MovieChat Forums > The Queen (2006) Discussion > from an irish perspective...

from an irish perspective...

posted 13 years ago by ShalanTD
24 replies | jump to latest

this seems really weird, i thought the queen was just a tourist attraction, i didn't realise the prime minister had to meet up with her on a regular basis, or that she had to ask him to be prime minister. it just seems so backward to me, i mean do english people still really believe she has a divine right? if not what justification do you have for giving these people so much power and luxury? i find the idea that she brings in more tourist money than she takes from the tax payer extremely cynical, im sure celebrities bring in a lot of money to california should they get government money? i mean at least they earned their position. the idea of divine privilege sickens me i have to say, also i lived in salford for a while and after seeing the poverty and underdevelopment there i find the idea of government money going to these people even worse.

it doesn't effect me so i dont really mind but i just cant imagine how any educated person could support the idea of a monarchy...

[–] stopfief 13 years ago

It keeps the proles sweet, though, that's the main thing.

It's about how audaciously you are carrying on in calm.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] ib011f9545i 12 years ago

The following nations have kings or Queens,Belgium,Denmark,Netherlands,Sweden,Norway,Spain.
There might be others I can't think of.
The Royal family cost a lot of money but it is all show,they don't really have any power and many people (like me)are not obsessed by their every move.

If you were not Irish you would not be so worried about the British monarchy.
Being Irish you are very much connected to Britain's future,half your family probably live here,certainly if Britain is doing badly this is bad for Ireland.

[–] ShalanTD 12 years ago

im not worried about them i just find it very odd.

[–] davidsfrench 10 years ago

They really rely on the general public believing they have no power.Governments come and go but the Whitehall Establishment stay right where they are.In the driving seat.

[–] Theshornwonder 8 years ago

Also they treated your country like they owned it, still do in the North and caused misery there for hundreds of years. Yep, nothing to worry about at all.

[–] Stirchley 12 years ago

What does being Irish have to do with your OP?

[–] ShalanTD 12 years ago

because im assuming this doesn't seem weird to british people. i was looking at it from my cultural point of view.

[–] Stirchley 12 years ago

^You're right, it doesn't seem weird to us Brits.

[–] ShalanTD 12 years ago

well there you go, so from my cultural upbringing of living in a republic the idea of having royalty in this day and age seems bizarre, hence "from an irish perspective..."

[–] joyfarrah 12 years ago

Since there are many monarchies, some in teh Scandanavian countries are monarchies in a country which is pretty socialist and egalitarian in its culture, Im not sure what the problem is. Some countries have a monarchy, others do not. It is a matter of personal preference.

[–] ShalanTD 12 years ago

the fact that a few other countries have it doesnt make it any less strange. and your last statement ("it is a matter of personal preference") is kind of ironic, because its not a "preference, its an enforced institution.

[–] joyfarrah 12 years ago

well hardly. If the British public wanted a republic, they would only have to put a republican party in power, which wanted to get rid of the monarchy.

[–] ShalanTD 12 years ago

you have a very strange idea of what personal means.

[–] Sphinxara 12 years ago

Britain is a two-party system (with the Lib Dems still a minor, 'shore up' party). Whilst there ARE republican Labour MPs, there are no republican Tory MPs. Until we curb the overall power of the Tories and Labour, there is no chance of a republican party getting a look-in. It's a pretty crappy system if you don't like the two main parties.

Your name is of no importance and you live in the pipe in the upstairs water closet.

[–] Theshornwonder 8 years ago

The problem is Britain acts as if Ireland is owned by the monarchy, and it isn't.

[–] R011DaveAAA 10 years ago

The biggest difference constitutionally between those Commonwealth countries where the Queen is Head of State and Ireland is the way the Head of State is chosen. The duties otherwise are alike, including formally asking a member of the legislature to form a government. The Taoiseach receives his office from the President of Ireland in much the same way as Tony Blair did his from the Queen - though no doubt the details of the protocol are much different. Selecting a Head of State though heredity is how it has been done for centuries in the UK, Canada, and some others and it works well enough for us that there is little public interest in changing.

Nor does the Queen cost the British taxpayer more than an elected or appointed President would cost if one compares what she costs to what presidents of similarly sized and organized republics cost.

[–] Theshornwonder 8 years ago

But you've got to pay for not just the queen, but her whole family, plus 10 Downing. Aside from US, I doubt it's comparable in cost.

[–] louiseculmer 10 years ago

the Queen is head of state. everyone has one. Like you have a president in Ireland. there would be absolutely no point in having a monarch if she didn't have some official functions. and the monarchy costs us less than a lot of presidents do.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] rrb_1 9 years ago

@ShalanTD - thanks for your OP. As an American, I understand your finding the British monarchy "strange" - it is. As strange, silly and outdated as much of the Catholic Church's teachings. And like those teachings, the monarchy only exists today as a holdover from ancient times. They're there b/c that's the way they've always done things, and if they tried to modernize them, the monarchy and the outdated teachings would collapse.

However, I do think the royals serve as a uniting force and rallying point for the British people. Example: William and Kate's wedding - the best piece of political theatre I've seen in ages. As long as the Brits love the royal family, it makes sense to keep them: silly, spoiled and anachronistic as they are.

[–] Theshornwonder 8 years ago

Yes, and Britain is the only "liberal democracy" to bar, by law, their head of state from choosing their own religion or even marrying someone of the Catholic faith. Disgusting discrimination.