http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/7787525/Perhaps-the-Queen-should-take-a-cut-like-the-rest-of-us.html Perhaps the Queen should take a cut like the rest of us If it should appear that the Queen is hoping for extra funds when child tax credit is being cut, turning the lights out won't help, writes Melanie McDonagh.
By Melanie McDonagh Published: 10:17PM BST 30 May 2010 Prince Philip listens as Queen Elizabeth speaks during her address to the House of Lords Photo: REUTERS A civil servant tersely summed up for the Prime Minister the problem with the Queen's bid to get an increase in the Civil List, after years of it lagging behind inflation: "When you are trying to follow a restrictive policy on wages and salaries, it would be unfortunate to be appearing to give the Queen an automatic guarantee against inflation." Dead right, that man. There are £6 billion public sector cuts this year, while the annual increase in the Civil List that's now proposed would amount to an estimated £6 million. A blip in the great scheme of things, but that's hardly the point. The quote above is, in fact, from 1970 and the prime minister was Edward Heath. It was he who decided against a nodded-through link between the Civil List and inflation. He thought it would send out all the wrong messages at a time of austerity. Precisely the same argument holds good now. The Cabinet took a token five per cent cut in salary (not half enough, you might think: the Irish PM's salary was cut by 20 per cent). Given that there's a middle-class tax revolt on capital gains tax, this is not the year for retrospective index-linking for the Royal family's expenses delivered by an old Etonian PM. In fact, one of the appealing features of the Queen's public persona is her reputation for thrift. The notion that she goes around turning out the lights in Buckingham Palace may be pure fiction for all I know, but it's excellent PR. The Queen, we think, unlike some we could mention oh, all right, the Prince of Wales knows the value of money. That plays well with pensioners; it plays well with taxpayers. But if it should appear that the Queen is hoping for extra funds when child tax credit is being cut, turning the lights out won't help. The extra money might well be spent on mending roofs at assorted palaces rather than on betting on horses (which I have nothing against, mind you), but it doesn't matter: it would set an awful example to the rest of the sector subsidised by the state. And setting a good example is the Queen's job. So what should she do? Well, as David Cameron so memorably observed about cuts before the election, any family can cut one pound in a hundred. The Queen should show us how. Marie Stopes International (MSI), the British birth-control charity, which screened the first ever abortion ads in Britain last week, has expanded its operations to eastern China, with five abortion clinics and another two planned. When Li Bin, the Chinese population minister, visited Britain, he paid a call to MSI and to one of its clinics in Bristol. The mission to China is, according to Dana Hovig, MSI's chief executive, to introduce notions of "voluntarism, choice and informed consent" to the provision of abortion. So would that mean not forcing women in the latter stages of gestation to abort their foetuses on the basis that they had one child already? Unless MSI, which gets £30 million a year from NHS contracts, can somehow persuade the Chinese government to abandon its grisly, compulsory one-child policy, it shouldn't be operating there. And perhaps it might also decline to abort female foetuses, on the grounds that the policy has already led to a gender imbalance of 131:100 in boy to girl babies. Choice, eh? ... There are more buttercups this May than I've ever seen. Some of the meadows in the bit of Ireland I'm in now are a haze of bright gold. Most of the splashes of colour in the countryside nowadays come from brash, acid-yellow rape a cheerful field of buttercups is so much lovelier. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/7787525/Perhaps-the-Queen-should-take-a-cut-like-the-rest-of-us.html TelegraphNews Comments 10<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/7787525/Perhaps-the-Queen-should-take-a-cut-like-the-rest-of-us.html#comments>| Comment on this article<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/7787525/Perhaps-the-Queen-should-take-a-cut-like-the-rest-of-us.html#postComment> Comments: 10 · There simple fact is there are now too many Royals being financed from the Public purse. I agree with financing the Queen (plus husband) and the immediate Royal Household; however I do not agree with financing her children, grandchildren, and the remainder of the so called Royals. The heir to the throne receives sufficient from the Duchy of Cornwall to support himself and his children, the Queen has a large enough fortune to have set up trust funds for her other Children and Grandchildren. The vast majority of the so called Royals have no added value for the country and as such should expect nothing from the taxpayer. Phil Medway on May 31, 2010 at 09:13 AM Report this comment<newsfeedb...