For centuries the British people have lived under the rule of a monarchy. Today it's the queen and her extended family of 'royals'. By some, the royals are treated like gods but who are they, what qualifies them to be in charge of us and how did they get into that positions in the first place?

Well, they are not qualified in any way whatsoever to own a country - they just do. They just happened to have been born into a family who got there by having a more fearsome army than their rivals. Now they actually own the country.

The queen is apparently the largest land owner on the planet, actually owning about one sixth of the earth’s non ocean surface. Take a look at this to see what I mean...

http://www.whoownstheworld.com/about-the-book/largest-landowner/

Yet, even though she is one of the richest women on earth, she still refuses to pay for her grandson's wedding. The security bill alone will come to somewhere in the region of £20 million and of course, it'll be the tax payer who has to pay for it all, at a time when the country is ruined and many people can't even afford to feed themselves.

I would like to suggest an end to the stupidity of having one family of extremely expensive leeches in charge.

With despots and other unelected leaders being removed from office by people power in many parts of the world, maybe it's time that the UK also moved into the 21st century with a properly elected president, voted in by the citizens of the country, not the subjects of an outdated, dysfunctional and desperately unfair and inappropriate monarchy.

John

John

I'm sure the majority of people in the UK are glad they have a sense of permanence in having a monach. contrary to belief they earn the UK a lot of money, the imdeiate royals work hard and the land is managed by the crown estates, paying revenues to the UK government in the for of taxers, tolls etc and employ thousands of people.      Presidents come and go as do prime ministers, but at least with having a royal Family as a figure head gives us a sense of tradition and loyalty.    If it was'nt for your Armies, lol you might have cheif Sitting Bull or a decendant of his as a head of state.

I have to agree with John.  Whenever people talk about geting rid of the monarchy, pro-royals will always say they bring in lots of money for the country in tourism dollars and suchlike.  The truth is that if the family itself was abolished as rulers the grand houses would still be there and we could even open them all up to the public earning heaps more from tourism. 

The actual family don't bring in a bean.  They don't conduct tours and are never seen by tourists.  They just live the life of Riley.  Every day is a lottery win for them and at our expense.

> the majority of people in the UK are glad they have a sense of permanence in having a monach...

You are joking Cristine, aren't you.  Sense of permanence?  Not quite sure what you mean by that but why does it have to be this particular family who give the sense to us?  Why can't it be my family or yours?  Why can't I be queen?  I'd be able to give the population a sense of permanence and I think I'd make a good queen (after all, I've had a lot of practice - LOL).

I too think it's a scandal that they decided that we could pay for their stupid wedding, as John rightly says, at a time when most people are finding it really difficult to make ends meet.

I'm sorry but the royal's, "let them eat cake" attitude really stinks.  Vive la Republica!

I'm not a fan of our monarchy, but I think they're better than the alternative, just look at the self-serving crooks that are "in charge" of republic "democracies". Would you really rather have someone like Berlusconi, Putin or Blair? Just some "fine" examples. 

If we got rid of the monarchy, would the nation really benefit? Unless we have a Russian or French type of revelution (kill 'em), I'm sure they would disappear with all their money and wouldn't leave it for the nation.

I acknowledge I'm not qualified the judge whether or not the UK should become a republic.

 John ( I still consider myself a New Yorker )like most New Yorkers have an opinion on any subject. We have a positive attitute - even when (rare occasion) we're wrong.

I just wanted to point out that Canada now has an elected government - they no longer have a governor appointed by the monarchy. What's the difference?

The Uk as a republic makes us no different to other countries who have lost their sense of tradition......yeah lets throw away a 1000 years! Typical left wing clap-trap, have a President,,,,Blair, Brown or god forbid Mandelson cos thats what we would have has in the last 13 years! Whether u like it or not they bring in tourists who spend money so the uk government can spend billions in overseas aid to despots and dictators, Katie i'm amazed that any tranny could be a roundhead when everyone knows the cavaliers had the best clothes!

Talking about roundheads and cavaliers brings back stories of family lore. I suppose that I would be British myself except that some ancestor of mine supposedly was a royalist back when the English Civil Wars were in vogue and thusly found himself on the losing side. He supposedly had the good sense to get the h..l out in a timely manner and come to America.

As far as whether kings or presidents make better leaders, I have no idea. Certainly there has not been one U.S. presidential candidate in all of the time that I have been voting (and that's a long time) that I could vote "for"; time after time it is a vote against the worse candidate.

Certainly the royals have the best clothes; I hope I am not the only one who wanted to be in Kate Middleton's shoes the other day.

For centuries the British people have lived under the rule of a monarchy.   Wrong!    Britain is controlled and governed by one of the most democratic systems in the world.    One has only to look at the Gender Recognition Act, the rights of free speach.   The queen herself one of the best diplomats this country has ever had.   A figurehead, sertting an examples of morals. 

As far as A wate of money, tax payers money, we should look closer at the self serving politicians, their avarice and greed,   their lack of logic, I studied Economics and did political studies at the LSE. a typical example was the closing of the coal mines,a strategy designed to destroy the unions, sack the miners, who were subsidised to the tune of 4 pounds for every 1000 pounds of coal they produced, so what did the Tory government do?, sack them all,   Pay them dole money for doing nothing, buying coal from abroad, contributing to jobs abroad and boosting their economies.

Now we come to the nationiled industries,    vast amounts of tax payers money invested in, the post office telephone systems, the water board, electicity producing companies, Gas companies and railways, as soon as they broke even and were on course to make profits, they were sold of, denying future governments of regular income from profits, profits that could have been reinvested and used to sustain health services and education,   Now the same thinking is going on to sell off education and the health services.   The privatetised industries are still receiving large amounts of cash subsidies from the tax payer.   It does not work!

You own a car, you rent it out for 100 pounds a week, you spend 30 keeping it maintained and running, profit 70, you do not sell it off for 500 in a quick give away.

The royal Wedding was the envy of the world.   earning this country millions.

The land the queen owns, also includes vast tracts of ''Common Land''  for the use of the people, parks etc. the rights and title being handed down. but reserved in perpetuity for the people.   Not something the come and go politicians can sell off to cronies or use to support and fund their own political causes..

I agree with Cris and Cass on this one!

We are actually governed by an elected parliament, with a Prime Minister, so we do not need a President.... our Prime Minister does that job!

The Royal Family are really just figureheads who do a great deal for our country... a perfect example being The Queen's historic visit to Ireland last week! Even the southern Irish were raving about her! No elected President could have done what she did!

So I am in favour of keeping them.

(I agree with Katie though, that I'm sure we could all make a really good attempt at being a Queen for a while.... maybe we could jobshare!)

The monarchy is an outdated concept, in a country where freedom and equality is so highly prized, no one family should be an exception.

The bring in money to some degree, but the amount saved by becoming a republic would more than justify it

I want Scotland to be an independent republic, with democratically elected and accountable leadership.  I regard the monarchy as an anachronism. 

Long live the Lion Rampant!!!

Bratach rioghail na h-Alba!!!

I went to London last week to check in on the Queen to see if she was ok and doing her job properly. I didnt take any of her nonsense and she seems to be coping fine. She can keep her job for now!

Well Said Janis.....lol

Anna-Marie xx

IMO having a royal family costs this country far less in net terms than having a President would. Vast numbers of tourists come to the UK because of them, how many would come to see a President?

Janis Murray said:

I want Scotland to be an independent republic, with democratically elected and accountable leadership.  I regard the monarchy as an anachronism. 

The Queen isn't in a position of leadership, she is purely a figurehead. Could you say that an elected President would be the same?