Are the English royal family the greatest scam ever played?

Annasopra · 01-05-2023 06:48PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120542558#Comment_120542558

Republicanism in UK is tiny. Even SNP were talking about staying in the commonwealth

Its even more bizarre that he continues to be the Head of State of Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, St Christopher and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

Annasopra · 01-05-2023 06:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120543554#Comment_120543554

House of Lords is 1 of only 2 world national parliaments with religious leaders appointed.

Immortal Starlight · 01-05-2023 07:54PM

Imagine being a “subject” of someone who you are also expected to curtsy to in the year 2023. Beyond pathetic.

fortwilliam · 01-05-2023 08:18PM

Also hilarious is the fact that half(ish) the country follows a completely (I know they all are) made up religion created solely so one member of the family could shag another bird.....

indioblack · 01-05-2023 08:59PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120543367#Comment_120543367

That must be a euphemism for something.

indioblack · 01-05-2023 09:01PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058294722/are-the-english-royal-family-the-greatest-scam-ever-played

"They have convinced an entire nation that they are somehow a greater set of beings than the lowly servants that serve them."

Thought that was the Catholic church in Ireland.

elperello · 01-05-2023 09:20PM

If the people of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are willing to adopt a gentleman of German/Greek heritage and make him their King I say let them off.

Strumms · 01-05-2023 09:40PM

It would take a scandal of biblical proportions to really end the monarchy… I don’t think they are all that stupid.. you don’t bite the hand that feeds you and they’ll be aware of that.

apart from a series of serious scandal probably only in two to three generations people might just say… “ here, times time cock, on your bike “

London will still be a major tourist attraction, a colossal city with weeks worth of sites, highlights, adventures, attractions and shopping. I’ve been there about 12 - 15 times as an adult and only just scratched the surface, never attended any royal stuff barring touring Windsor Castle in my teens, my aunt and cousins live 10 minutes away….

aah yes · 02-05-2023 12:35AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120544365#Comment_120544365

You would have to have the top tier of the royals say the two oldest living royal brothers, to at least each have knocked about and have been best buddies with two of the top level top international all time record holding multiple serial child rapists from say two top G7 countries, UK / US and maybe one or both drawn in to their activities and caught bang to rights.

Apart from HDMI movies taken of both top royals caught in the act and a full admission and full public apology after, then like the Catholic Church that were given the job of baby sitters for hundreds of years in Ireland and were caught out hundreds/thousands of times, destroying thousands of lives and still got away with it Scott free, sure ye have not got a shittin' chance fer sure.

endacl · 02-05-2023 12:48AM

https://youtu.be/jHdrtxw-pGQ

Frankie. 😁

kneemos · 02-05-2023 08:24AM

A lot of consternation about the cost of the Coronation across the water,hundred million apparently.

All of the other European Royals have long since abandoned the Coronation Ceremony. It's all a bit ostentatious at least.

bnt · 02-05-2023 08:34AM

This idea that British people just tug their forelocks when Royalty is mentioned is a load of cobblers. Sure, it makes the Irish feel superior - “sure, we’re better than that now” - but are we really?

Regarding the pledge of allegiance, you should see the talk on UK-based forums, which can be summarised as “you wot, mate?” Sure, there will be some carefully-staged snippets on TV at the time, from around the UK, but don’t mistake that for popular support.

magicbastarder · 02-05-2023 08:43AM

it's quite bemusing to see support for the monarchy having fallen since the queen died. do the people who said they support the idea of a monarchy, and changed their mind when charlie took over, not realise that changing your mind when someone you don't like is in charge, is the opposite of the idea of a monarchy? it's representative democracy for people who have not heard the term.

screamer · 02-05-2023 08:51AM

They are just a vanity trip for the British, a decaying left over of their once “great” empire. As the old jingoistic subjects die out and they become more multi-cultural, due in most part to their colonialist past, the nostalgic support they enjoy will wane, and I think in another generation or two they won’t exist anymore or at least, they won’t enjoy the pomp and ceremony they have, but till then carry on curtsying.

Run Forest Run · 02-05-2023 02:47PM

The insurance industry would give it a good run for it's money imo.

But yes, the British monarchy is an impressive scam to have pulled off for this length of time.

02-05-2023 10:17PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120545096#Comment_120545096

Well they've not had the chance to have one in 70 years so I'll give them a pass on it.

Plus the extra bank holiday is good for the economy here in Ireland, i.e more visitors from the UK.

02-05-2023 10:21PM

Remember: 80%-ish support the Royal Family.

That's far more than any Labour or Conservative Party achieves in a General Election.

Therefore, there is more democratic support for the RF than for the elected elements of the country.

It's not a scam.

Those countries in Europe with an unelected Head of State, someone above politics, perform better than those countries that do not.

Yes, a handful of people lead a privileged life but the question is, is that a price worth paying - politically, domestically, and reputationally?

The answer seems to be yes.

Norway, Denmark, Sweden, UK, Luxembourg etc. - these aren't awful places, but they all have one thing that unites them.

