Prince Charles to Marry

[Yorkie]

I don't think a Catholic can be on the throne. Something to do with Cromwell and Houses of Parliament

It was Andrew Parker-Bowles who is the Catholic not Camilla (having looked it up)

But the constitution is still the same as when the Duke of Windsor married a divorcee - Wallis Simpson. He had to abidicate.

So who changed it? and when?

If Charles abdicated to marry Camilla, he would have to abdicate for his line so that means the throne would pass to Andrew and then to Beatrice.

 

[Icy Gull]

He has been paying tax for a lot longer than that.


He is fortunate that his family have been accumulating for centuries rather than decades.

I vaguely remember reading or hearing recently that the POW pays voluntary tax on his income yet any land dealings made by the Duchy of Cornwall are exempt from Capital Gains Tax. Now how big an advantage is that if you buy and sell property. Seems his family will continue to have an unfair advantage then

 

[Yorkie]

Life is unfair.

The class war is still alive and kicking isn't it?

Some people are born into a priviledged family and some like me into a council house family.
My Dad died in a council house (well in a hospital really) so I wasn't left anything. My Mother has managed to buy her council house along with my half brother, who will get the house when she goes.
I don't resent anyone inheriting money or land or whatever from their family.
If they're rich and had advantages then good luck to them.

I know I have worked for every penny I have. My kids have also worked hard and got themselves into the 'middle classes' ie professionals. They were the first in our family to go to university.

I dont understand the animosity towards a family having priviledge?

 

[Icy Gull]

Life is unfair.


I don't resent anyone inheriting money or land or whatever from their family.
If they're rich and had advantages then good luck to them.

?

Neither do I but I make an exception in the case of the Royal family, the only one I have any time for is the Queen. The rest are a waste of space and money, imo.

Except Princess Anne who has to be admired for championing Scottish rugby, which is probably even less succesful and lacking in ability than Scottish football

 

[Yorkie]

I think the Queen is the best of the bunch too (especially since the Queen Mother died) but not many of them actually cost money. The civil list is confined to the Queen and her immediate family (excluding Charles, William and Harry)
People don't take that into account as moaning about the money they cost is their best excuse to moan.

A president and all his trimmings (housing, travel and staff) would cost almost as much anyway.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

If they have been accumulating wealth over centuries and not been paying tax - then we will start with their back-tax. Then we will look at whether assets are theirs or the nations.

Yorkie - you do your argument no good by resorting to talking about class war. It weakens what you are attempting to defend.

As a nation we should be aspiring to equality of opportunity for all our citizens - but while we have this archaic mob at the "top" we will not get even close.

 

[Hunting 784561]

If they have been accumulating wealth over centuries and not been paying tax - then we will start with their back-tax. Then we will look at whether assets are theirs or the nations.

Yorkie - you do your argument no good by resorting to talking about class war. It weakens what you are attempting to defend.

As a nation we should be aspiring to equality of opportunity for all our citizens - but while we have this archaic mob at the "top" we will not get even close.

Agreed - the biggest problem with the Royal family is that they represent the immoveable apex of this country's class system.

Yes a Presidency costs as much as the Royals do, but at least in theory anyone can become President, if they apply themselves hard enough.

Condoleeza Rice in the US is a good example (whatever you think of that countrys current politics) of a poor black girl from Mississippi who has nearly made it to the very top, and if she does run in 2008, will have suceeded.

The Royals are there by birthright, and that cant be right.

 

[Trufflehound]

Is this Groundhog Day?

Every time I turn on the TV it's f*cking Charles this and Camilla that. I'm not marrying them on principle.

 

[caz99]

to be honest i am bored to death of them all. however i do feel that the royals seem to change the rules to suit themselves and they should be setting an example for the country. the arch bishop is a hypocrite bashing on about divorcees etc getting married in church but happily giving them a blessing. beefs up my view what a load of crap religion generally is. to be honest i dont think there is much to be proud of with regards to the monarchy anymore. they dont have any values.

she is an old dog who got married to someone she didnt love, had two kids then left him to have an affair. he is a gutless wimp who should never have married diana in the first place. i dont adovate diana either although i preferred to her to to this.

everyone saw it coming and i think everyone is bored of it.

