General Chat

Waste of space or valuable asset?

Neither. They have their uses but we don't require them anymore. We rule ourselves alright. Keep them for tradition and the prestige but other than that there isn't much point.

,,,,,,,W,O,S,,,,,,,,,,

Valuable asset, Roy

Valuable asset but they need to regain credibility to survive. xx

Where is the value? They own lots of land which could be released for public use; they own lots of valuable works of art etc, which rightly belong to the nation. If they all disappeared tomorrow, I am sure tourists would still want to visit the palaces, castles etc. I think they are an anachronism. nell

I watched that too. Good but he said he wouldn't come and make a claim. He was the Earl of somewhere but was happy being Mr. Ordinary in Aus. I was surprised there wasn't more publicity over it.

lol lesley i saw that programme too, but if i rememder rightly he said he didnt want to claim his throne and was happy where he was...dont blame him

A very valuable asset. You never know the value of something till it,s gone - so be warned. Happy days

For goodness sake! The reason someone became king years ago is because he fought his way there. We've either had kings imposed on us (William the Conqueror) because they invaded and fought, or because we've chosen a specific person because they weren't Catholic (George I) etc. As it says in Monty Python you know who the king is because he's the only one not covered in sh*t. There's no DNA test to check that heirs to the throne are genuinely of royal blood; no intelligence test; no aptitude test; no psychometric tests. Naturally the press will complain about their behaviour and suitability. The Royals are now just fodder for the tabloids. nell

to me the royal family are part of what makes me british. they bring in millions in tourism and are ambassadors for us when they go elsewhere. fair enough the tourists would still want to see castles etc, but im not having that after a few years we would get as many visitors without the royals. and werent the commonwealth games good? in my opinion they are a british institution that i was proud to serve under. what would you rather have - someone like bush? president blair/brown? you could argue that blair runs the country anyway but i for one want the queens head on my post. in my humble opinion. paul.

Most eloquently stated Paul Nell obviously no intellegence test that goes without saying lol

Regarding tourism, I guess some people come for the Trooping of the Colour etc, though I can't believe that would be their only reason for visiting London. The Queen isn't exactly on display at all times, only certain events. Most people visiting Buck Palace etc wouldn't see the family members. But even if they do bring in money, they cost a lot in upkeep and for all the goodwill, Prince Philip's many notorious gaffes have probably created a lot of ill will. nell

so whats the alternative then nell?

The Queen does pay her taxes now though xx

You could argue that Blair runs the country? Well of course he does. It's his job. The Queen's job description dissappeared way back.

but only because we say he can dan. and i repeat to you what i said to nell, whats the alternative? i do value the opinion of those who disagree. but surely thats what this country means isnt it? freedom of speech etc. fought for by kings and queens of days gone by. i think if you want to live under a president then move to france, 40% unemployment. or america, huge recession. or zimbabwe, racist murdering dictator. im quite happy being a brit with the monarchy thanks.

Well if you look back I did say that we should keep them for decoration and tradition, but I am under no illusion that they are otherwise quite useless. We don't really live under a Monarchy. We have a Monarch. That is all.

well as i said dan mate i value your opinion. its wrong, but i value it.

Parasites in my view. I'd rather my head of state be an elected idiot than someone who was born in the right bed. Gwynne