Can I opt out of contributing to the new royal yacht and put my bit into the NHS please

I don't think anyone has suggested it will be a 'gilded gin palace'. Most people who are against it seem to feel that there are simply better things to spend the money on at the moment. Why do we need a 'multifunctioning, diplomatic, business vessel'? Surely that's why we have Embassy buildings or hire hotel/conference centres. The £200 million is only the upfront cost. These things are not cheap to run or maintain and those costs will be incurred year after year.

I was about to say what Bodach has said but probably less well. Maybe it's a misnomer to call it a 'Royal Yacht' as its more like a multi functioning diplomatic/business vessel. If its designed and built here in the UK thus creating jobs it could be OK.

Sad - but not unexpected - to see the usual knee-jerk hysteria trotted out here. It would appear that most respondents assume that any proposed "Royal Yacht" would be a gilded gin palace, manned by powdered and periwigged flunkies, at the beck and call of any member of the royal family who fancies a cruise to sunny climes. HMY Britannia was a certainly a creature of its time, but even it was designed to be able to be re-roled as a hospital ship. That was never invoked, although I believe Britannia did get used in the 80's to evacuate Europeans from a crisis in South Yemen. As someone who was involved in helping UK Exports, I can testify to the great effectiveness of the 'trade days' conducted in foreign ports on board Britannia by British companies. Some GN commentators may sneer, but to have British goods and services demonstrated and shown off to foreign dignitaries, officials and businessmen in such impressive surroundings, with all that the RN crew and RM band brought to the occasion - was a particularly successful mix, and did indeed help to bring in exports worth £billions . Any mooted replacement is most likely to be a thoroughly utilitarian and fully dual-purpose vessel, manned by RN (or Royal Fleet Auxiliary) personnel, and be tasked for much of the time to fill a role for the UK in fleet supply, diplomacy/export support and humanitarian/disaster relief.

3d in old money? Is that enough?

Urmstongran

Helps with unemployment. How about we take it from BBC license fees? Last year the BBC took £3.5 billion to thoroughly demote and undermine this nation, so £200M is a drop in the ocean (ahem), for something to proudly promote the UK around the world.

It would generate millions in trade and prestige!

How would a yacht 'proudly promote the UK around the world' and how would it 'generate millions in trade and prestige'?

If we have £200million going spare then we should feed our children and not have families relying on food banks.

Come on ladies we should all be queuing up to donate to Boris's latest vanity project. Please put you cheque into an envelope covered in Union Flags.

Lord Digby could pay for it out of his own pocket. I wouldn't mind that.

But who would crew it? The good old RN? I suppose it would be one extra ship for them when there are so many cut backs.

www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2021/02/12/the-royal-navy-keeps-shrinking-frigates-to-drop-by-three/?sh=142c4b676621

Ridiculous.

Nannan2

Yes the BBC should definitely pay for it! Theyre already taking money for old rope off us for beggar all, for what? Maybe giving us ONE genuinely good series a year ('call the midwife' - also involving and due to the medical profession) and maybe a fair bit of coverage of the news and when a Royal passes on- but so equally do other channels whom we don't have to pay an arm& a leg for in licence fees! So yes, Urmstongran you are right- BBC should definitely foot the bill.It would be one British institution helping another.(shipbuilding)

A bit unfair to the BBC. Line of Duty for example ??

British television has always knocked spots off say Italian, French tv. IMO of course.

We need the BBC we do not need a royal yacht. I think the very idea is fantastically insensitive during/after a pandemic and when nurses can’t have a decent pay rise.

It's the 21 Century and BBC's Good Morning Scotland have Lord Digby Jones on discussing a new royal yacht costing £200million as part of the pandemic recovery

@UnRoyalReporter

an old Etonian Buying a £200m Yacht for a Billionaire family with public money at a time of crisis....

( and somehow, this isn't a scandal)

@UnRoyalReporter

If you’re outraged by the thought of a new #RoyalYacht, can you also take a moment to consider whether the taxpayer should be forking out over £360m a year on one snobby family and their 17 palaces ?

