Time for a Republic?

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by Damien

I am not a Republican but one of the better arguments for it is for the family itself. The institution really seems to do a number on many of them, Prince Harry is far from the first Royal that has struggled with the role and the attention that comes with it.

They're typically thought of as being incredibly privileged but it's a weird privilege where you get all the wealth you'll ever need but your life has been decided for you, you have to perform to the whims of an entire nation and it Government while all your transgressions are national news.

There's lot of people in the country that struggle more than the Royals. However we don't always hear about all their issues....

The royals could resign and lead a quiet life. Few do and those that tend to give tv interviews/ write books, then complain about privacy. Harry's no worse than the rest of them , and the abuse and racial hatred and media campaign against his wife is obscene, but they aren't totally blameless.

The whole lot of them are irrelevant to the issues facing Britain today. Get rid and move on. Call it 'taking back control' if you like. Where' s Oliver Cromwell when you need him ?

[RichardCoulter]

Charles has said he wants to cull the royal family even more, which is a good thing IMO.

I think that Charles realises that the appetite for the monarchy is waning (especially now that the Queen has died), so looks to be trying to look to be dealing with this by having a lower key Coronation, getting rid of more of the hangers on etc.

Originally Posted by Mr K

There's lot of people in the country that struggle more than the Royals. However we don't always hear about all their issues....

The royals could resign and lead a quiet life. Few do and those that tend to give tv interviews/ write books, then complain about privacy. Harry's no worse than the rest of them , and the abuse and racial hatred and media campaign against his wife is obscene, but they aren't totally blameless.

The whole lot of them are irrelevant to the issues facing Britain today. Get rid and move on. Call it 'taking back control' if you like. Where' s Oliver Cromwell when you need him ?

Those in the direct line of the throne can't easily resign, especially not multiple ones. It causes chaos and they know it. They must be under incredible pressure, maybe even guilt, to do the task they're told they're born to do.

I think it's the case that neither George VI nor Elizabeth II initially relished the prospect, as far as we can tell anyway.

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by Damien

Those in the direct line of the throne can't easily resign, especially not multiple ones. It causes chaos and they know it. They must be under incredible pressure, maybe even guilt, to do the task they're told they're born to do.

I think it's the case that neither George VI nor Elizabeth II initially relished the prospect, as far as we can tell anyway.

Even more reason to get rid of the monarchy of its too much stress for the poor poppets. A nice job in Poundland and the minimum wage will be a great relief to them.

Originally Posted by Mr K

Even more reason to get rid of the monarchy of its too much stress for the poor poppets. A nice job in Poundland and the minimum wage will be a great relief to them.

Mate - get over it.

Kate’s taken…

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Jaymoss

How will it make a difference? I do think having a monarchy makes more than it costs

The Palace of versailles gets many, many more visitors than Buckingham Palace, millions more and there's sod all in it, certainly no royals, people don't come here to catch a glimpse of a royal, well a few oddballs aside maybe, they come here in spite of them not because of them

Originally Posted by Chris

There are two essential tasks performed at the top of any modern nation state - head of state and head of government. These positions may or may not be held by the same person and one or other of them may be partially or entirely ceremonial in nature, as executive functions may be located in one sphere or the other. Exactly what you call the roles is a secondary issue. Kim Jong Un is styled ‘Supreme Leader’ rather than ‘king’ but nonetheless he is a hereditary monarch with absolute power not unlike some former European kings (notably in France, and that ultimately didn’t end well for them). The powers of the President of the USA are not unlike those of a British constitutional monarch of the 18th century, though they are defined by a written constitution rather than a millennium of tradition and precedent.

It's much more complicated than just abolishing the royal family and tbh I could stomach them if they were trimmed right back, it's the class system they sit at the top of that I would like to see gone, old school ties and knowing lord blah is so 18th century

Originally Posted by Hugh

Mate - get over it.

Kate’s taken…

It's not Kate he's after it's Fergie

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

The Palace of versailles gets many, many more visitors than Buckingham Palace, millions more and there's sod all in it, certainly no royals, people don't come here to catch a glimpse of a royal, well a few oddballs aside maybe, they come here in spite of them not because of them



It's much more complicated than just abolishing the royal family and tbh I could stomach them if they were trimmed right back, it's the class system they sit at the top of that I would like to see gone, old school ties and knowing lord blah is so 18th century



It's not Kate he's after it's Fergie

Well, he’s up for it…

Looking at the republics around the globe I pass.Might as well stay with what we know.

[ianch99]

Originally Posted by Mr K

Why are and the media (and we?) so obsessed with all this royal crap? There are so many bigger issues, cost of living, climate change, nhs, war in Ukraine.

