Do we need the monarchy in this day and and age?

No, but many people regard them as a familiar fixture in their lives. This can be important in troubled times, especially for the older generation who don’t like change. Elizabeth 2 has been the monarch for my whole life so a new monarch will seem odd. I think it’s an outdated anachronistic institution but suspect I’m very much in the minority on h Gransnet.

No, we don’t need it, but I enjoy it. I like the history, the continuity and also the soap opera element.

Agree with you Blossoming. No we don't.

I have great respect for the Queen but it should stop with her.

We don’t actually “need” one but I enjoy all the pageantry that goes with it. If we were to abolish the monarchy do you think all the money we would apparently save would eventually benefit us all? I somehow doubt it.

can I point out that she is Elizabeth the first of the UK and of Scotland ,she is only ER11 of ENGLAND .
Monarchy is an out of date concept in the 21st century ,Kings and Queens and the other titles Knights and Dukes etc etc are at the heart of the class system .The class system is a cancer on a fair society .As we have seen in the past two years the people in the poorest paid jobs were worth far more to society than the ones wearing million pound jewels living in 700 room "houses".I look forward to the end of the whole rotten system when Lizzie dies .

No but the tourists like them. At least get rid of all the peripherals and just have the one nuclear family. Divide up their property and assets.

No and I hope by the time it gets to William he has the good sense to close the outdated institution down.

hope its gone long before William 's time

Same old, same old. I go back to what Churchill said in 1947.

"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…"

You would still have to have a Head of State. Some are good at saying "don't want" but what do you intend to put in the stead of a sovereign? It's no good even asking the question without telling us what the alternative is. As we have found, that way lies chaos and is basically suggesting a revolution rather than democratic change.

No. I think it's outdated and quite insulting to think that they should be considered superior to the rest of the population just because they happened to be born into a particular family.
Recent events confirm that this is definitely not the case.
When the present Queen goes should be a good time for change.

No we don't. It is completely outdated. Why should some people, by accident of birth, have privileges beyond compare. Now, I like and admire the Queen (although I would imagine she was a rubbish mother) for her selfless dedication to the country but I think the wheels will come off when she dies. The history, palaces, castles and jewels will still be there for us and for tourists. I won't be sorry to see the end of bearskin hats for ceremonial soldiers. It takes one bear to make a single hat. How can that be allowed in this day and age. Getting off topic now I know!!

been done over and over again!

So we go down the route of having a President then? No thank you. The Monarchy are part of our proud heritage and are a great attraction for overseas visitors and their money. They’re making changes and moving forward so why get rid of them now? The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are doing brilliant work in so many charities, including mental health. Nobody else brings so much international interest as they do. They’re not extravagant either. I’d say they’re much needed role models in this awful world.

Are they still actually made of bearskin Yangste1007 I thought they were made from synthetic material now. I may be wrong of course.

If the Monarchy is disbanded should there be a separate Head of State or should it be the Prime Minister?

If it is the PrimeMinister should there be a seperate election rather than being chosen by the majority party?

Could you have a Prime Minister who was in opposition to the majority party.

If a separate Head of State to what extent would they also need all the trappings that come with that position. Would it save any taxpayers money?

How would they be elected. How would we prevent the abuses of that power that have happened world wide. What voting system would we use. How would we remove someone who abused the position.

At least at the moment we know how the Constitution operates.
If we make a vacuum who knows what will fill it.

There are so many questions and potential hazards that Republicans won’t even consider.

avitorl

No. I think it's outdated and quite insulting to think that they should be considered superior to the rest of the population just because they happened to be born into a particular family.
Recent events confirm that this is definitely not the case.
When the present Queen goes should be a good time for change.

Do people feel the RF are superior, do people in those other Monarchies in Europe, all of which, like ours are Constitutional. No more than they would a President I would think. I certainly don’t think the Queen is superior to me, but as our head of state I respect her.

Bearskin hats are bearskin. The Canadian Government culls bears annually, I think in the thousands.

Bit of an irrelevancy though. I expect we’d keep all the pageantry just with a different Head of State. And the costs of it.

The Royals personal wealth would still be their own. Unless every rich person is denied of their wealth. They might go live somewhere where they wouldn’t have to pay so much tax.

sodapop

Are they still actually made of bearskin Yangste1007 I thought they were made from synthetic material now. I may be wrong of course.

The standard bearskin for the British foot guards is 11 inches (280 millimetres) tall at the front, 16 inches (410 millimetres) to the rear, weighs 1.5 pounds (0.68 kilograms), and is made from the fur of the Canadian black bear.[20] However, an officer's bearskin is made from the fur of the Canadian brown bear, as the female brown bear has thicker, fuller fur; officers' caps are dyed black. An entire skin is used for each head-dress.[21] The British Army purchase the head-dresses, which are known as caps, from a British hatmaker which sources its pelts from an international auction. The hatmakers purchase between 50 and 100 black bear skins each year at a cost of about £650 each.[22] If properly maintained, the caps last for decades.

DaisyAnne I didn’t try to answer the question as Iwas opening it up for the views of others, mainly because it was suggested on another thread that there should be a separate thread about this. I will give my views later.

Gillycats

So we go down the route of having a President then? No thank you. The Monarchy are part of our proud heritage and are a great attraction for overseas visitors and their money. They’re making changes and moving forward so why get rid of them now? The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are doing brilliant work in so many charities, including mental health. Nobody else brings so much international interest as they do. They’re not extravagant either. I’d say they’re much needed role models in this awful world.

Very well said.

France still has impressive pomp, ceremony , military parades etc Tourists flock to a Versailles far more than Buck Palace, the whole notion of a person holding an elevated position because they happen to be born into a particular family is ridiculous in the 21st century. Plus all the bowing and scraping as if they are somehow Demi- gods. If some new state , in say, Africa, set up a monarchy we would accuse them of corruption.

Yes but France pay through the nose for all their pomp and ceremony.

It kind of negates the get rid of the Monarchy and save money argument, don’t you think?

Funny no one on here suggesting what would replace the Monarchy, a constitutional one. Remember Ollie Cromwell, didn’t end well. Unless you go the French /Russian way and have state sponsored murder, be careful what you wish for.