Well I can’t keep my mouth shut about this. The Queen has privately asked for more (tax-payers) money for the maintainance and upkeep of her official residences and for her official duties. Royal staff have called for a VAT exemption on payments for services given to the Queen and I hear that as things stand the Queen’s reserves will be gone by 2011.
Ok, the buildings belong to the state anyway so it’s our obligation to maintain them. But her subjects are feeling the credit squeeze too. The running costs of our own humble little abodes are increasing and we arehaving to make cutbacks and tighten our belts. Is it not reasonable to expect the royals to lead by example – to consume less and to budget more?
And I hear that her royal almighty feels that she needs more money to carry out her official duties – her official duties being, as some would argue, a service to the British public. Yes and there are millions of public servants in this country who provide a service to the public and they are having to accept pay-freezes.
Does anyone else find it utterly absurd that one of the richest women in the world is asking for more money? Personally, I think it just goes to prove how ignorantly out of touch the royal householders are with the real world. At a time when the economy is faltering and the country is facing a deep recession, when high levels of unemployment and house repossessions are likely, to ask for more money is not only insensitive, it’s bloody offensive.
From the Republic:
Britain is facing serious financial challenges, people are losing their jobs, the country is getting heavily into debt, yet all the Queen can think about is grabbing more of our hard earned cash.
Suffice to say I’m relieved that the Treasury has thus far refused this ludicrous plea and what’s more, I say let the royal family, as a publicly-funded organisation, go bankrupt. It’s one business that this country can survive perfectly well without.
It’s ok, the bolting hutches of beastliness won’t become paupers overnight. They have huge personal assets, probably much more wealth than we are aware of.
And just so you know, I reject the tourism arguments.
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