Poll: Poll: Do you watch the queens speech on Christmas day?

Do you watch the queens speech on Christmas day?

  • Yes

    Votes: 109 20.9%

  • No

    Votes: 412 79.1%
  • Total voters
    521
This poll could do with a few more options!

I watch the Queen's speech and a bit more dedicatedly the alternative Christmas message (American Hero Edward Snowden was a bit disappointing this year) but I'm not exactly bothered if I miss them so it depends on what else is going on. So, er, probably about 40% of the time.
 
spenncerr said:
Source for this? Sounds interesting.
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It's called the Crown Estate.

Short version:

King George III offered Parliament all incomes from a large part of his lands in exchange for paying off his debts and giving him a guaranteed income. They agreed, probably because they were confident that the income from the lands would increase a great deal, especially when managed by people skilled at doing so.

All successive monarchs have offered the income from those lands in exchange for a guaranteed income. The offer has always been accepted because the income from the lands has indeed increased a great deal.

Last year, the Crown Estate (i.e. a large chunk of the Queen's assets) gave £252 million to the Treasury, which gave her £38 million of it back to pay for the expenses she incurs as the monarch. She doesn't actually get any of it - it pays staff wages, building maintainence, etc. Almost all of which would still have to be paid even if we became a republic, of course (and we'd also incur the cost of paying a President or whatever we chose to call the new head of state).

So it's a lot more than £160 million profit now. More like £250 million, since the expenses would remain about the same.
 
I did watch it, but only because it happened to be on when I couldn't reach the remote control.
I have usually been pretty indifferent towards the royals, but this year I am swining towards hostility for three reasons:
1. The only time the Queen has cried in public was when her holiday cruiser was being decommissioned.
2. The happiest she has even been seen was when her horse ran really fast and beat all the other fast horses at some grassy area earlier this year.
3. Princess Anne chose to use her influence this year by making a speech on horse welfare, instead of any of the million other greater problems in the world.

In general I think they are a bit of a joke. However I quite like the place they have found themselves in - completely boxed in by the press and public opinion and under constant scrutiny. I suppose until someone comes up with a better solution then we're stuck with it.
 
big_white_dog84 said:
I did watch it, but only because it happened to be on when I couldn't reach the remote control.
I have usually been pretty indifferent towards the royals, but this year I am swining towards hostility for three reasons:
1. The only time the Queen has cried in public was when her holiday cruiser was being decommissioned.
2. The happiest she has even been seen was when her horse ran really fast and beat all the other fast horses at some grassy area earlier this year.
3. Princess Anne chose to use her influence this year by making a speech on horse welfare, instead of any of the million other greater problems in the world.

In general I think they are a bit of a joke. However I quite like the place they have found themselves in - completely boxed in by the press and public opinion and under constant scrutiny. I suppose until someone comes up with a better solution then we're stuck with it.
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There already is a better solution, abolish he monarchy, become a republic and elect a head of state, use it as an opportunity to reform our political system with an elected upper house as well
 
Dicehunter said:
Standard of living, Wages, Price of utilities, Public transport, Get the idea ?
I grew up in England and didn't think any different until I moved to Germany and I was shocked at how well the ordinary working man/woman can live when compared to the working man/woman of England.
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Thank you, it's now much easier to see what you're trying to compare it to. Germany probably is ahead in those metrics (I've not checked to see comparative positions) but it's all too easy to forget that all nations have problems, it's just that some problems don't affect you as an individual so much and therefore it's easier not to notice them. The United Kingdom could certainly be better and there is always room for improvement but despite what a number of people say it really isn't a bad place to live, there may be better depending on your circumstances and what matters to you but I think it would be slightly hyperbolic to decry all that this country has.

MrMoonX said:
There already is a better solution, abolish he monarchy, become a republic and elect a head of state, use it as an opportunity to reform our political system with an elected upper house as well
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Wouldn't having an elected upper house mean that you're simply exposing two of our legislative bodies to the vagaries and caprices of the electorate? A not insignificant problem with any elected body is that the individuals have to consider being re-elected which means they need to start pursuing policies that appeal to the electorate - irrespective of whether it's actually a good or lasting policy. One of the principle benefits of having an unelected upper house is that they can block or guide the worst excesses of the lower house "playing" to the populace without worrying about whether they will be reappointed. It does have it's issues certainly but if you wish to reform the political system I think there are more worthy targets.

Also as mentioned above are you happy for the cost to increase by having an elected head of state? While we've used up just the one Queen, the Americans have been through about a dozen presidents who all need guarded for the rest of their lives and you've also got to compensate them in a way that is commensurate with their responsibilities.
 
semi-pro waster said:
Thank you, it's now much easier to see what you're trying to compare it to. Germany probably is ahead in those metrics (I've not checked to see comparative positions) but it's all too easy to forget that all nations have problems, it's just that some problems don't affect you as an individual so much and therefore it's easier not to notice them. The United Kingdom could certainly be better and there is always room for improvement but despite what a number of people say it really isn't a bad place to live, there may be better depending on your circumstances and what matters to you but I think it would be slightly hyperbolic to decry all that this country has.
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England has been very good to me and for that I am very thankful, I just think the working English people deserve better.
As I said when I went to live and work in Germany for a few years I was shocked at how well the working men and women live compared to over here, Their standard of living is way above ours.
But with all that said, Even though I'm not English I feel more at ease and relaxed in England compared to other countries I've lived and worked in :)
 
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