British people: What is your opinion of the Monarchy?

Personally, I'd rather we were a Republic, but I'm curious to hear what everyone else thinks in this corner of the internet.

Well I find it tiresome the fascination with them and I am personally not exactly fond of most of them. But they do at least provide a tourist attraction which is good for the country. Also having them around tends to mean we pay less in tax due to the royal family voluntarily handing over money from their estates. If we were to dissolve the monarchy they would likely be better off financially, living off the vast revenue from their holdings and we would no longer see any of that.

As far as I am aware they are a positive, profitable thing for the nation, if a bit tiresome with their priveledged lives coupled with their presence in the national/international awareness. However tiresome as they may be would likely be worse off for their removal, unless by dissolving the monarchy people mean to go ahead and unlawfully seize all their lands and holdings and banish/execute them. But that would be a bit needlessly barbaric.

I think the outside world pays more attention to them and has far more of an opinion on whether we should or should not have them than british people do. Which is fine but you usually get one or two lunatics who seem to think I'm not truly free and that anytime now I'm going to get locked away in the tower of london and have my head chopped off which can get a little tiring.

There good for tourists, the Queen herself is good for relations with other countries. Can't say my way of life would change all that much if they was gone but i can't say my way of life is effected by them being in place either.

I don't give a toss about them.

They don't really hold a lot if any political power so I don't see a reason to care about them.

Not fussed either way, the couple of extra days off we got last year was cool as I got to watch E3 coverage live.. other than that I couldn't care less.

I prefer them on my money than the prime minister.

@Mister_V said:

Not fussed either way, the couple of extra days off we got last year was cool as I got to watch E3 coverage live.. other than that I couldn't care less.

What he said!

I wonder what the opinion of people in the rest of the commonwealth realms is.

They are lizard invaders from space.

@Twisted_Scot: Is this why Scotland wants to secede?

Living in America, I just don't get our media's fascination with them. It's crazy how much they are covered here, especially last year (2 years ago?) when those two got married, I swear it was on ESPN and every other channel, it was fucking crazy.

Here in Canada the Queen is still the head of state. I think that's great because if the Prime Minister ever tried to do something to fuck over the country, like becoming a dictator, the Queen could just dissolve the government and call an election. That's a pretty important safe guard to have in place.

@timlump said:

Just watch this video:

Basic gist: The royal family earns Britain a fortune.

I always think of this video when I hear people complaining about the Queen lol.

@timlump I have learned stuff today. I am pleased with this.

It exists.

@timlump: that was a very informative video to a yank like me! thankyou good sir!

I do not care.

Can't stand it. Unelected sponges.

@Muttinus_Rump said:

Can't stand it. Unelected sponges.

Who don't really hold any politcal power and actually give more money back to the country than take.

lol ok then.

Indifferent. They can keep on doing whatever it is they do, they don't affect me or my life in the slightest.

@timlump: though that was great, I know a few people who could benefit from watching that.

@Muttinus_Rump said:

Can't stand it. Unelected sponges.

Send them to the US. We'll gladly take them and the monetary revenue they generate through donated property earnings and tourism.

@Turambar said:

@Muttinus_Rump said:

Can't stand it. Unelected sponges.

Send them to the US. We'll gladly take them and the monetary revenue they generate through donated property earnings and tourism.

yeah but that's how code geass happened

Monetary value based on tourism et al aside -- as ascribing (three words beginning with "as" in a row, what...) value to something purely based on this isn't what I'm in the business of doing -- the Monarchical structure can fuck off.

I love complexity and nuance in punctuation/grammar.

I'm pretty indifferent. I have no interest in paying attention to anything they do, but they bring in a lot of money, so they're good for the country.

I just wish the media would shut up about them.

@Cubic said:

Plus, then we could elect Brian Blessed as head of state.

This is the best idea ever.

Brian Blessed would work. Although my vote would go to Stephen Fry.

