join them.

I agree

Well, agreed, but if the argument is that we shouldn't have a monarchy because of the ridiculous cost then it seems reasonable to compare to a republican system that is also expensive.

That's to say, the cost issue isn't about the nature of the Head of State, an elected HoS can be as expensive as a hereditary monarchy.

I was working in the US during Clinton's second inauguration, fairly near DC, so went there for the long weekend out of curiosity.

It was truly weird to stand there in the Mall with about 100,000 all reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in unison (obviously I didn't, not being American). Thank goodness we don't have the equivalent!

A lot of fun, though, all sorts of activities, talks, concerts etc and a real sense of celebration for the 'ordinary' people as well as the elites - I don't know what happened out of DC, of course, with the many millions who weren't there.

That would've been very interesting I bet!

I would say the same about the Bastille Day parades in France, for example. Every country probably has the equivalent 'waste' of money - but it could also be seen as building community, perhaps?

I mean, a funeral is a ridiculous waste of money as well, doesn't benefit the deceased, and the money could be better spent by donating it to a food bank. But the ceremony can be valuable to the family and friends.

How do you 'price' something so intangible?

Yes, it's a very domestic occasion - all the (few) foreigners I met were, like me, there because they were in the neighbourhood and thought they'd drop by. It wasn't something you'd go far out of your way to attend. Unlike US citizens.

So very much an American occasion!

Very much so. I've seen many an inauguration on TV, I can't imagine what it would be like.

Why do you keep on mistakenly saying that George is heir? William is the heir and it is his children, as the future sons and daughter of a monarch, who are invited to join in. Like it or not, it’s nothing new and is how the Royal Family has always worked.

Look at Princess Margaret and Prince Andrew for confirmation that the sibling of the heir and their children are irrelevant in these sort of events and given the slimming down, it’s not surprising that fewer members of the family than ever are involved.

A better way to build community is to make sure everyone is fed and housed in safe warm homes they can afford to lay down roots in.

Maybe a solution to Macron's political difficulties would be to offer to keep the current pension age and pay for it by giving up Bastille Day parades! I wonder which way the population would vote 😂

Joking/speculation aside, I agree that everyone should be fed and housed in safety with long term security. I think a one-off £100m is irrelevant in bringing that about

For those that are confused, it was in response to this
Every country probably has the equivalent 'waste' of money - but it could also be seen as building community, perhaps?

I gave an example of another way to build community that I think is a better use of our resources. Saying that 100 million won’t do it all so why not waste it on this is a weak argument. We waste a lot of money on things that are not as important as the basics of life for all, this would be but one of those things.

Well, we'll have to agree to disagree!

I'm looking forward to the picnic with our neighbours, and am also taking part in a volunteering fair to promote the local 'Friends of' group for our local park that I helped to set up.

The park is owned by the local Council and they do the basics of keeping it cleaned and maintained, we're doing the extras of planting bulbs and shrubs, cleaning up an abandoned area and turning it into a nature reserve etc. All things I could say the Council should do, but in the current climate won't happen unless a bunch of volunteers do it. I have made a range of friends from all sorts of backgrounds, and love the day to day interactions as well as the end result.

Building those relationships has helped so many people in so many ways, neighbours actually speaking to each other 😀and going on to help with shopping when someone is ill, looking after pets, giving emotional and legal support when someone's adult child had a psychotic breakdown...

Money is important, but relationships can do a huge amount as well.

I would love the £20,000 my council set aside for the coronation celebrations to be spent on the potholes!

Our neighbours have provided thousands of pounds worth of care to each other, simply because we have a relationship. We have shopped for each other during illness, provided long-term mental health support after bereavement, provided baby-sitting and pet-sitting either planned or short notice. Provided security during times when a house was empty due to holiday.

Look up 'social capital'. It has an economic value.

I have spoken before about the volunteering initiative which I have nothing but praise for, having been a one for a very long time.

Here's the link

thebighelpout.org.uk/

What has that got to do with the coronation though? You can create a good community without a royal family.

Well, maybe ask these elected politicians for 2 days of their income! Top Tory MPs ask for £10,000 a day to work for fake Korean company | Conservatives | The Guardian

That's a very good point

I agree it's a good initiative OP but they could have got behind something like this long ago.

We need volunteers all the time, because of the nature of the roles people come and go and it's very flexible so that we can attract helpers, but it's still not enough.

I started during Covid and because of the flexibility Ive been able to keep going. I love it!

Good to hear @PreparationPreparationPrep

I started maybe 15 years ago now, can't even remember! I have scaled back now after having burnout lol, but do a little bit still.

It is wrong that volunteers pick up where the Government should be providing... but that will never change. And it is rewarding at times.

That's a long time Rousette - Good for you. Luckily when work/home gets a bit hectic they are quite happy for us to step back and do as and when. It means more admin for them but on the other hand they don't lose trained volunteers.

Well firstly we're never going to have a 'slimmed down monarchy' if we don't 'slim it down'. Secondly the Sussexes don't seem to respect the Crown.

I don't want to see the Sussex children involved in the coronation, I don't believe the public have had a chance to get to know them as royals, we've never even seen them with their grandad / cousins or ironically Lily with the queen she was named after.

If H & M value their children's connection and relationship with his family they should rather meet and get to know they're family behind closed doors - out from under the lense, not on balconies and in ceremonies purely for photo opportunities to enhance their revenue making opportunities.

Not to mention they are very young and not used to any of the media attention / crowds / long tedious ceremonies / being in the spotlight etc. I would imagine the whole day to be quite an ordeal and even upsetting for them.

I had thought it would be longer getting them packed in there than the actual ceremony. It should be OK for Charlotte and George, not sure about Louis. He has good dance moves however judging by the video clip!

H&M are anti UK whilst still wanting all the royal fuss. So I hope they stay away. But it's hard for them to resist, despite their protestations.