 

[Yorkie]

If they have been accumulating wealth over centuries and not been paying tax - then we will start with their back-tax. Then we will look at whether assets are theirs or the nations.

Yorkie - you do your argument no good by resorting to talking about class war. It weakens what you are attempting to defend.

As a nation we should be aspiring to equality of opportunity for all our citizens - but while we have this archaic mob at the "top" we will not get even close.

You cannot choose what family you are born into. I'm not sure if that is a class 'war'.
Even if they stood down as heads of state they would still have a lot of wealth.
A lot of priviledges would be removed it is true but as a state I don't think we would be better off with a President.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

You can choose which family you opt out of. No-one is forcing Charles to do anything. He is his own man.

I do not have a problem with them being a wealthy family. As long as they only walk away with with what is theirs.

As for a president - who knows. But I would like to have a say in who is president. And if that position is abused we vote them out.

 

[Highfields Seagull]

You cannot choose what family you are born into.

No, but I'd quite like to choose whether to be a "subject" of one family that seems to have some sort of right to be there, who can choose to pay tax as and when they like; or to be a citizen of a republic headed by a position that anyone can aspire to.

IMHO the continuation of the monarchy makes a mockery of so called equality of opporutnity.

BTW, I hope Charles and Camilla are happy, everyone deserves a chance at happiness even if they've made mistakes in the past.

 

[Simster]

Yorkie, first you said it was a class war, then one post later it wasn't - please make your mind up. Personally, I'm NOT fighting a class war. I know plenty of more privelaged people than me and I don't begrudge them anything. But what can't be right is they are born into a legal system that affords them every trapping financial and otherwise. The Queen Mum was a foul woman apparently, but we referred to her as Ma'am. Charlie is a "sir" despite his lack of contribution to British society. The queen is an unelected head of state. Harry gets involved in a scuffle with a journalist and smashes his camera, but is not a drunken hooligan - he was provoked. Andrew gets caught doing 130 on a motorway and gets 3 points and £100 fine. It's this sort of SHIT that I object to, and the main reason they must be "throne" out.

I have more respect for SM's comedy chest beating "proud to be British" bluster (although his sniping is a bit uncalled for) than the old class war whinge that invariably gets trotted out whenever anyone opposes the idea of a monarchy.

On a side issue, I really do like the BBC as I think they are reasonably fair and fairly representative of the United Kingdom. The one exception is on all matters Royal. The bowing, scraping & blanket coverage is at odds with a public made up of over 30% republicans.

 

[Yorkie]

No, I said 'I'm not sure if that is class war'

What I don't understand is the resentment that people hold. It is part of our constitution.
Has there ever been a vote or poll (not Nsc but Gallop or similar) which shows how many Republicans there are?

 

[Highfields Seagull]

The nice thing about our constitution is that it isn't written but is made up of conventions. Therefore it can easily be changed.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Come off it. Why is a contrary position resentment ?

 

[Simster]

Life is unfair.

The class war is still alive and kicking isn't it?

Sorry but that is a blatent suggestion that there is a class war, which on my part there most certainly isn't.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

The nice thing about our constitution is that it isn't written but is made up of conventions. Therefore it can easily be changed.

..... tell that to the monarch who abdicated because he wanted to do what Charles is doing.

This is the one amusing thing - how it is all made up as they go along.

 

[Eggmundo]

Good Luck to them both, I wish them well.

 

[Simster]

Has there ever been a vote or poll (not Nsc but Gallop or similar) which shows how many Republicans there are?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3701086.stm

"An opinion poll conducted by Mori on behalf of Republic earlier this year suggested only 47% of Britons would want to keep the monarchy following the passing of the Queen."