Another vanity project like the garden bridge, which cost us millions in consultations and planning and was chucked into the Thames. What’s to bet the contract will be given to some billionaire Tory donor who does not pay U.K. tax.

NotSpaghetti

I am getting cruise ship adverts suddenly!

Can we book staterooms for the maiden voyage of this new Royal Yacht?

Where shall we go?

With elections on Thursday can anything be believed in the media,

Not sure the idea is working.

It's got to be a dead cat.

A nice patriotic booster before the elections on Thursday. Do you think the electorate is panting for a new 'Royal Yacht' and will vote tory to ensure it happens ? of course, local councils have no say whatsoever over yachts, royal or otherwise, but hey, it's fun, isn't it. Just what the nation needs

Ladyleftfieldlover

Hang on a mo - I thought a billionaire was leaving enough money in his will to have one built. No tax payers money involved blah blah blah

I think it was 50 million. Not enough to build a new ship.

Totally agree I would like to do the same. Fed up with the government wasting money. Johnson was heavily involved in the London garden bridge project which was to cost an estimated 200m. It was cancelled (thank goodness) and it still wasted 53million without a brick being laid. We do not need a Royal Yacht replacement. We need to properly house/feed/educate/provide health care for our population.

I am getting cruise ship adverts suddenly!

Ladyleftfieldlover

Hang on a mo - I thought a billionaire was leaving enough money in his will to have one built. No tax payers money involved blah blah blah

MaizieD

Grany

Matthew Payne

NHS heroes get a 1% pay cut, 3 million self employed people get forgotten about by amnesiac
@RishiSunak
, Food Bank use at astronomical proportions, and many going without. Obscene Tory Government.says not enough to go round. But can find money for new Royal Yacht Britannia ffs!!!

Or

A Practical Guide To Abolish The Monarchy

theworldasitcouldbe.wordpress.com/2021/05/01/a-practical-guide-to-abolish-the-monarchy/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

To be fair, Grany, had you read the thread I think you'd find that the RF doesn't actually want a 'Royal Yacht'.

The idea was floated by a tory MP soon after Prince Philip's death. It was dismissed as nonsense by most sensible people.

If the RF doesn't want it how could Johnson possibly go ahead with it?

Good

Callistemon

^We could have something like in Ireland^ I'm a bit confused?
Do you mean a private jet like the Irish President instead of a yacht?

RF have private jets and all other transport including posh cars. Their favourite method of transport is the Royal Helicopers. Which they use day in day out week in week out for their own private use. Spending public money freely as if it's their own. You can't compare the President costs a fraction of BRF

If the RF doesn't want it how could Johnson possibly go ahead with it?

I really don't think he can, what is going through his mind?

(Daft question)

Grany

Matthew Payne

NHS heroes get a 1% pay cut, 3 million self employed people get forgotten about by amnesiac
@RishiSunak
, Food Bank use at astronomical proportions, and many going without. Obscene Tory Government.says not enough to go round. But can find money for new Royal Yacht Britannia ffs!!!

Or

A Practical Guide To Abolish The Monarchy

theworldasitcouldbe.wordpress.com/2021/05/01/a-practical-guide-to-abolish-the-monarchy/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

To be fair, Grany, had you read the thread I think you'd find that the RF doesn't actually want a 'Royal Yacht'.

The idea was floated by a tory MP soon after Prince Philip's death. It was dismissed as nonsense by most sensible people.

If the RF doesn't want it how could Johnson possibly go ahead with it?

We could have something like in Ireland I'm a bit confused?
Do you mean a private jet like the Irish President instead of a yacht?

While on the subject of royalty

We could have something like in Ireland or as here in a comment from someone in Germany

Or like our Bundes President here in Germany. A very well respected figure head, whose sole purpose is to welcome foreign heads of state, represent Germany abroad and sign his/her name on bills which have passed both houses. The only difference between Michael D. Higgins and our president, Frank-Walther Steinmaier, is that MDH was elected by the electorate, whereas Steinmaier was nominated by and elected by our elected representatives in the Bundestag. The roles are the same though and both do an excellent job, IMO. The fact that they have limited terms of office is a good thing too. The Monarchie in the UK is a waste of space and money and is an anachronism in the 21st century.