Australia gives Knighthood to Prince Philip - er, ... A Prince Philip appreciation thread

[pchang]

And somehow this made money for UK citizens?

[C0ckney]

did i claim it did?

[pchang]

No. But Kentonio was about to.

[C0ckney]

that would be a very strange reading of what i wrote.

[kentonio]

No. But Kentonio was about to.

Was I?

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Yes ok, the monarchy has no value and the vast crowds of people who visit the UK each year to watch the changing of the guard and gawp at the palaces hoping to catch a glimpse of the royals are actually just a figment of our imaginations, just like the mass media appeal of stories/pictures/scandal involving them.

Why is it so difficult to just hold an ideological position without having to try and rewritd reality to support it? Ok, you dont like the monarchy, good for you, but trying to imply it doesnt have huge mass market appeal is just dishonest.

That's a pretty blatant strawman. Nobody has claimed that the Royal Family create no revenue, have they? Simply that the notion that the revenue exceeds the costs and loss of revenue through massive inefficiency is open to robust challenge.

After all, what revenue is actually generated by watching the changing of the guard and gawping at the palaces? None. It's free.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Would you like me to highlight any more howling inaccuracies in that site on the value of the monarchy, by the way? There's loads.

[Dauphin]

And doesn't require a monarchy.

Does the Czech Republic have a monarchy? Clue in the name I think, but they have a changing of the guard at Prague Castle.

[Hauldren Collider]

You could still have the changing of the guard without a queen FYI. We have basically the same thing at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetary.

Edit: Damn you Dauphin

[kentonio]

Would you like me to highlight any more howling inaccuracies in that site on the value of the monarchy, by the way? There's loads.

That's exactly what I'd like you to do, which is why I immediately posted that link without mentioning any reservations about how pointless it would be due to inherent biases.

[kentonio]

EDIT - playing nicer

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

That's exactly what I'd like you to do, which is why I immediately posted that link without mentioning any reservations about how pointless it would be due to inherent biases.

If you could challenge the faults I'm highlighting, I think you would.

Would you like to comment on the inclusion of the Crown Estates as assets on the monarchy?

Would you like to dispute the failure of Royal links to save two of the businesses closest to the Royal Family- Ardent and Duchy Originals?

Would you like to discuss the fact that they detail the long-term costs of extra public holidays from 2012 to infinity as less than the short-term cost in 2012 alone?

If this is just down to my bias, you'll be able to counter these points with a smile and a merry wink. So hop to it.

[kentonio]

I can't even begin to describe how much this bores me. The monarchy are a brand which has huge appeal internationally, which sells papers by the millions and attracts interest from citizens of countries around the world, with an inevitable result in tourism. Most of it is fairytale fantasism, but thats by the by. The brand makes money, as successful brand always do. There's a perfectly reasonably argument to be had about how the inherently anti-democractic nature of a monarchical system overrides any financial benefit that it may provide, but this endless attempt by the Republican side to claim that monarchy doesn't provide value is just tedious in the extreme. You may as well be arguing that celebrity gossip doesn't have any financial value, because basically it's the same argument. People love celebrity, and there are very few forms of celebrity that stand higher than the British monarchy in terms of brand appeal.

[Aeson]

Profitable or not, the only good thing you can do with a monarchy is get rid of it. People will always find something to gawk at and gossip about.

[Hauldren Collider]

We manage to find plenty of people to gossip about without the government helping us out

Europe is so socialist the government even appoints people to be the target of gossip. We freedom-loving individualists in the United States managed to find a free-market solution in the form of hollywood at tmz.com.

Kentonio, you should just come out and straight up admit that you're kinda fond of the cutesy aspect of having ~a monarchy~ and that it swells your national pride, kinda like the space shuttle or mars rover or B-2 do here. Except wait a minute. Those actually do things.