Yet many papers and news channels, not just tabloids, keep leading with Harry's book and the latest Royal self-indulgent twaddle.
E.g. the Torygraph has led on it for several days, despite their commentators saying ignore Harry! Hypocritical or what? Trying to distract from the real issues going on the country maybe?

Just another example why this country is going down the pan.

I never used to be particularly a republican or royalist. Used to think on balance they were worth it to the country , but that time has gone. We'd be better off without them, particularly now the only worthwhile Royal has gone.

There are so many reasons why the Monarchy should go. The construct is an historical anachronism. If you hold it up and apply a moral, ethical and societal analysis, it quickly falls apart. Why is it still here you might ask? Well, most people, for a variety of reasons, do not challenge its right & validity to exist and so it lives on, primarily through inertia.

Why might many not challenge the status quo? Well, as a context, we are brought up in a country that sells the monarch as a benign, benevolent and harmless entity. We are groomed to think that this is a necessary part of our society and so why would we challenge it? There is no education through our childhood that discusses the pros & cons of monarchy and encourages us to think objectively on the subject. Moreover, the PR machine that has been refined over centuries does a very good job. It is a well oiled machine which only in recent years, have the wheels started to come off it. The spin of the monarchy being a necessary presence in our lives, painted onto a backdrop of rose-tinted Empire nostalgia, simply encourages the majority not to even question things or ask the important questions.

So to the moral, ethical and societal issues:

- no one has the right to demand and receive deference from their fellow citizens. You could get away with it when you were a feudal overlord, ruling over indentured serfs but I would like to think we have moved on from this position.
- no one is born, appointed by God, to reign over a democratic society. You might have that personal delusion but tolerating it from such an individual is just ridiculous
- no one should have the power and privilege to intercept proposed laws before that are put to the Commons and make changes beneficial to the Crown
- no one should literally own the coastal seafloor so that they receive money from allowing the installation & use of wind power turbines
- the Crown is the keystone in the arch of our very real, and powerful, class system. It binds the system together and formalises the various tiers of society that engineer wealth, privilege and advantage for a small minority. This then perpetuates the "glass ceilings" that so many encounter when trying to rise through society. As long as you go to the "right" school, go to the "right" university and, ideally, comes from the "right" family, your prosperous future, and that of your children, is virtually guaranteed. The very opposite of a free meritocracy.
- I personally think that an individual whose personal wealth is approaching £1 billion should not assume the position of head of a Christian church whose primary teachings abhor obscene wealth.
- the demand we have to insist that children are born into a life where that must live in a privileged & gilded cage where they cannot not openly express opinions or defend their decision is perverse. Of course, when you do, as in Harry's case, you are hounded & demonised by the Right Wing press operating as a proxy for the "system"
- lastly, the current incarnation of the royal family is fast approaching a freak show: we have Andrew the nonce who, as far as we know, had his victim paid off by tax payer's money. It turns out that the Commons is not allow to debate the question of who paid off his victim. You then have the very weird spectacle of people who have queued for hours at Balmoral when the Royal Family walks past them as if they do not exist. What motivates people to do this?

In terms of replacing the head of state, let not perfection be the enemy of the good ...

So, your not a fan then.

[richard-john56]

Harry certainly has hit the self-destruct button.

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by richard-john56

Harry certainly has hit the self-destruct button.

The whole lot of them have been pressing self destruct for the last 30 years. Kiddy fiddler Andrew, adulterers Charles and Di, Racist Philip, toe licking Fergie, Nazi dressed Harry, countless failed marriages/affairs.... Its as if they haven't got enough to do and are accountable to nobody.

Yet we love all this and are glad to pay for it. Endless books, gutter press, TV series etc... What a waste of time and money.

Meanwhile the real issues in the country have to take a back seat. We are starting to become the laughing stock of the world.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by ianch99

Harry's case, you are hounded & demonised by the Right Wing press operating as a proxy for the "system"

- lastly, the current incarnation of the royal family is fast approaching a freak show: we have Andrew the nonce who, as far as we know, had his victim paid off by tax payer's money. It turns out that the Commons is not allow to debate the question of who paid off his victim. You then have the very weird spectacle of people who have queued for hours at Balmoral when the Royal Family walks past them as if they do not exist. What motivates people to do this?

Nonce's victim was only gagged for a year, there's a big brown storm gathering right now that even James Hewitt's son can't compete with.

---------- Post added at 14:55 ---------- Previous post was at 14:53 ----------

Originally Posted by Mr K

The toe licking Fergie,

The man's obsessed with her

Nazi dressed Harry.

Will's made him do that