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Can someone offer any sort of reasonable argument for why this should continue?


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5123580.stm

In a word - no. 

According to the article the amount works out at an average of 62p per person.

As i'm in one of the lower tax brackets and will probably never catch the likes of Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand in the tax paying stakes then chances are my share is probably somewhere around the region of 10p a year.

To be honest that doesn't even buy me a banana.

The money could be better spent on hospitals and education - but then thats the governments job and they seem to make a pigs ear of that on their own, giving them more money to waste is just as bad as the royals wasting it - but at least the royals manage to generate some money back into our general economy due to tourism which is more than can be said for our politician friends.

I'm no royalist, but I think this is actually quite cheap.

The Royal family spend far more of their own money on things like maintaining historic buildings and hosting events. This money would have to come out of the public purse if we sacked them. Not to mention the money generated by tourism.

On economic grounds the Royal family are excellent value. There are however plenty of idealogical and political arguements for removing them that hold far more water.

We actually make a profit from the Royals.
The Treasury is in receipt of money from the Crown Estate, surrendered by the Queen each year in exchange for Treasury funding

Where does the private income come from as well - Charles - £14m??? from land he was granted cause he's a royal.

It's not just what we pay (won't add the repainting, policing, etc for their visits).

Waste of money - basic salary is all they should get.

Hear Hear - let them live off 12,778 a year like I do     <<<<  crap cos I only work 38 weeks a year btw

Worth every penny for Prince Philip alone.

That guy is gold dust.

I have no objections to the Royals, they do a lot more for the country than they take back.  Charles did get £14m last year but he also raised over £110m for his charities which is obviously a good thing. 

They do a good job imo and Gawd Bless em :)

62p to have a continuing tradition that has served us well for years seems like decent value to me. PLus £37m wouldnt even scratch the surface of the problems with health and to a lesser extent education.

When you weigh it against the money wasted on red tape by this useless government and the subsidies for the EU then it's fine.
So they take 62p per year, i pay £800 per year council task and i still have to take my bin bags to the end of the street!!

What exactly does the Royal family do?

 ;iagree;

you have bin bags in birmingham?            next thing you will be telling us you have running water and indoor toilets

I think i'm more inclined to agree with this view. Yes they seem to cost us a fortune but do we get good value from that?

The benefits to our economy from tourism and other royal work are probably worth it.

Taking Charles for example - using rough figures from here and my memory he made £14million profit from his estate last year, paid £3million in tax, raised £110million for charity and attended something like 500 public engagements.

These stories always seem to play up the costs while never mentioning any of the benefits we get from the royals.

What would we have instead?

An elected President? Another prick of a politician promising us the heavens and the earth to get our votes. No thanks.

The line of regal ascension broken and put in it's place....

A reality TV show to determine our new monarch. Each week we eliminate potential candidates chosen by TV producers.

Or we could swap Royal families with Denmark for a laff.

 This argument that the Royals generate gazillions of £s worth of tourism is wonderful. If you doubt it then consider the pyramids of Egypt , no-one would seriously consider going there since the pharoahs are long gone, and i for one will never visit Rome until they re-instate a modern Ceasar.

People would still come, however a huge draw for American tourists is the Royal Family. It's a bargain at 62p, although i don't pay tax so i would say that!

Simple

1. We make a profit off them.

2. They generate a lot of money for charity, way more than we would by donating that cash to a charity.
Charles has set up something like 14 charities.

3. I don't really see the harm in a monarchy, but I'd rather it was via lottery for 5 years or something. That would be way cooler. As long as nobody is allowed to make a reality show out of it.

at least they would be elected.  Lizzie would be welcome to stand.

Elections are overrated, I submit George W Bush and Tony Blair for the prosecution.

 I Sense the start of a new political party here....The blonde Democratic royalists Party

Tank can be foreign secretary

Ironside chancellor of the exchequer

Matt674  culture secretary

Who will be PM??????

 rotflmfao   rotflmfao

That's easy.  Sark surely?

I love the idea of monarchy and all the things they bring - it's just a shame I don't like the people doing the job.

Although Harry rocks. You gotta love Harry. 8)

That's what I always think every time I hear someone groveling over them on TV. 

hang them.

And you know what, if Lizzie stood in a presidential election, she'd win.

Well I am all in favour of our Royal Family.

Up the Queen, I say.

And, as someone noted, Prince Philip is something special.

And then there's Prince Charles, a fashion icon for all of us.

Seriously, I think they are extraordinary - Princess Anne (the hardest working Royal) carries out over 500 Charity Engagements Annually, & must be Patron of hundreds of charities.

Yes, they are non-elected, but lets be honest, so what? They don't "really" have any power, notwithstanding all the Constitutional goggledegook that say they do.

And with the Royal Family, comes all that pomp & pagaentry. I defy anyone to watch the Changing of the Colours on Horse Guards Brigade & not be impressed.

noooo, not a lottery.

That jammy fish flushy would win.

I'd have to emmigrate if he were King.  :D

But the Royal Familly in other countries is still there - but they have jobs & live more like normal folk. They get paid a bit extra for being Royals & being available for the pomp & circumstance stuff... but don't get given Cornwall when they hit 21 (easy to pay £3m tax on £14m profit when you were given Cornwall....... ;tk;)

What else do they cost? They don't pay the policing for their vists, or for the wee man always 10 feet in front of the Queen painting everything so it looks nice for her.....

Vive La Revolution!! Ou ext Madame Le Guillotine?!!!!

I offer to take up 500 public engagements a year, how hard can it be?

Great food and booze, 5 star travel and accomadation, servants and assistance galore, your every whim catered for. I'll pull a string and plant a tree every day if thats whats coming to me, better than 9-5 drudge.

..but can you do that funky wave?

busted, 9-5 drudge it is then.

How can you justify any equality in this country when you have an unelected head of state who only got there because her ancestors were better at killing our ancestors?

Define head of state.

I thought we all elected Tony?

Less than 1/5 of the total population voted for Tony Blair. ( Under 10mill )
This is how democracy works.
More people voted for someone else than for Labour.

62p!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It costs me more a year in taxes to pay for those who WONT work and to cover for all the tax dodgers!

 Harry does seem to be more down to earth , quite unlike his father...um...and I hear he does a wicked impersonation of James Hewitt

Good post.

I like the fact that we have a monarchy, I'm not one of those who go out of my way to wave at her Maj or her brood, but fair play to them.

God save the Queen !

LOL!! Rumour has it he cant do a good stoner impression too!  :D

Only the Queen and Phillip recieve tax payers money.

A lot less than that - technically the only people that voted for Tony Blair were those in Sedgefield

 Why does a Greek geezer get our cash? I hesitate to ask this 'cos judging by the plethora of medals on his military uniform he must be well 'ard.

Thats what you think.


As for Harry, guys a legend. His best m8 from Eton had a cousin at my school and such is the way of public schools in and around london we used to descend on the Kings Road most saturday nights. He seemed pretty normal to me!

doesnt work - on the basis that anyone who shows any desire to be a royal should automatically be excluded on grounds of suitability....