To Jubilee or Not.

 I am old enough to remember the silver jubilee celebrations in 1977. I would have been almost 14 years old. Can't say I was much bothered about it all then but I'm certainly well bothered about it now.

Considering the state that we find ourselves in at the moment here in UK, what with all the post covid issues and the cost of living crisis, I find it totally shameful and deplorable that so much money is being spent on this when apparently we can't afford other more necessary things like making sure our hospitals can function properly or our schools are in a fit state in which to educate our children.

Today, 2nd June 2022, marks 70 years since the current Queens coronation. The state that our country is in now is nothing to be proud of. 

We have thousands of people living on the streets; a broken healthcare system; a cost of living crisis so severe that even people who are working are really struggling to survive whilst those who rely on pensions or benefits are having to make the choice between heating their homes or putting food on the table. Our school infrastructures are crumbling and many children around the UK are being taught in buildings that are old, unheated and even unsafe. Our health and social care system is broken with over 1.2 million people not getting the care they need. Our public transport system is broken due to severe underfunding for years and lets not forget the current energy crisis, with the news recently that up to 6m homes could face powercuts this winter.

With all this and more, many people are asking exactly what is there to celebrate?

The Royal Family has a dark past that many people are more than happy to sweep under the carpet & ignore.

Let's face it, the so called "british" royal family isn't even all that british but mostly german in descent. Read more about that here 

There were also the nazi sympathies of many of the leading royals, both before, during and after WWII.

Then there are the various scandals of Charles/Diana/Camilla, the Queens sister Margaret & her affairs, the divorces of Anne & Andrew and all the other affairs & scandals that have been kept as quiet as possible to avoid potential embarrasment.

The latest in a long line of scandals is the one surrounding Andrew and his connections with the now deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

All this and much, much more means that the image of the royal family has been well and truly tarnished over the years.

Support for the monarchy has fallen over recent years. Latest poll by YouGov show that only 61% support having a monarchy with 24% prefering an elected head of state. 

Which brings us to the nitty gritty of just how much all this jubilee stuff is costing and more importantly, who is paying for it?

Well, £28m is coming from the tax payer - you and me. £22m is also coming from the National Lottery too.

However, its not just the actual cost that is shocking but also that typically Bank Holidays cost the economy over £2b in lost productivity. Coming at a time when the economy is struggling to recover from the pandemic & the cost of living crisis it really does make the mind boggle. I guess the magic money tree is in full bloom in Downing Street.

Sitting here at my desk, on my laptop in my small flat on a Scottish Island I can see union flags & bunting blowing in the breeze from several houses in the street. Considering that the vast majority of this place have talked about nothing other than Independence for years I was quite surprised to see them.

There are several jubilee events happening this weekend here too apparently; guess they will all be back to waving their saltires next week rather than their union jacks.

We are almost a quarter way through the 21st century. How much longer will the UK monarchy last? Great Britain will face a change of monarch sooner rather than later - maybe now is the time we have a proper discussion and the chance to decide our future. The Queen may no longer be an absolute monarch but the institution of the monarchy is regarded by many as outdated and they want it replaced by a fully and fairly elected head of state.

Vive la Republique!!