I would ditch the Monarchy for a number of reasons. Firstly, the very existence of the Monarchy means that the Prime Minister of the day can use the Queen's powers to bypass Parliament when he/she wants to. Bliar has used this once already, and it was leaked from Whitehall that both the Iraq war and compulsory ID Cards would have made or make use of this facility should parliamentary votes go against the Government.
Secondly, the cost to the British taxpayer is enormous. Ever so often the Government releases a figure for the annual cost of running the Royal Household, which is usually touted as being value for money. However, the majority of the expenses always get hidden within other budgets such as the Home or Foreign Office for travel and security. The thought of my taxes paying for some old lady to keep her racehorses fed and trained when schools need repairing and the roads are full of potholes doesn't exactly sit well with my idea of how a modern nation should prioritise its money.
Lastly, I feel it's rather unfair on the individuals involved. Take Prince Charles for instance. The man has nothing to do in life except wait for his mother to die so he can become relevant. Hence his many crusades on one issue or another, the current favourite being religious diversity.
So pension them off I say. Have a President who's only real power is to oversee the Government and Parliament to keep corruption in check. Let the ex-royals keep Sandringham and Balmoral, which are personally owned by the Queen, and put the rest of the Crown Estate into the public purse, then allow the various members of the family to go out into the world and make their own way. Patrick Litchfield and David Linley proved that it's possible, and the Duchess of York proved that there is money to be made by playing on your name if that's all you have to offer.
Secondly, the cost to the British taxpayer is enormous. Ever so often the Government releases a figure for the annual cost of running the Royal Household, which is usually touted as being value for money. However, the majority of the expenses always get hidden within other budgets such as the Home or Foreign Office for travel and security. The thought of my taxes paying for some old lady to keep her racehorses fed and trained when schools need repairing and the roads are full of potholes doesn't exactly sit well with my idea of how a modern nation should prioritise its money.
Lastly, I feel it's rather unfair on the individuals involved. Take Prince Charles for instance. The man has nothing to do in life except wait for his mother to die so he can become relevant. Hence his many crusades on one issue or another, the current favourite being religious diversity.
So pension them off I say. Have a President who's only real power is to oversee the Government and Parliament to keep corruption in check. Let the ex-royals keep Sandringham and Balmoral, which are personally owned by the Queen, and put the rest of the Crown Estate into the public purse, then allow the various members of the family to go out into the world and make their own way. Patrick Litchfield and David Linley proved that it's possible, and the Duchess of York proved that there is money to be made by playing on your name if that's all you have to offer.
