Do You British Really Care?

[AllanF]

We British don't care about anything much! A nation that champions ambivalence! Of course if i lived in the UK i'd care about the day off!

[Ian]

IME Americans are way more impressed by royalty (esp. princes and princesses) than the Brits.

[rob2]

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[Steve Rowe]

At least when they put Kate Middleton on the stamps we can lick the front as well as the back.... and it's nice to know that she's had her finger in Diana's ring...

[mrtoes]

Wedding? What wedding?

[Adam S]

At least when they put Kate Middleton on the stamps we can lick the front as well as the back.... and it's nice to know that she's had her finger in Diana's ring...

You sir are a genius!!!!!

[KEND]

I have spent half my life in England and half in the USA. I think that a little perspective is required. The Magna Carta is often quoted as being meaningful but in fact was the barons flexing their muscles. I was brought up in WW2 when the country could have gone under, in those days the royals were symbolic and held the country and 'empire' together. Even in those days I was never a royalist. My grandmother was a royalist and we had the queens speech on the radio on xmas, it bored me out of my mind[my mothers family goes back to the 12th century]. The royals perpetuated the class system which made the working class out to be mere peons, touching their caps to their upper class masters. Fortunately legislation in 1945 made it possible for working class kids to get scholarships to grammar schools and university[at that time , apart from the oxford-cambridge boat race nobody knew what university was]Over the years the oppressive nature of the class system has diminished, but there are still vestiges remaining and these can be traced back to the royals. Years ago their lives were secret, a 'D' notice prevented newspapers from reporting, nowadays if the go to the toilet it appears in the tabloids. The royals are disfunctional and anachronistic, they have become a tourist attraction and should be treated as such, give them a house rather than a castle, keep up the openings etc but cut off the hangers on, the ladies in waiting, the castles,etc
As for the wedding who really cares except the gentry in the shires and hysterical middle aged women. As for the colonials, its better viewed from afar.

[Andy_S]

Royals are a bit more than simply a tourist attraction, they are a key part of the UK national brand.
They are assets for:
Tourism - Which is very, very important; tourism is the world's biggest industry (biger than finance, defence, energy...) Take away their castles, ladies in waiting, etc and you take away the institutions. Who heard of a king without a palace?
Media - Local AND foreign - which contrbutes to interest in the nation;
Trade - Plenty of countries (esp in the Arab world) appreciate a visit from Royalty (Duke of York holds the Invest UK job at persent I believe)
Diplomacy - Ditto trade, above. Plenty of countries' leaders bask in a visit to the palace
Differentiation - Most countries today do not have Royal Families, but given the attention they pay to ours, perhaps they wish they did. Oddly the French - who chopped off their royal's heads - and the Americans - who gave us the boot - seem the most fascinated.

Given all the above, the Royal Family are excellent value for taxpayers' money, far outweighing their security costs. (FYI, having covered both Royal, presidential and prime ministerial visits, I can assure you that the security aruond the fomer is almost invisible, which was not the case for John Prescott's security, whose only role seemed to be to keep the media at bay.) I'd be interested to see any costing done of the brand value of royalty, trouble is, few people beyond Forbes, Businessweek and Fortune understand brand value, they only get tangible assets.

(I would add that I think Charles has some excellent ideas on muliculturalism, rural areas and architecture.) So count me as apparently the lone English Royalist on RSF.

But could I give a toss about the wedding? No, though I will probably watch edited highlights.

[Darth Rock&Roll]

You're not alone Andy_s *pats him opn the back and hands him a scone*

I mean, yeah, with the english part, but still, I like my Queen and I see the value they bring to the Isles.

[RobP2]

I think most UK people respect the Queen, personally as far the wedding goes it barely registers on my radar.

[affa]

[lazyboxer]

I was thoroughly annoyed at the press coverage given to the recent mid-term elections. Since the announcement there was nothing on either the local or national news but the friggin' election campaign. Do you American forum members care as much about it as we apparently do in the UK? IMHO the U.S. president is an anachronism, an embarrassment, and a parasite on the American taxpayers. Why do you still put up with him?

[gzregorz]

I still say DETHRONE ROYALTY!

Time to buy a t-shirt.

http://www.carnaldammage.com/Dethrone_s ... bAodnRLXYA

[Ron Panunto]

I was thoroughly annoyed at the press coverage given to the recent mid-term elections. Since the announcement there was nothing on either the local or national news but the friggin' election campaign. Do you American forum members care as much about it as we apparently do in the UK? IMHO the U.S. president is an anachronism, an embarrassment, and a parasite on the American taxpayers. Why do you still put up with him?

Well, I think there is a difference. The mid-term elections spell a different direction for day to day legislation in the US, i.e., the congress is a living, real time entity. The Royals are not.

[yusuf]

I think most UK people respect the Queen, personally as far the wedding goes it barely registers on my radar.

i don;t know if there are any public figures who we respect... do we have any who have done something worthwhile, apart from David Attenborough