Sometimes it's better to zoom out, to see the bigger picture, and not resort to the age-old Irish begrudgery that other people have money so we must hate them.

walshb · 02-05-2023 10:24PM

Hardest working family in Britain. Worth every cent of their handouts!

walshb · 02-05-2023 10:26PM

And they’re the British Royal family, not the English Royal family.

Duke of Schomberg · 02-05-2023 10:58PM

Well, pretty much everything written here could be written about the Papacy, but - and taking into account Andrew - the Royal Family have bummed less minors, not been responsible for the systematic humiliation of unmarried mothers, nor buried their babies in unmarked graves . . . look in your own mirrors Fenians. I'd take our lot any day, over a superannuated virgin of random heritage dressed in a half-ball, beads, and a long white dress. Or any of your Presidents - bloody hell, Miggldy-D . . . there's been some in-breeding going on there!

Grayson · 03-05-2023 07:22AM

Worth dropping this in.

Grayson · 03-05-2023 07:29AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120543599#Comment_120543599

To be fair there's no guarantee that there's be a unified monarch in Ireland. We could have loads of regional chieftains and lords. Ande there could be a situation where different loyalties reflect in regional dislike. Could you imagine the weird scenario where people from Cork disliked people from Dublin because of county loyalties. Oh wait....

magicbastarder · 03-05-2023 07:33AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120548511#Comment_120548511

I don't see 80% mentioned here anywhere.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/02/rock-solid-or-rock-bottom-what-the-papers-say-about-uk-support-for-royals

03-05-2023 07:48AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120544847#Comment_120544847

Wha?

ancapailldorcha · 03-05-2023 08:36AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120549078#Comment_120549078

I remember that. It's a classic.

I may go into town for the coronation but I'd very happily see the whole thing abolished. It's undemocratic, it's disgusting and we're in the middle of a cost of living crisis. If some billionaire septuagenarian needs validation this badly, he can pay for it himself.

El_Duderino 09 · 03-05-2023 08:58AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120548511#Comment_120548511

Where did you get the 80% support stat from?

Yougov poll in April put it at 60%. The closest thing they had was 78% support from the over 65s. And 80% among tory voters.

The question was whether the UK should keep the monarchy or have an elected head of state.

So where did you get the 80% support figure.

Link to yougov here

https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/explore/institution/The_British_Monarchy?content=surveys

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 03-05-2023 09:07AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120548511#Comment_120548511

Yes, a handful of people lead a privileged life but the question is, is that a price worth paying - politically, domestically, and reputationally?

The answer seems to be yes.

Norway, Denmark, Sweden, UK, Luxembourg etc. - these aren't awful places, but they all have one thing that unites them.

Yes - they're all monarchies, and that's it. The answer doesn't seem to be anything: classic corelation =/= fallacy

Grayson · 03-05-2023 09:11AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120549284#Comment_120549284

That's ironic from someone who's a Princess ;)

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 03-05-2023 09:12AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120549298#Comment_120549298

I'm not on the take, so **** 'em :)

03-05-2023 09:38AM

Personally, I think monarchy is a ridiculous concept in 2023.

However the late Queen was a bit of an unusual monarch and I doubt that Charles will be able to fill those boots, because it’s impossible.

She arrived into the job very much just as Britain was moving into post-War recovery and reconfiguring itself as the modern UK with the empire being wound down.

She was introduced as this very glamorous, fairy princess type character who never really said anything controversial and stood in completely contrast to her predecessors in the sense that she was absolutely polished and TV-ready.

She was a sort of wholesome and picture perfect character that just seemed to be a figment of imagination as much as a reality.

She also coincided almost exactly with the dawn of mass market television in the UK and her coronation was the first serious TV event there.

Throughout her career she never really said anything and never put a foot wrong or had a hair out of place. So she entered that national treasure category that is very hard to define.

Most of the rest of her family were continuously mired in tabloid scandals, very public marital breakdowns etc etc but she just continued to troop the colour and walk the corgis.

She’s was more of a projection than a person and basically had performed the role of totally non-controversial symbolic figurehead who said almost nothing and had a court of followers desperately trying to interpret her hats and handbags for some kind of political meaning.

As she aged she just became more grandmotherly and that role bedded in even further and she was elevated to untouchable levels of national treasure and even national grandmother.

Charles on the overhand is an opinionated, often controversial, occasionally publicly cantankerous figure who isn’t going to have the same vibe at all and Camilla is certainly not going to have the Disney princess vibe either and there’s the whole Diana legacy…

The publicly funded, well resourced national fairytale ended last year.

The next chapters will be a lot more gritty and real. I think that’s where you’ll see the British monarchy shrinking to something that drops into the background like many of the remaining monarchies in Europe.

You will also likely see more countries who have the British monarch as head of state drop it. It’s already happened but I think the nostalgia (possibly with a tinge of Stockholm Syndrome) and warmth towards the late Queen just isn’t going to be replicated. So for a lot of places there’ll be debates about calling it a day.

Are the English royal family the greatest scam ever played?

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