Discursive Essay - The British Monarchy
God Save the Green:
Are the Royal Family a Luxury we can no Longer Afford?
Cheers rise from the jubilant crowd as the crowning moment we’ve all been waiting for finally arrives. Thousands fill the Mall, craning their necks as Queen Elizabeth II steps out onto her balcony, offering a smile to her adoring subjects. Clad in her bedazzled hat, she surveys the scene: a vast sea of British flags, frantic in their support of sixty years on the throne, waving in time to a raucous rendition of God Save the Queen.
It probably never entered anyone’s heads that the funding was taken from their taxes as they donned absurd red, white and blue creations in the name of patriotism. No one asked how much it was costing. Or who was paying for the whole shebang! I wasn’t bothered at the time either, nor the school kids and workers, happy for a day off and an excuse to watch telly. Those who went to see it in person couldn’t even see the Queen properly, unless they were pressed against the gates of Buckingham Palace. If they could, they weren’t able to see each Swarovski crystal they had paid for on her outfit. Whilst she was living it up, waving to her subjects, I reckon she was trying to push one nagging thought to the back of her mind. That by letting the country take the day off, good old Liz had set us back £1.2 billion.
I’m sure a recession is when a country has no money to spend, which explains the job losses and major cuts being made. So where is this money coming from? As it turns out, the taxpayers have already paid for staging the Jubilee concert, the crowd control and the enormous television screens so everyone could watch the event unfold from the Mall. They never asked if we wanted to fritter our taxes on such a frivolous event, as opposed to something that would benefit us, like, perhaps, digging us out of recession. The day may have boosted public spirit, but spirit won’t pay the bills, especially in these times of supposed austerity.
The argument from
Are the Royal Family a Luxury we can no Longer Afford?
Cheers rise from the jubilant crowd as the crowning moment we’ve all been waiting for finally arrives. Thousands fill the Mall, craning their necks as Queen Elizabeth II steps out onto her balcony, offering a smile to her adoring subjects. Clad in her bedazzled hat, she surveys the scene: a vast sea of British flags, frantic in their support of sixty years on the throne, waving in time to a raucous rendition of God Save the Queen.
It probably never entered anyone’s heads that the funding was taken from their taxes as they donned absurd red, white and blue creations in the name of patriotism. No one asked how much it was costing. Or who was paying for the whole shebang! I wasn’t bothered at the time either, nor the school kids and workers, happy for a day off and an excuse to watch telly. Those who went to see it in person couldn’t even see the Queen properly, unless they were pressed against the gates of Buckingham Palace. If they could, they weren’t able to see each Swarovski crystal they had paid for on her outfit. Whilst she was living it up, waving to her subjects, I reckon she was trying to push one nagging thought to the back of her mind. That by letting the country take the day off, good old Liz had set us back £1.2 billion.
I’m sure a recession is when a country has no money to spend, which explains the job losses and major cuts being made. So where is this money coming from? As it turns out, the taxpayers have already paid for staging the Jubilee concert, the crowd control and the enormous television screens so everyone could watch the event unfold from the Mall. They never asked if we wanted to fritter our taxes on such a frivolous event, as opposed to something that would benefit us, like, perhaps, digging us out of recession. The day may have boosted public spirit, but spirit won’t pay the bills, especially in these times of supposed austerity.
The argument from