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The Royal Family
ThailandTom
Veteran
I am pretty sure that the rest of the world cares more about the English royal family than the English population, (coming from a brit). Talk to most younger british people, we couldn't give two shits about them. Yet why does a lot of other nations have so much admiration and respect for them and we do not... By the way, is it still a hang-able offense in the UK if you kill a queen or king, I am not sure.
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I suppose for a foreigner who is exposed to a lot of American media, it is difficult to really see what the mindset is like here.
I think for we Americans, it's all those fairy tales about King Author and romantic Princes that go around kissing girls in comas and such. It's just another Hollywood type story only come to life.
With Metta
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=3,10021,0,0,1,0
Thought you might find this interesting.
However, due to his behaviour, I think it is accurate to say most Thais scorn the Crown Prince
I have lived in Thailand and I gained a very favourable impression of the King
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2008/08/22/king-of-thailand-tops-royal-rich-list-86908-20706771/
yet so many Thais live in poverty still.
I might also add that maybe one of the reasons that the majority of Thais love the Thai royal family so much has something to do with state controlled television beaming propaganda about them for goodness knows how many years. Like I have mentioned due to the majeste law nobody is allowed to criticize the king or the royal family in public so fear maybe another reason why Thai people are so quick to say they love the Thai royal family.
With Metta
:aol:
Just a joke between old friends
hi Caz! nice to see you
:wave:
:wave: Yo DD.
With Metta
Also I dont think most people care about the British Royal Family. Im sure some people care but I doubt anyone cares that much. I think its just cable news has to fill their time so they make everything seem way more important.
The King has immense personal power, though not legal authority. But basically, if he says "it", they do "it". However, he also reserves the instances where he steps into that aspect of public life. Right now one of the quandaries regards the split in thinking between the King and the Queen, with the Queen quite clearly siding with the Prince and Heir Apparent.
In my opinion that is awful, be he a good or bad king. I much rather have these "for show" royalties.
And there's not so much difference in actually how any governing system works and manages to get things done. There has to be rules, and while on paper the rules might apply to everyone, the reality is the rich and powerful and "ruling class" always live by a different set of rules. Most people give the same amount of loyalty to whomever rules the nation, be they elected or born to the office.
And every King has to have a beurocracy to collect taxes, enforce the rules, and an army to deal with other armies. Someone living in a Monarchy would look at a democracy and ask, so what's the difference? The rich and powerful still run things and the little guy struggles.
That's my cynical rant for today.
I myself feel it has no place anymore in Canada and should end. I feel it will when the current queen is no longer the figurehead for the monarchy.
2010
In May 2010, a poll by Angus Reid found that more than two-thirds of Canadians, a 69% majority, would like to see a Canadian serving as Canada's head of state, and a 52% majority of Canadians support reopening the constitutional debate to discuss replacing the monarchy with an elected head of state, while only 32% oppose doing so. Despite 69% of Canadians having a "mostly favourable" opinion of Queen Elizabeth II as a person, only one third, 33%, of Canadians preferred Canada to remain a monarchy - the plurality 36% of Canadians said they would prefer to have an elected head of state, another 21% were indifferent, and 11% were unsure. When asked who they would prefer as a monarch after Queen Elizabeth II, three-in-ten Canadians responded by saying there should be no monarch after her. 31% of Canadians also want members of the Royal Family to stop visiting Canada.[62]
Also in May 2010, an online poll by Leger Marketing for QMI Agency found that majority 59% of Canadians said that they had little or no interest in the Queen's visit to Canada, while 39% did. The poll found that only 32% of 18 to 34 year-olds had an attachment to the crown. In the 65-and-over group, 46% reported an attachment. One fifth of Canadians said the Queen should stay home, and that furthermore, "Canada should sever its ties with the British Crown".[3]
In June 2010, a national poll by the Association for Canadian Studies found decidedly lukewarm feelings about the concept of monarchy. The survey found that 49% of Canadians had a negative reaction to the word "monarchy", compared to just 41% with a positive reaction. In the Maritimes, where the Queen would begin her Canadian visit, the majority 60% registered a negative opinion of monarchy, compared to only 37% positive. (The poll did not refer to the Canadian monarchy or to the Queen specifically, but to the concept of monarchy.)[3]
A poll by Ipsos-Reid, also in June 2010, found that the majority two-in-three Canadians agree the royal family should not have any formal role in Canadian society, and reported growing sentiment that Elizabeth II should be Canada's last monarch. The majority 58% of Canadians want Canada to end ties to monarchy when Queen Elizabeth II's reign ends, and the majority 62% of Canadians believe that Canada's head of state should be the Governor General, not the Queen.[63][64]
A fifth poll, conducted by Harris-Decima for The Canadian Press a few days ahead of the Queen's nine-day visit to Canada in June, found that nearly half of Canadians, 48%, consider the monarchy to be "a relic of our colonial past that has no place in Canada today." The poll also found that 44% of Canadians want a national referendum to decide whether Canada should keep the monarchy.[65]
An Angus Reid poll just after the Queen's visit found that 36% of Canadians want Canada to remain a monarchy, 30% prefer having an elected head of state, and 21% felt it made no difference to them.[66]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debate_on_the_monarchy_in_Canada#2010
I agree that the rich always play by different rules but in a democracy they can be reigned in to some degree. And just because Monarchy was in the past is also no argument. Slavery is also how we got here.
With Metta
yes you have lost me on that one NOTaGangsta, could you elaborate what you mean.
With Metta
We can't really say it's all bulls and superstitious, because frankly I don't know of any kings still do any of these practices during calamities!
Personally, I am not that interested. I barely watch the news so any news to me is just fob, yes I said it, fob! I am however British, but fail to see the importance in this day and age of the royal family. They have little legal power or democratic power, there was a survey done on UK tourists in 1997 and less than 1% of them came to the UK due to the Royal family, The queen does not pay taxes and costs the country 80 million each year.
Found this: http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/07/14/queen-costs-us-more-than-the-brits-pay/
Then I found this at the bottom of a government web page made during the Queens visit to Canada this year:
"How much does the monarchy cost?
The Government of Canada does not contribute funding in support of the Royal Households in the United Kingdom.
Our system of government in Canada is a constitutional monarchy. The Government of Canada provides support for the Queen's representatives, the Governor General and our Lieutenant Governors in the provinces, and for Royal Tours from The Queen and the Royal Family."
So perhaps the Queen doesn't cost us a cent regularly (although I would be interested how much was spent to facilitate her visit, but if it wasn't for the Monarchy and it's useless presence in Canadian society we'd have $50,000,000 + more to put towards what Canada really needs.
As for their Karma to be assigned a life like this I know not!
But I know they do partake some what in charities. Which aids a lot around the world.
And adds to their karma for a quieter life next time around(if you have belief in it). So metta to them for it.
And I hope the happy couple stay that way.
METTA / PAX
it will be much more effective to give the money directly to charities.