Government spending £8 million on portraits of the King for schools, police stations and council offices

[najaB]

Personally I think the cost per person per year is worth it to have a head of state who is above politics and can help to unify the country, rather than someone who is a member of a political party, and would thus be more of a divisive figure.

Totally agreed. I believe it was Arthur C. Clarke in Songs of a Distant Earth who described a society in which seeking to hold office was seen as almost automatically disqualifying for holding office, since no sane person would actually want the job.

 

[Meerkat]

To me this nonsense falls into the same category as the current government's unhealthy obsession with flags. Nothing is less likely to make me feel patriotic than having patriotism forced on me

Define 'unhealthy obsession'? Its pretty standard behaviour all round the world, in fact we are probably pretty low down the scale.

 

[Intercity110]

Does anyone know how much the monarchy costs per second? Working it out is beyond my mathematical competence!

It’s in the negaitves if you count the tax revenue by people coming to see the king.

 

[SteveM70]

Define 'unhealthy obsession'? Its pretty standard behaviour all round the world, in fact we are probably pretty low down the scale.

I think you've answered your own question. Until very recently, we didn't have flags on display in every press conference / video / photo of a member of the government. Now we do. They've decided flags play to at least part of their core support, and they're politicising their use

 

[Intercity110]

they're politicising their use

flags are inherently political though.

 

[AlterEgo]

I think you've answered your own question. Until very recently, we didn't have flags on display in every press conference / video / photo of a member of the government. Now we do. They've decided flags play to at least part of their core support, and they're politicising their use

All the more reason for “normals” to reclaim those symbols instead of shying away from them. The Irish tricolour could have been very problematic but for its continued promulgation by normal and sensible people.

If the political bad guys are the only ones using your national symbols then that’s where you have a problem.

 

[Meerkat]

I think you've answered your own question. Until very recently, we didn't have flags on display in every press conference / video / photo of a member of the government. Now we do. They've decided flags play to at least part of their core support, and they're politicising their use

Its really odd to object to the use of the nation's flag by the nation's government.
It seems to be used against the Tories, though Starmer clearly sees the merit, but to quite an extent it is a response to the massive SNP use of the Saltire and the EU, who plastered their flag on anything they were connected to.

 

[TAS]

The NHS costs money. A lot of money.

The Monarchy also costs money, but it also makes money. The UK attracts visitors from all over the world. Many are attracted by royal palaces and the pomp that goes with it. All these foreign visitors spend money. Lots of money.

It would be interesting to know ‘How much the Monarchy costs vs How much the Monarchy makes’

But you'd still have the royal palaces and the tourism without the monarchy. Austria, for example, must bring in a lot of tourist revenue off the back of the Habsburgs and their palaces, long after the last Emperor was removed. Indeed, the end of the monarchy has made their palaces and collections more accessible to visitors than ours are.

 

[Meerkat]

But you'd still have the royal palaces and the tourism without the monarchy. Austria, for example, must bring in a lot of tourist revenue off the back of the Habsburgs and their palaces, long after the last Grand Duke abdicated. Indeed, the end of the monarchy has made their palaces and collections more accessible to visitors than ours are.

I really don’t think you would get as many as are attracted by the whole olde England factor of having a real live royal family. Buckingham Palace really isn’t that special other than as a royal residence.
And of course our RF are the world’s soap opera - so much publicity for the UK.
Fantastic diplomatic weapon too, because of the history and because they are non-political.

 

[cjmillsnun]

It has been completely normal to have a picture of Queen Elizabeth II in public buildings since about 1952? I hardly think that it was ever seen as a sign of a dictatorship? I also think they wouldn’t always be in public areas…

Agreed. I’m an ex councillor and there was a picture of the Queen in the town hall. Never noticed one in schools though.

 

[XAM2175]

Its really odd to object to the use of the nation's flag by the nation's government.
It seems to be used against the Tories, though Starmer clearly sees the merit, but to quite an extent it is a response to the massive SNP use of the Saltire and the EU, who plastered their flag on anything they were connected to.

As AlterEgo notes, people can feel put off if they're seeing a flag used by people with whom they don't want to be associated, and this is something that definitely affects the Union Flag (though, granted, not as much as the St George flag). Reclaiming them is absolutely worthwhile, but requires delicacy.

I've long thought that Neil Kinnock was on to something using this arrangement in 1992, but as ever opinions will vary (and it is a bit impractical for day-to-day use)

(Neil Kinnock speaking at a rally in Sheffield in April 1992 backed by the Union flag, as well as the flags of Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland [being St Patrick's red saltire on a white field], and the EU. Richard Baker photo via Getty Images.)

 

[TAS]

I really don’t think you would get as many as are attracted by the whole olde England factor of having a real live royal family. Buckingham Palace really isn’t that special other than as a royal residence.
And of course our RF are the world’s soap opera - so much publicity for the UK.
Fantastic diplomatic weapon too, because of the history and because they are non-political.

Again, and perhaps this is getting a bit off topic for this thread, but I'm not sure I agree. For example, the imperial apartments at the Hofburg are, honestly, not that special - there's a reason they are heavily themed and marketed around Sisi and Franz Joseph. There are plenty of monarchs from British history with international reputations that could be used to market the UK's royal heritage in a similar way (indeed, probably with greater name recognition).

The idea of using actual, living human beings' lives as a soap opera for publicity strikes me as morally appalling.