The Queen / The Monarchy

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icowden

Legendary Member
Why do we need people to do these things?, they are unnecessary and just an excuse for having a free feed and drink, with some fancy dress.
The people bring publicity which is good for business. The people are popular in other countries such as the USA and thus bring tourists.
 

All uphill

Active Member
The people bring publicity which is good for business. The people are popular in other countries such as the USA and thus bring tourists.

It's a hell of an expensive way to promote tourism!
 
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icowden

Legendary Member
It's a hell of an expensive way to promote tourism!
Is it?

Royal residences generated £50m in ticket sales alone. Gift shops £71m. Visitors to Windsor Castle and Frogmore House pay £11m per year.
Brand Finance estimate that the Royal Family cost £500m per year in upkeep but contribute £2.5bn per year.
I'd say that's value for money.
 

qigong chimp

Settler of gobby hash.
Is it?

Royal residences generated £50m in ticket sales alone. Gift shops £71m. Visitors to Windsor Castle and Frogmore House pay £11m per year.
Brand Finance estimate that the Royal Family cost £500m per year in upkeep but contribute £2.5bn per year.
I'd say that's value for money.

What do visitors to Versailles pay, do we know?
 

Pale Rider

Veteran
Is it?

Royal residences generated £50m in ticket sales alone. Gift shops £71m. Visitors to Windsor Castle and Frogmore House pay £11m per year.
Brand Finance estimate that the Royal Family cost £500m per year in upkeep but contribute £2.5bn per year.
I'd say that's value for money.

It's good a financial case can be made for the Royal Family, but it doesn't have to be.

We have them simply because the vast majority of the population like the idea.

Very few things we pay for with public money make any money, we buy those goods and services because, collectively, we want to.

More bad news for republicans is abolition looks a long way away.

If the Queen could have lived forever, so would have the monarchy.

The next man into bat was a bit of a duffer in his younger days, but he appears at least steady now.

Even I'm surprised at the apparent popularity of Queen Camilla.

There's more bad news for sour-faced abolitionists in the shape of the Royal youth system, which appears in rude health.

William is more popular than both the other two combined, and Kate shows every sign of being another Royal world beater.

Even little Harry looks promising, charming the public every time he's seen on the telly.

The people will ultimately decide, which is how it should be.

When an electable party feels able to run on an abolitionist platform, the Royal Family should get worried.

Until then, they can rest easy in their draughty palaces.
 

Rusty Nails

Country Member
In practice and by default our constitutional system is a parliamentary democracy.

The Royal family have a lot more pomp and ceremony, and public money, and are dragged out to open parliament or sign documents, but have as little real impact as the hereditary monarchies in Belgium, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden.

We didn’t choose it on what appeals to tourism but those who defend it use that argument to retain it. The worst part about it, apart from the waste of money, is the way our formal systems of rank and privilege filter down and leech on it.
 

icowden

Legendary Member
Tourists come to see a bridge (or whatever) opened? I don’t think so
The Official Opening of the Humber Bridge by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/new.../pictures-day-queen-officially-opened-7567586
30758217_2016-07-02_FLASHBACK-SC-AND-GY-TELEGRAPH.jpg
 

Pale Rider

Veteran
That is crowd, but, a crowd is not the same as tourists.

Did having an “official opening” make the Humber Bridge (or anything else) more useful?

Not really, it was the bridge to nowhere when it was built and it's still the bridge to nowhere now.

There's a limit to what even the Queen could do.

At least that bridge will never wear out.
 

icowden

Legendary Member
Did having an “official opening” make the Humber Bridge (or anything else) more useful?
Why would it make it more useful?

The point of an official opening is publicity. Sponsorship by the crown is very helpful indeed - especially if you sell your goods overseas.
 
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