General Chat

Hi Guinevere, Thankyou for your explaination. Kelly :-)

Them or President Tony? Suddenly I've become a royalist!!

Groomed to be royal? That must take ages. PM I think is a bit more difficult, otherwise we'd all be at it.

Figures published in June 2005 showed each person in this country paid less than £1 per year towards the Royal Family. In fact the figure quoted was 61p per person. Now that sounds good value for money to me. The yanks would sell their grandmothers to have a royal tradition in their country. Now what has happened to the other several £1000's of pounds of tax I pay each year? suggestions on a post card please.

Apart from anything else, presidencies cast far more to maintain than a monarchy. Also, would anyone really like President Bush to be your president after all the scathing remarks I've seen about him here?

Yes for a good example of a republic look at Zimbabwe. Wasn't this a country that was part of our monarchy once and chose to become a republic. The country woke on Saturday to news of an overnight price rise that left bread 60% more expensive than the previous day. Zimbabweans are struggling to survive with the world's highest inflation rate and shortest life expectancy. Most will be dead before 40. OK an extreme example but it shows what can happen...!

An elected Head of State every time. How many of you who are moaning about Tony Blair actually voted ? If enough people want a change of government... in a democracy you can have one. All you have to do is stop whinging and go the polling station. Rant over. Jean.

I voted, as I have for the last 37 years without exception, but not for TB.

Jean In answer to your question I voted. But not for him xx :0) (I have voted in every election that I was eligible to vote in. Voting is very important, even if it's only to ensure the lesser of two evils).

Sorry Jean, but that isn't always the case - any democracy is only one step away from a dictatorship. In addition to that, if you have a government that brings in laws that are unpopular, certainly the government may change at the next election, but it's very rare that the new government gets rid of the laws brought in by its predecessor. This is an issue that is at the forefront here in the USA just now. The Patriot Act is a gross abuse process in the minds of many, but the chances of it being repealed are negligible. Many, many people detest with a passion our drugs laws. EG did you know that if the police come in to my home and find a wad of cash they can take it without warrant if they consider it to be drug money, and the chances of me getting it back are virtually nil? They don't have to explain themselves, and they don't have to prosecute me for a drug-related offence, the officer only has to say 'I think this money may have come from drugs.' A much-hated law that no government has the courage or will to repeal. It provides good funds for the 'War on Drugs.' I don't mean to start another discussion here, I'm just using this example to make a point.

I didn't know that Felicity , that really is very scary xx

May I comment? Whenever I am asked over here just what exactly the Queen DOES my answer is - 'Imagine your flag coming down off the pole and walking around and talking to people'. I apologize for intruding, I'm an American citizen now but always have been and always will be a Royalist. Tradition is important - if it wasn't would we all be trying to find our own personal traditions? And I do think that if one actually looks at facts it will be found that QE refunds the 'government' for all monies paid to her children. And that real estate 'deeded' to this same 'government' is worth today more than 10 times the pensions paid to her. Please people, we all know how important research is - so do some Anne. P.S. to Paul - huge recession In the U.S.? We have a 3.5% unemployment rate in this country and 12,000,000 illegals. Not too bad in my opinion. And my tiny IRA investment to cover funeral expenses has increased from a gunny sack to a pine box during the oil 'crisis'.

All I can say is thank goodness I don't live in America. Surely there must be some brave soul who would stand on a platform to reform unpopular laws. If enough are agin it then surely they would vote in his/her favour. Jean (still wearing her rose tinted glasses).

waste of space at the mo.if william was crowned king and not charles i,d be happy,but he wont and until he is king[william] then i,ll pass,they dont listen to the people,we have been lied to by charles and his crew all along.and the queen should have listened to our voice.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxjoy

Well dear me, your rose tinted glasses will make sure that I never try to interfere again

All together now Everyone sing God save our gracious Queen Long live our noble Queen, God save the Queen: Send her victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us: God save the Queen. O Lord, our God, arise, Scatter thine enemies, And make them fall: Confound their politics, Frustrate their knavish tricks, On thee our hopes we fix: God save us all. Thy choicest gifts in store, On her be pleased to pour; Long may she reign: May she defend our laws, And ever give us cause To sing with heart and voice God save the Queen. Paul

Amen to that Paul xx

i,ll sing when williams king,ooooooh im a poet and i know it.xxxxxxxjoy

If you are intruding, Anne, then so am I. :-) I think though, that we have a dual perspective on this kind of issue so I too hope no-one minds me saying my piece. Jean, rose colored specs are wonderful and I have some of my own, but what you hope for is wishful thinking. :-) The best that can happen I think is for the population to work on the 'use it or lose it' philosophy. Do things because you can. Like the gun laws in England that are so restrictive because not enough people exercised them so when the Government had a knee-jerk reaction to a massacre, everyone lost the right to use firearms. (Except a few farmers.) Yes, I know all the arguments regarding gun-related incidents in the USA. I can't remember who said this but I think it's very true - a government should be afraid of the people, people should not be afraid of their government.

Anne, Don't let my rose tinted glasses put you off. I have to wear them ... if I thought that things could not be changed for the better then I would despair. :))) Jean x.