(OT) The Monarchy!

That is quite a bizarre stance to take isn't it? The whole essence of democracy is to have your say in how where you live is run. Recommending people should just 'leave if they don't like it' goes against all of that.

Then again, I left.. because I didn't like it. So I'm sort of trampling all over my own point .

 

I wish I had the balls to just up and leave this country! I truly loved Austria on my travels. Vienna would be brilliant place to live.

 

Just because your patriotic doesn't mean you don't care for humanity, I don't see anything wrong with having a sense of community and proudness.

 

Takes pretty much no courage at all as far as I can tell. Helped that my girlfriend is French for when I first moved over though, getting settled in a country with somebody 100% fluent was much easier than when first moving to Prague - which, yeah, was pretty tough.

 

Maybe Im just a coward But yeah, having a girlfriend that can speak the local lingo must be a massive bonus! Do you speak Czech at all? Or do you just go about the usual English way of communication when abroad. Talking reeaaaally sloooooow aaaaaand paaaaatrooooonissssinnng?

 

That really isn't what I'm saying at all, I don't think that patriotic people don't care about humanity. Nothing wrong with a sense of community either, but patriotism is defined as "a zealous defense of ones own country's prosperity, freedom and rights". I don't believe it necessary to be patriotic in order to care about where you live.

 

Possibly, (probably) that came out wrong. (I've been out all day, again....). What I hope to portray is, that, as a free country, if you don't like it here, you have the right to leave. No-one will force you to live here if you don't like it.

 

I don't speak English here at all unless I'm totally stuck. When we first arrived, neither of us even knew how to say 'hello' because we were essentially browsing Europe for a place to live and just happened upon Prague along our travels. But since then we've learned a decent amount to get by but by no means to fluent levels.

 

But as a free country and as citizens of the free country we also have the right to change it to suit popular opinion..

 

Yep, but then you also have the right to stay and disagree.

edit - beaten to it!

 

I envy you...I have to say if there is one thing I learnt in the autumn, its that people in England are way too up tight about things.

 

I don't identify with British culture at all. Everything from popular arts cultures like music and film to every day things such as where and how you dine or drink. Just isn't me at all.

 

Possibly you're right. It's been a long day, my brain hurts, I'm going to bed. Happy in the fact that we're twelve, yes twelve, points ahead of the mackems.

 

Haha, I think I'll be off to bed myself soon, I only just realised I've been up since 1am. Pretty sure I've been posting on here almost non stop too .

 

Adios amigo.

 

Just saw this on Guardian website...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jan/15/queen-royal-yacht-diamond-jubilee-gove

 

Forgive me for my distain for that particular group of people, herself in particular for the pardoning and honouring of infantry and officers involved in bloody sunday

 

!! This idiot can't be serious, surely.

Why doesn't she celebrate her 'momentous occasion' by giving something back to the people that have unfailingly heaved their cash into her pockets for decades?

 

I'm all for the Royals. To say that the only income the Royals bring into the country is a few quid for tourism is a dim view. The Royals tour the world hawking British industry and goods. After nearly all Commonwealth summits there is normally an announcement that we're going to supply such & such a 3rd world country with tractors/agriculutral equipment/ missile/bombs/warships or planes. That doesn't happen by itself. People say the Royal Wedding cost £20M to police but how much money was made in selling crappy plates & mugs, TV rights abroad, advertising during ad breaks on commercial stations, all this stuff stimulates a currently dead economy. ****, we (as country) made money out of Diana's funeral.

Also under our constitution say a Prime Minister was to lose the plot and suffer a breakdown and decide to nuke Russia, allow interbreeding & join the Euro, who is the only person who can legally step in and have the Prime Minister committed? The Queen. Handy little backstop in my opinion.

 

I love that last sentence, but then what if the monarch is also barking mad? The public never even had the chance to vote them in at all.

You're correct to specify the things that the royal family does. The argument on that point really is whether or not this is the job for a publically funded hereditary line of people in whom the public have absolutely no choice over.

Fundamentally since you said you're all for the royals, do you have any problem at all that in a democratic society there are people born into such a position of power, prestige, wealth and imposed respect? (I'm aware that capitalism naturally produces wealthy lineage elsewhere but I'm referring to a publically funded family with certain jurisdictions over the whole nation).