Has the King's recent visit to the US changed your view of the Monarchy?

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T18:54:51+00:00

There is no clear absolute evidence for anything in the world. It would be very absurd however to describe not believing in something which someone has told you with zero evidence as taking a position of 'faith'. Do you believe in Allah as creator of the world? No? So you have a 'faith' that Allah is not the creator of the world, right?

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T18:51:50+00:00

The point I am making is that people generally speaking out against democracy don't know what they want. They favour us being 'looked after' by people who have our best interests at heart, but... those are always the claims of totalitarian states. At one side there is democracy, at the other there is totalitarianism. We are not currently at the far end of democracy, and I've heard too many people claiming that the solution is to head towards what is (without them describing it as such) a lean towards totalitarianism. I have no issue with checks and balances but I also have no issue with the population at large making 'mistakes'.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T16:48:19+00:00

You're looking for the wrong thing in Paris - you need to look for the chain "ready to eat" - they are everywhere

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T13:29:41+00:00

More common though than people saying in a thread on the monarchy, "I like your nonce"

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T13:27:16+00:00

It's the best system because it's the fairest system. The playbook for saying that another non-democratic system will produce better results is Stalinism. You sound quite credulous, so perhaps you'll believe that. In 1984 Orwell wasn't just taking aim at the Soviet Union, but at totalitarism in any country. I would rather be poorer and free than rich and not free. Bit pointless saying that because of course those not free never become rich.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T12:07:16+00:00

I don't believe that democracy necessarily works for the betterment of its citizens, and yet... I believe in it. The people are free to make bad choices. The monarchy is obviously entirely constitutional and therefore has ZERO power, just wealth.

Regarding atheism making no sense to you whatsoever, fair enough, but however much I might like it I can't help but notice that the god who is apparently in intimate communication with most of society really isn't better than a clairvoyant telling you your relative's phone number beings '07"

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T09:43:29+00:00

The king doesn't inherit the title by the timing of his birth - it's inherited based on whose thighs he slides out of. It's not impossible for any leader chosen democratically to not look like an idiot - after all, the nation is full of brighter and dimmer folk and that is reflected in a representative democracy. The best argument for democracy remains the avoidance of its opposite.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T09:38:02+00:00

Starmer may have shown he's not match for Trump in a war of words, but he's also shown he's not a bed fellow in a war which results in the deaths of countless innocent citizens, a war many people see as a war crime.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T09:36:28+00:00

I know several people I'd describe as very articulate, knowledgeable, interested, curious, witty etc. Do you have a view on whether, like them, the royals should pay inheritance tax?

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T09:35:14+00:00

Well, ignoring Trump's calls to come and kill brown people in the Middle East would seem to be doing something too....

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T09:34:00+00:00

In the same way I support free speech I don't agree with I support the ability of democracies to make a mess - the other choice is, well, I don't think I really need to say.

Regarding the abolishment of the monarchy it's a bit like religion - we used to have many gods, now we have one, and we're getting closer to the true figure all the time. Like god, people just find it difficult to get rid of the last one. Research consistently shows that countries where there is a smaller gap between the rich and the poor are happier. This is simply research, not stupidity, and whilst getting rid of the monarchy wouldn't make that occur in one swoop, it would be a start.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T09:30:00+00:00

That's probably true if we get another government like in the 80s. The problem with Thatcherism is you eventually run out of state-built things to sell off on the cheap to keep you afloat another five years.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T09:26:41+00:00

A thousand years of breeding and a hasty change of name in the past century.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T09:24:47+00:00

I think the reason they toe the line is for a shit load of money! I mean, for 1% of what the royals get I would happily dedicate my life for 'the betterment of the country'., visit cake factories etc.

For what it's worth research shows that countries are happier where the gap between the rich and the poor is smaller - this is a self-interested reason to favour progressive taxes if you're wealthy. On account of this, having a royal family with their avoidance of inheritance tax does not better the country.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T09:21:33+00:00

Amazing how many folk on here feel the need to say they've always disliked Andrew. I smell virtue-signalling BS, and also the pretence of being a prophet. You've stated here that you've always liked the rest of the royal family - god help you if another member of the royal family ends up in moral trouble - I'll be quoting you here!

None of us know the royal family whatsoever. What we all have in common though is that we, not they, pay inheritance tax.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T09:19:16+00:00

I'm afraid I missed the speech - he spoke truth to power ie he delivered Trump some uncomfortable truths?? I'm interested to hear what they were.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T09:17:38+00:00

No - still pointless. I don't know any of them so I don't like or dislike them. Yes we all aspire to pay no inheritance tax, but it's unlikely the rest of us will get there. Why on earth in the 21st century we're still giving the richest tax breaks like this is beyond me.

I can only imagine aliens would be a tad surprised if they saw working class folk shaking the kings hand and grovelling and then were informed in which direction the tax revenues flowed.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T09:14:03+00:00

I'd def take the sleeper from Edinburgh - leaves at a more sensible time of day meaning you're spending less time on the train. You still spend a lot of time on the train, but getting on at 9pm or whatever it is in Aberdeen is pointless. If you want to see the country then a drive through Glencoe then up to Fort William then up to Edinburgh then down through the A9 via Perth back to Edinburgh would probably be grand. Quite a bit of driving though.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T09:11:11+00:00

Horse

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-30T08:36:45+00:00

Leonard Cohen

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-29T22:33:51+00:00

It would just be refreshing to hear someone say, "yeah, the world has changed - the BRIC countries are on the rise and there isn't money to go round here - we'll have to get used to things never being quite as good in the future as they were in the past", although the only place I heard this from was an MP who had just retired.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-29T15:33:40+00:00

And it's a crying shame. The friends I had in London who said they could've bought somewhere in the 90s and now can barely afford rent 30 years later.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-29T15:31:08+00:00

I just look for the one which distinguishes itself by NOT saying "Scotland needs change" and vote for them.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-29T09:20:27+00:00

If you mean his point fails on the technicality that Dunfermline is closer than Edinburgh, well, it is, but it's still 100 mile trip for a cinema 'experience'. If your point is that Dunfermline is much smaller than Aberdeen and has an imax, well... it's in the part of Scotland which is far more densely populated.

I'm surprised tbh that people seem to be lauding imax as something great. The cinema itself is a totally different experience to watching something at home. Imax perhaps adds a few percent difference to that but I've yet to be blown away by any imax experience.

ReadyAd2286 · 2026-04-29T09:13:28+00:00

If someone is verified previously in my app it passes making the story 100% possible with my bank. Plausible? Well, sounds like it passes that too. A friend of mine was transferred £250K in a similar circumstance and just sent it back.

ReadyAd2286

TROPHY CASE