[Palace] Costs of the Royal family

[Brovion]

Possibly wasn’t clear, but my answer was ‘I’m not suggesting that all people or many people would stop visiting Britain if we dissolve the monarchy. I don’t think anyone could really say what the impact would be. I dare say that SOME people, especially certain types of American tourists, may reconsider visiting Britain.’

As you say you can't quantify it. You maintain it may fall, I say it could increase! Imagine if there was no royal family, visits to Buckingham Palace could go through the roof as visitors could explore the place the same way they can explore the Palace of Versailles.

And after all, very very very few tourists actually see a member of the royal family. Blimey, I've lived here for 62 years and I've never so much caught a glimpse of a royal, not even a shit one like Andrew. And despite the fact I'm a staunch republican I've been to places like Hampton Court and the Tower of London and really enjoyed them.

 

[symyjym]

I'm not implying you're a Nazi at all, but I do think that if you took your Empire rose tinted spectacles off for 5 minutes you might see things from another perspective. What indigenous people anywhere in the world would say they benefited from being annexed for the Empire? The Australian aboriginals? The native Americans? Africans? The Palestinians? The Irish? Throughout the Empire local tribes were controlled with the gun. Not only were local tribes subdued by violence but the continual threat of violence should there be resistance to the new legal codes and customs introduced by the British brought a psychological feeling of inferiority. And the legacy of this Empire which crumpled so rapidly in the 20th century is still at the core of so many of the worlds current problem hot-spots.

Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.

Conflict was never the intention. First was discovering new lands, then trade, then settlers went to start new lives, and then disagreements and conflicts happened.

When Cook went to New Zealand they exchanged goods and a tribe leader wanted guns. That tribe then went on to slaughter another rival tribe.

The American Indians never had horses and they were grateful for that import but objected to the buffalo slaughter and the railways and conflicts happened.

The Palestinians is more complex but Israel is the home of the Jews, a slither of land surrounded Muslims. Had the Palestinians concentrated on building Palestine instead of the destruction of Israel they would have a land to be proud of. When Turkey invaded North Cyprus the Greek Cypriots were forced to move south and built a new life and modernised whilst the Muslim Turkish North was left neglected.

The Irish; Well if Guy Fawkes succeeded we would all be Catholic which brings its own problems.