Evaluation of Printed Sources

Agreed to surrender the income from the Crown Estate, which is today worth £95 million a year, in exchange for a regular grant from Parliament, which was called The Civil List, to cover the expenditure which related to the monarch’s official duties. The same was under the Queen Elizabeth || - set at £7.9 million in a year up to ten years (does not include the upkeep of the five palaces and thee travel costs which were cost up to 2,500 official engagements annually which are met by Grants-in-Aid by Parliament). The royal yacht Britannia was the one of the most ostentatious expenditures by the royal family, which in addition to its annual running costs of some £2 million, required £5 million rent every three years. The Queens private expenditure is met from her own private fortune, and is estimated to be about £100 million. And apart from the two royal residences Sandringham and Balmoral, certain items are held not as private property but on behalf of the nation. In November 1992, the destruction of Windsor Castle required £50-million from Conservative government. This was to be compensated by opening the Buckingham palace to a fee-paying public. In January 1997 the vulgar television debate about the Royals found around over 2.5 million telephone callers voicing the support of the royal family.   There are also such functions of the monarchy as: Ceremonial – Walter Bagehot defined the expectations of British kingcraft in 1867, saying that the masses of Englishmen were not fit enough for the British government and that if the public knew how close they were to it, they would be surprised and maybe even tremble, the key point was that the monarchy was the façade which concealed the real processes of government from the uncomprehending masses. The symbol of the nation – the monarch is able to actually symbolize the unity of the nation in a way that a party leader cannot. In some sense patriotism could become xenophobia which would be prudent if it could support the constitutional icon. Head of the armed forces – the royal family frequently holds ceremonies with the military ranks and the armed forces taking part in them so they can show that they are actually independent from the politics. Head of the Commonwealth – is an area where the authority of the Queen is not controlled by the PM. In 1987 the Queen showed her unpleasant feeling about Margaret Thatcher’s opposition to sanctions against apartheid South Africa. Formal head of state - monarchy or not, any government requires a large element of formality. Virtual regality – the monarchy can add some colour to the lives of people thus it helps to maintain social stability. Moral leadership – the royal family is the example of family life for the nation. The role was to become the moral family when the Queen’s children started failing marriages and courted other scandals. The throne behind the power – the Queen is said to have more experience of public life than any other political figure as she has been reigned for forty-five years surrounded by 10 different prime ministers.     While the supporters of the monarchy talk about it vitality and importance, the republicans say that monarchy is out of touch, they claim that it is a sense of vulgarization and that’s why the popularity of it is falling, they also say that the Royal family is dysfunctional and legitimates inequality as the British monarchy, unlike other constitutional monarchies, represents an “aristocratic iceberg of inherited wealth the survival of which is one of the political wonders of the world” thus legitimating elitism and helping capitalism to rise in the society. Republicans argue that the neutrality of the royals is an actual myth and all of these things bring to democratic deception of the country and the neutrality of the monarchs is not actually true because it is known that the Queen is the head of Aglican Church, long described as the Conservative party at prayer and that the Queen had difficult relationships with Margaret Thatcher.   The republicans say that the life experience of the Queen, despite the enthusiasm for Coronation Street, can hardly be said to bring her into contact with feelings of ordinary people. Her personal circle was remaining and consisting of aristocracy only According to Guardian 17 Aug. 1997 it was said that the popularity of the monarchy had fallen from 70% in 1994 to 48% in 1997. However this issue was then to be rising because of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The idea of morality of the royal family became almost risible: the Princess Margaret denied herself marriage to Group Captain Peter Townsend because he was divorced, although she and three of the Queen’s children were themselves divorced. Moreover, the romance of the Prince Charles with his mistress Camilla Parker-Bowles while he was in marriage with Diana.   In Guardian 1993 David Hare, the playwright and polemicist, said “Because we do not have the guts to sweep the monarchy away, we shall do the only thing we dare. We shall mock them until they wish they had never been born.”  

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 387