Britons

[Sternly]

from the second paragraph; why that love to the monarchy? It was important, but now it's just a very rich family with political influences........ why still those laws protecting them?

[DoogieJ]

Next paragraph taken from a website I found.

 

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. A monarch is a hereditary ruler; a constitutional monarchy is a state headed by a monarch who rules according to the constitution. In a constitutional monarchy, the sovereign reigns (formally), but does not "rule", i.e. he/she does not have much power. One can ask oneself what the sovereign (in the UK presently Queen Elizabeth II) is good for, considering that the real power in the United Kingdom resides with the Parliament. According to the (unwritten) constitution of the United Kingdom, the Queen’s government gives her advice – which she cannot ignore. That means that, in practice, it is the ministers who make almost all the decisions, and that the parliament is supreme. In fact, the last time a monarch used a veto to stop a proposal from the legislation was Queen Anne, in 1707. This means, in my opinion, that if the monarch tries to block the legislation sometime in the future, the monarchy will be as good as dead. But the monarch also has powers to decide when to dissolve parliament, and who should be appointed Prime minister. In practice, these powers will only be used if the election results are so even that no party has the overall majority. Then the monarch would have to decide by herself, because she would have no ministers to ask for advice. But since this is not very likely to happen either, all the monarch is good for, is that she is a symbol of a united nation, in addition to being the "Supreme Governor of the Church of England" and the "Head of the Commonwealth". But these are also mainly just symbolic titles,

 

 

So all in all, why keep the monarchy? Cynical answer...cos all the money the UK recieves from tourism from the USA and Japanese who love the monarchy. Serious answer, because the UK is a country of heretige, the Royal Family is part of that, and it would be sad to lose them in such a capacity...

 

Personally I don't care either way, it's nice to have them, but also it is strange how in todays society we just pay for a family to be kept purely because of their birthright.

[Sternly]

Your cynical answer sound to be like the serious, but nevermind!

 

Last or alsmot last question about the UK........ why don't you abolish the titles? Like Sir, Lord and so...... it's an archaic idea, it makes distinction among people and they are just useless..... you only get priviledges and pay taxes for that, but you get more priviledges than taxes..... why hasn't a referedum been held? and If there was one, why didn't it "won"?

[DoogieJ]

Tony Blair is always talking about reducing the power of the House of Lords...they're the upper house in the UK, all decisions Tony Blair makes in the House of Commons get put before the House of Lords to be ratified...The people in the House of Lords aren't elected in anyway and are made up of Peers from various forms...old Lords and Ladies from named estates and people who are bestowed the Lord or Lady title (such as ex Prime Ministers like Maggie Thatcher)..they have the ultimate say in government decision.

 

 

Funny thing is, if you have enough money, you can buy titles...for example ex boxer Chris Eubank is now the Lord of Brighton (or is it bournemouth)..but he isn't allowed in the House of Lords...thank god.

 

The Sir titles you mention are the nations way to give honour to those who have served this country with distinction...there are Knighthoods (CBEs) which bestow the prefix Sir onto people, then there are MBEs and OBEs...this is the Queen's way to thank those in her service...various people get them from war heroes, to sportsmen to lollypop ladies who work devotedly at schools...personally i like those titles, they're a way to be proud to be British (like the purple heart for war service in the US)..and as far as I know they don't give any advantages tax wise...

[Sternly]

But isn't unfair for example that If you are "born a Lord", you have the right to ask for a place is the House of Lords? (it looks pretty funny, them, we see them on the tv) That's a priviledge, and you should get it by your own merits, not because you "are born with it".

 

and I still think it's unfair. Lords will be always a step higer than Sirs, and they will be a step higher than normal people....... don't you, who live with that system, think that?

[DoogieJ]

We're born to be subservent to our betters lol...Times are changing, for thousands of years up until the 60's the UK ran on a class system (Upper class, middle class, working class), those with money and power, those without...wasn't until the "liberal" times that occured in the 60's that people not born to power actually started to acquire it...think The Beatles, through the media of TV and Radio they wielded more power over the younger generation than anyone else in the country...This is when it started to change, and celebritry became more powerful that hereditary...

 

Do I think it's right that these people have the money and lifestyle just because they're born into it? Not really, but in many ways you just accept it, it happens today all around the world, not just with royalty. Everywhere there are kids living off the fame of their parents (Osbournes)...it's not fair either but it happens.

[Sternly]

But that's a goverment politic..... what I mean is that for example in my country we do not have titles, Spanish titles suchs as Conde, Marquez, Don; they were abolished more than 200 years ago, but that doesn't mean there isn't any difference among people, it just means that on paper, we are all the same. On your system, you are not even the same on paper. My parents were about to send me to a boarding school in the U.K, I maybe a very good student, and my english is certainly not as good as required, but I don't think Independent schools cared much. What I hated the most is that when you have too fill a document, the first thing they ask you is Title...... why!? That makes a distintion! We are all suppose to be equal! Now, The Beatles case, or celebrities, that's different. Not rarely, but much celebrities move as much people as The Beartles, and they can be followed by lots of people, but they can be hated or missinterpretated too...... that's a double edge thing... (makes sense?)

 

Ending with the story; I didn't thought I was the "type of girl" for going to a Ladies' College, religious and sort of elitist, were it matters more what you have than who you are....... so, me is looking foward to be a UWC (United World Colleges) Student....... so that's one of the reasons why I ask so many questions...... (that was bad explained)....... it's because , well If you knew them, you would understand! :lol: I can't explain it any better! Sorry! :)

[DoogieJ]

OK totally apathetic answer here....Title...why? Just because, that's the way it is, it's been like this for thousands of years, it doesn't really effect many peoples everyday lives if the Queen is Queen or Prince Harry smokes dope...just shrug it off and carry on with life trying to grind out a living :)

 

Just accept it and move on.

[Sternly]

That's were the difference lies, I guess...... you say just accept it and move on, and I don't...... I just thinik some things can be change, and must be, and I'm not willing to accept everything.

[DoogieJ]

you're young and idealistic, when you get older and out in the real world, cynicism kicks in, and apathy...:)

 

And sure come to the UK and try to bring down the class system, could be funny to watch. :lol:

[Sternly]

:lol: well, the world needs idealistic people! what would be of us without them? Stalin was one, well most of the revolutionary people;: whether you love or hate them, they did great things for humanity! They had some hard falls though, but that's part of the process!

 

and I won't try to bring your system down, I'm just an outsider, the change must come from the inside; plus I've got some other staff to worry about, more important..... believe it or not! Young people do have things to worry about! :lol: :)

[Sternly]

by the way, where do you think I am?

I'm in the real world too! There is just one world we live in!

[Sternly]

I guess I bored you too!

[DoogieJ]

by the way, where do you think I am?

I'm in the real world too! There is just one world we live in!

 

No doubt it may seem the real world to you at the time, but when you finish school and suddenly have to survive by working and branching out on your own, then you will witness the real world not in the shield of your parents.

[Sternly]

by the way, where do you think I am?

I'm in the real world too! There is just one world we live in!

 

No doubt it may seem the real world to you at the time, but when you finish school and suddenly have to survive by working and branching out on your own, then you will witness the real world not in the shield of your parents.

 

I don't understand when people say that....... it's like it's all in scale; I'm in the real, but up to my scale and plus, as I get older, more responsabilities will come, but I'll always have my parents in case f need and help, so I don't get the point!