Anti Monarch Bus Rant

Germany currently don't have a fuhrer, and I doubt they'd reinstate the position in a ceremonial capacity if the gas chambers were converted into cat sanctuaries. Similarly, children in need make a lot of money but nobody bows in submission to pudsy bear.

In the name of monarchy god and empire people have been slaughtered in their thousands, Catholics, Protestants, Pakistanis, Jews, Muslims, not to mention Levellers, Quakers and Shakers in England who's only crime was to believe that every person born was, if not equal, then at least not inferior.

During the Blitz Buckingham Palace was bombed, once. The Queen was quoted as saying "I can finally look the east end in the eye." She lost 4 bedrooms to the attack, of a possible 60, whereas for most east end families, that was 3 more than they had for their entire family to sleep in.

Cut to present day, and the monarchy are at a point when their only justification for being kept around, is their contribution to the tourist industry.

And the prince's trust, who lobby against GM crops, presumably on the grounds that genetic modification was okay when the tudors needed to feed their armies and it was done in a field, but not when Africa needed to feed it's children and it's done in a sterile lab, and who's huge majority of good works are undermined by the minority interests of their own jug-eared pudsy bear, who between handshaking sessions with inner city youths, manages to find time to put the screws on The Centre for Complementary Medicine for having the audacity to suggest that the NHS should not fund homeopathy, on the grounds that extensive clinical review showed that it's benefits do not differ significantly from that of a placebo.

The Prince's Trust is great and should continue to be so, but Charles uses it exclusively as a vehicle to fein legitimacy, to him it is a smoke screen, and a little kingdom for him to play forts in. Cut the head off of it. Call it The Trust, and keep it. Charles has stated that when he wants to be king, he wants to change his name, as the first incumbent monarch to bare the title had his head chopped off. Now I'm not saying we should chop his head off. Just his title. If he wants to keep being a barmy private citizen who takes an interest in matters of state, he's free to do so. But he's not a prince.

Abolish the term, and with it the idea that they are symbolic of the preeminent historical narrative that shouts down so many other histories. There's so many other histories in Britain other than "who was king at this time". It's a dull story, and I'd rather read about Levellers.

A side note. In the Pacific there is an island, visited by Prince Philip some time during the post-war hay day of the British Royalty. There is a tribe on that Island who believe Prince Philip is a God, specifically the great white god from the mountain, and I suspect this is largely because they never actually met him during the visit, just saw him from very far away, getting off a plane, and being bowed to and revered by the various greeting committees. I think this story resonates because someone who in my mind is primarily associated with offending foreigners by implying that they are in some way primitive or backwards, can seem like a beneficent and glorious omnipotent being, so long as you never actually meet him. The whole thing relies on a very broad perspective, preferably outside of hearing distance.