@telegraph.co.uk?subject=posting%20complaint:%20COMMENT%207789399%20Posted%20by%20Phil%20Medway%20on%20May%2031,%202010%2009:13%20AM> · Howzabout we cut the entire civil list completely. If any of the vermin in ermine (including the Royal Family) want money, let them work for it like the rest of us have to. The UK has people dying for lack of medical treatment, citizens living on the streets and pensioners die of cold every single year. How can we possibly justify yet more money for over pampered, over educated chinless wonders! Johnny Johnson on May 31, 2010 at 09:04 AM Report this comment<newsfeedb...@telegraph.co.uk?subject=posting%20complaint:%20COMMENT%207789368%20Posted%20by%20Johnny%20Johnson%20on%20May%2031,%202010%2009:04%20AM> · Perhaps the time has come to trim down the size of the Royal Family to the Queen, Duke, Heir and older son. That is what happens in Scandinavia. The rest should rely on the bank of mum and dad or get a job. After all the Norwegian minor royals do that - get a job. But here we are providing limos and security galore for the pop eyed daughters of the gluttonous Fergie and the self important Andie. The latter must be the only person able to sell a house worth £12m for £14M. But if you have a Kazakh billionaire as a mate anything goes. And let us take over the Duchy of Cornwall too. That gives the heir £15m pa pocket money. Does he really need that to live on and all the extras he gets from taxpayers ? Income from the Duchy estate could be used solely to protect the environment of the UK. A worthwhile cause that HRH would naturally support. I am a staunch monarchist and believe the Queen and Duke have always but duty before self. But as for her offspring. They do more for the cause of Republicanism than Republicans could ever achieve. I fear an 'apres la deluge' period when HM passes on. Michael on May 31, 2010 at 08:54 AM Report this comment<newsfeedb...@telegraph.co.uk?subject=posting%20complaint:%20COMMENT%207789329%20Posted%20by%20Michael%20on%20May%2031,%202010%2008:54%20AM> · The politicians get paid more than ever. Get them to take a pay cut. fern on May 31, 2010 at 09:04 AM Report this comment<newsfeedb...@telegraph.co.uk?subject=posting%20complaint:%20COMMENT%207789369%20Posted%20by%20fern%20on%20May%2031,%202010%2009:04%20AM> · Cannot see an elected President ever doing a pay freeze for their country. And as for the Taoiseach taking a 20% cut, this is true but it is also true the he remains one of the best paid country leaders in the modern world. Only 5k less than David Cameron for a country with only 4 million people. Go figure. Bill on May 31, 2010 at 08:59 AM Report this comment<newsfeedb...@telegraph.co.uk?subject=posting%20complaint:%20COMMENT%207789345%20Posted%20by%20Bill%20on%20May%2031,%202010%2008:59%20AM> · I believe it is 20 years since the Civil list was increased. If this was increased each year by a small amount perhaps linked to inflation a large increase would be unecessary. The Queen promotes this country in a way that no politician can. The amount requested by the Palace is a paltry amount for this service to the Country and can be funded by the savings made from reducing the Ministers chauffeur driven cars. Paul Goble on May 31, 2010 at 08:56 AM Report this comment<newsfeedb...@telegraph.co.uk?subject=posting%20complaint:%20COMMENT%207789340%20Posted%20by%20Paul%20Goble%20on%20May%2031,%202010%2008:56%20AM> · Sorry but this family of fools live in another world, they even fail to realise that most of their wealth was stolen if you check the history books. I dont feel the royal family does anything for the UK and should be made to stand on its on two feet and also pay tax like everyone else. Stuff history this is now and they need to be brought down to earth and work like the royal families of Holland or Sweden to name just two. steve fenton on May 31, 2010 at 08:56 AM Report this comment<newsfeedb...@telegraph.co.uk?subject=posting%20complaint:%20COMMENT%207789341%20Posted%20by%20steve%20fenton%20on%20May%2031,%202010%2008:56%20AM> · This extra money is not for whooping it up at in a nightclub; some of the palaces are falling into a poor state of repair and we all know that cliched saying... a stitch in time saves nine. It also seems a little unfair and a tad hypocritical that MP's have creamed plenty of perks over the years (and MEP's continue to do so), whilst our national treasures fall apart. I am quite happy to pay an extra penny in the pound to help out. Giver her the cash. Mark Cole on May 31, 2010 at 08:56 AM Report this comment<newsfeedb...@telegraph.co.uk?subject=posting%20complaint:%20COMMENT%207789336%20Posted%20by%20Mark%20Cole%20on%20May%2031,%202010%2008:56%20AM> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Ingin bergabung ke milis ekonomi-nasional? Kirim email ke ekonomi-nasional-subscr...@yahoogroups.com http://capresindonesia.wordpress.com http://infoindonesia.wordpress.comYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ekonomi-nasional/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ekonomi-nasional/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: ekonomi-nasional-dig...@yahoogroups.com ekonomi-nasional-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ekonomi-nasional-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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