Came across this video today from 1997, twenty years ago; whilst extremely funny, it also, sadly sums up, the sorry state of America today. This is how the rest of World perceives the USA, a once great nation, superpower and country shaped, by immigrants, from all over the globe!
HM Queen Elizabeth II has reached another milestone, in her long reign as Monarch; her Sapphire Jubilee, 65 years as Head of State, 65 years as our Queen.
As per usual, my congratulations, sent to Her Majesty, has caused a rather heated debate on facebook. I have always been a Monarchist and appreciate all The Queen and the Royal Family do for us, as a Nation. This Lady has carried out her role, without fault for 65 years. When she took her oath, as Queen, she gave up her life, in the service of her Country! The Queen will never retire or abdicate. She understands the importance of dedication and her role as our Head of State.
When I look at other Countries and those they elect to lead their nations, I am horrified. The Queen isn't elected and this seems to be a bug bare, especially among Republicans. Through election, comes scandal; very few Heads of State finish their tenure, without some sort of claim of impropriety or misconduct. HM on the other hand, has NEVER put a foot wrong and never will. The Queen has no political allegiance, owes no one anything and will always be above the fray of political argument; a perfect person, to be Head of State!
One of the biggest arguments, used against a Monarchy, is the expense involved in keeping the Royal Family. I did a little bit of research this morning, as you would expect me too and it was interesting, the facts and figures, I discovered. The Dutch Royal Family, has just surpassed our own, as the most expensive in Europe. The British Monarchy costs about 40 million pounds a year, that equates to 56p per tax payer, per annum; a lot of money I hear you cry! Well if one compares Britain to France you will see that 103.5 million pounds is spent on the French Head of state, a staggering 63.5 million pounds difference. The fact is, a President is not the cheapest option; it is misleading to say so and as with all politicians, their time in office, will always end in failure, to an extent! If one also factors in the amount of money generated by The Queen and her family, through charity, business and tourism, one begins to get some idea, of just what the Monarchy means to us all, as a nation!
Those who criticise, from the outside looking in, only see the pomp, ceremony, glittering jewellery and a perception of wealth. The wealthiest Monarch in the World is The King of Thailand, worth an estimated 20 billion pounds, our own Queen in comparison, is worth around 340 million pounds. Not everything is as it seems. Royal palaces are owned by the state, as are the Crown Jewels and many other collections of paintings and antiques.
The most important factor in our continued support for our Queen and the institution she is head of, is the stability and continuity that has remained a part of British life for centuries, bought about by the constitutional Monarchy and an apparatus that works. While other Royal Families have fallen, revolutions have taken place and Governments, around the globe have collapsed, the Queen and her predecessors have remained steadfast, part of the system of checks and balances, built into the British constitution.
I for one respect the institution of Monarchy and understand its importance to us as a nation and the World as a whole. I would like to wish Her Majesty, congratulations on the occasion of her Accession and Sapphire Jubilee and hope she remains our Queen for many years to come!
The wind was blowing in from the north again yesterday; so going out was a bit of a nightmare. However I decided to go for a brisk afternoon walk. I was looking after Katie's dogs, so had to go out anyway. The wind does get very strong in Gran Alacant, probably stronger than in Britain to be honest. Over the last few months we have experienced every type of weather going; all the seasons in a short period of time. It has finally started to warm up here though, which can't come soon enough for me. There was a bit of clearing up to do this morning, as tables and chairs were blown asunder but nothing out the ordinary. Stay safe, keep warm and have a great week y'all!