Not British, but I live in England myself and come from Norway which also has a royal family. Whether they get money into the country or not I think is irrelevant. When it comes to it, it is luxury slavery. They are born into a role and (as others have pointed out) brainwashed to a certain degree from a young age. Even if they later choose to get out of the role they have, it is something that will follow them forever and they had no saying in the matter. Just because something may bring in some money does not mean it is right. There are plenty of things that could save money or earn money, but we don't do it because it is old and maybe even unethical. Keep the castles, the non-living parts of it and sell that to the tourists instead, but let people be people, free to choose their own lives.

I'm very much a Monarchist.

That video about the true cost of the Royal Family is quite informative and interesting!

I sort of wish world politics/cultures classes were more like that video and the intention of this forum thread...in the sense that we're learning about the concerns (or lack thereof) and viewpoints of the average citizen from other countries about their own countries. Of course I'm sure the opinions and concerns are too varied among individuals to have any sort of general discussion on the topic, but during such general classes about other cultures here in the US, I felt they didn't even offer a glimmer of insight into the minds of people from different countries (at least from this modern era).

...simply put, I am fascinated by reading all these comments simply for the reason that they are mostly by British individuals commenting about a particularly British topic.

@timlump said:

Just watch this video:

Basic gist: The royal family earns Britain a fortune.

This video really turned my opinion around when I saw it during the Royal Wedding.

Why only the British? We Norwegians got some royals also.

@Animasta said:

@Turambar said:

@Muttinus_Rump said:

Can't stand it. Unelected sponges.

Send them to the US. We'll gladly take them and the monetary revenue they generate through donated property earnings and tourism.

yeah but that's how code geass happened

There is no US in Code Geass.

And what about the colonies? She's still our Queen as well! I really like the Monarchy, although I'm very much also into the whole 'loyalty to the Crown' thing, I think it's important people are loyal to their sovereign provided they're doing well. This 'But they're not elected!' crap is really just people whining who have nothing better to do. Yes they're not elected and so what?

One thing people haven't mentioned yet, but every British PM has cited since her coronation, is that it is incredibly valuable to them to have someone with massive amounts of political experience (arguably more than any sitting politician) and the interests of the British people in mind to talk to and discuss major policies or issues with and to offer advice, but also someone who is non-partisan and sworn to secrecy.

I'm American(ish). I refuse to refer to people like Elton John and Richard Branson as "sir." She's not my Queen, we don't live in a monarchy.

They make us a shit-tonne of money and do loads for charity (and in general they stay out of things a lot). Also the queen specifically gives a lot of great advice to those power due to her seeing decades of UK political history happening.

--Edit-- Also they represent something amazing in British history: while most countries got out of an autocracy by killing those in power, while in Britain (And a couple of others) they managed to do it without bloodshed.

I'm not British, but I'm with Thomas Jefferson on the question of monarchy:

"A hereditary head of state is as absurd a proposition as a hereditary mathematician."

@TooWalrus said:

I'm American(ish). I refuse to refer to people like Elton John and Richard Branson as "sir." She's not my Queen, we don't live in a monarchy.

I bet Elton John is all kinds of cut up about that.

@Drebin_893 said:

I'm very much a Monarchist.

You shall be spared.

@Turambar said:

@Animasta said:

@Turambar said:

@Muttinus_Rump said:

Can't stand it. Unelected sponges.

Send them to the US. We'll gladly take them and the monetary revenue they generate through donated property earnings and tourism.

yeah but that's how code geass happened

There is no US in Code Geass.

yeah but britannia happened when the royals had to move to the US and it snowballed from there

@LTSmash said:

@Cubic said:

Plus, then we could elect Brian Blessed as head of state.

This is the best idea ever.

Kate would make a sexy queen.

Celebrating a system that oppressed us for so long.

I dislike the politician scum a lot more than the Royal family, at least they bring in tourism money.

I want to be Queen of Britain. Everyone would like me too, because I would be knighting bitches left and right.

I guess I get a sense of pride that there is a thread running through this country (no matter how muddled the thread is) that goes back nearly 1000 years to William the Conquer. I guess the American equivalent would be how you can follow the Presidents of the United States of America all the way back to George Washington.