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Jesus Malverde

(10,274 posts)
Tue Jan 28, 2014, 02:03 PM Jan 2014

UK lawmakers tell queen to cut costs, boost income

Source: AP

Britain's royal household needs to get a little more entrepreneurial, eye possible staff cuts and replace an ancient palace boiler, lawmakers say in a new report.

The report published Tuesday on the finances of Queen Elizabeth II has exposed crumbling palaces and depleted coffers, and discovered that a royal reserve fund for emergencies is down to its last million pounds ($1.6 million).

Legislators on the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee urged royal officials to adopt a more commercial approach and suggested opening up Buckingham Palace to visitors more often.

The panel said the royal household needed more cash to address a serious maintenance backlog on crumbling palaces. It said at least 39 percent of royal buildings — and probably more — were in an unacceptable state, "with some properties in a dangerous or deteriorating condition."



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/UK-lawmakers-tell-queen-to-cut-costs-boost-income-5181423.php

22 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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UK lawmakers tell queen to cut costs, boost income (Original Post) Jesus Malverde Jan 2014 OP
Just out of curiosity Jesus, DonViejo Jan 2014 #1
The Queen will not be pleased..n/t monmouth3 Jan 2014 #2
Maybe this is why she's dumping her duties on Chuckie LiberalEsto Jan 2014 #4
We are not amused ashling Jan 2014 #3
". . . thirty-nine percent of royal buildings - and probably more - " another_liberal Jan 2014 #5
Too many. AtheistCrusader Jan 2014 #6
Its complicated - some are state owned and some privately owned. dipsydoodle Jan 2014 #9
Thanks for the link. another_liberal Jan 2014 #17
Given how tightly she runs the household and tries to run the family.... Swede Atlanta Jan 2014 #7
Hard cheese! DeSwiss Jan 2014 #8
Post removed Post removed Jan 2014 #10
She's ours : not yours. dipsydoodle Jan 2014 #12
Your mean "You're Hers"... Jesus Malverde Jan 2014 #14
lol. dipsydoodle Jan 2014 #16
Yard sale! 1000words Jan 2014 #11
The Queen maindawg Jan 2014 #13
"Welding undue influence in a democratic society" TBF Jan 2014 #15
"They murdered the princes as if their idiot reign mattered"?? lisby Jan 2014 #18
"hangs on like some of the ancient popes who refuse to die" muriel_volestrangler Jan 2014 #19
never said that maindawg Jan 2014 #20
I know. People ascending to positions of power based purely on their family name. Nye Bevan Jan 2014 #22
Two words: lecture circuit. Hillary commands $400,000 per speech. How much would the Queen get? Nye Bevan Jan 2014 #21
 

another_liberal

(8,821 posts)
5. ". . . thirty-nine percent of royal buildings - and probably more - "
Tue Jan 28, 2014, 02:57 PM
Jan 2014

Just how many fucking palaces does the Queen have?

AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)
6. Too many.
Tue Jan 28, 2014, 02:58 PM
Jan 2014

Maybe time to form private preservation societies. OR maybe a little triage on what is actually historical stuff and what maybe doesn't matter anymore.

 

Swede Atlanta

(3,596 posts)
7. Given how tightly she runs the household and tries to run the family....
Tue Jan 28, 2014, 03:00 PM
Jan 2014

I would have expected the royal finances to be in better shape.

It needs to be run like a business. I thought at one time the queen was the wealthiest woman in the world. What happened to all that wealth?

Plus they don't need to have a dozen castles to serve as monarchs. They could do like John McCain and only have 7 or 8 around. They sold that petrol-guzzling yacht a few years ago.

And she could wear her hats and shoes more than once.

But I will leave that to the British to sort out.

Response to Jesus Malverde (Original post)

 

maindawg

(1,151 posts)
13. The Queen
Tue Jan 28, 2014, 04:24 PM
Jan 2014

Some one needs to enlighten the idiots that run the government in England that its 2014.
The monarchy is a joke. They aren't even wealthy anymore. They are figureheads. Bigoted , to be sure. Welding undue influence in a democratic society. They aren't even cute. They aren't fun.They murdered the princes as if their idiot reign mattered. Charles has waited 50 years while that old bag hangs on like some of the ancient popes who refuse to die.
Enough already England.
Hell the world knows these people are imposter's anyway. We know that the real king lives in Australia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Abney-Hastings,_14th_Earl_of_Loudoun
Its a fairy tale. Its really grown tiring to pretend those assholes a matter. For gods sake and the sake of humanity and all that is decent, please England. Enough already..........

TBF

(31,921 posts)
15. "Welding undue influence in a democratic society"
Tue Jan 28, 2014, 04:58 PM
Jan 2014

At least they still have a democratic society ...

lisby

(408 posts)
18. "They murdered the princes as if their idiot reign mattered"??
Tue Jan 28, 2014, 11:29 PM
Jan 2014

Are you talking about the Plantagenet princes in the Tower some 500-odd years ago? I'm not recalling any other recently murdered princes. And this is germane to your position exactly how?

I must ask, do you actually know anything about life in the UK or how the British people, in the majority, feel about the royal family and its contribution to their culture and national pride? Don't be so rude and dismissive. In general, Brits don't moan and whinge about America's presidential clans (Adams, Kennedy, Roosevelt, Clinton, Bush) and urge Americans to do away with time-honored traditions and cultural linchpins because they're jolly bad or something. "Enough already" what? Follow the stellar U.S. model? In Britain, at least, the government actually does something positive a good portion of the time, as opposed to reading "Green Eggs and Ham" while trying to deprive its own citizens of healthcare, for goodness sake.



muriel_volestrangler

(101,154 posts)
19. "hangs on like some of the ancient popes who refuse to die"
Wed Jan 29, 2014, 06:27 AM
Jan 2014

Good to know you think that an old woman should die, just to tidy things up for your personal satisfaction in another country.

Nye Bevan

(25,406 posts)
22. I know. People ascending to positions of power based purely on their family name.
Thu Jan 30, 2014, 02:00 AM
Jan 2014

Thank goodness we don't have that sort of thing in the USA.

Nye Bevan

(25,406 posts)
21. Two words: lecture circuit. Hillary commands $400,000 per speech. How much would the Queen get?
Thu Jan 30, 2014, 01:53 AM
Jan 2014

Not to mention Prince Charles, etc.

Then of course there's corporate sponsorship. "Barclays Buckingham Palace" has a certain ring to it, for example.

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