General / Off-Topic Are you for the renovation of Buckingham Palace ?

Definitely it's an investment spread over the next 10 years and is used for the huge benefit to the country either as part of the tourism infrastructure or directly for use in state and international affairs.

I would say it easily generates this level of revenue for the UK on an annual basis.
 
Pretty poor taste to announce it on the same day as Children In Need, where children's charities are forced into a telethon to raise funds that the government should be providing in the first place. Why not properly fund things like children's charities, and have a Royals In Need for people who care enough to raise funds to fix the Queen's biggest house? Or, while we're at it, why not have Trident In Need and divert the billions and billions earmarked for that to better use? Pah.
 
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Well Trident doesn't look so bad now does it now that Trump is president and seemingly is intent on ditching Nato. Unless you think nice words are going to stop Putin once the Americans have withdrawn.
 
Pretty poor taste to announce it on the same day is Children In Need, where children's charities are forced into a telethon to raise funds that the government should be providing in the first place. Why not properly fund things like children's charities, and have a Royals In Need for people who care enough to raise funds to fix the Queen's biggest house? Or, while we're at it, why not have Trident In Need and divert the billions and billions earmarked for that to better use? Pah.

Now I'm hoping to see charity box collectors asking for coins to upgrade the nuclear arsenal next time I visit the UK.
 
Well Trident doesn't look so bad now does it now that Trump is president and seemingly is intent on ditching Nato. Unless you think nice words are going to stop Putin once the Americans have withdrawn.

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that flow chart misses an important question.

the question



should read



if the answer is "yes" we are stuffed

if the answer is "no", we have our reason for a nuclear deterrent.
I disagree, but don't want to derail the thread. I only half heartedly and as an aside gave Trident as an example of something else that's using up money (huge, staggeringly vast amounts in this case) that could be better spent addressing more pressing issues.
 
Importance of the work, funding (estimated at 369 million pounds for the moment) ...
Yes 100%. It belongs to the Nation; although Mam has been there a while. The rest of the family will still be using the place for the next few decades and there are still a lot of people, who would be proud to visit. As to the cost? Well some folks are going a bit off topic, but I would like to say, it is cheapish. How much is that edifice oposit St. Thomas Hospital costing to clean up and renovate? Billions. At less that 400 million, we have a bargin.
 
Like them or hate them, the Royal Family is a massive tourist draw for the UK, and no doubt brings in way more in tourist revenues than they cost taxpayers.

Buck Pal is a national treasure which happens to house the Queen - it does not belong to her, it belongs to the nation. So the nation should pay keep it in good nick.
 
I disagree, but don't want to derail the thread. I only half heartedly and as an aside gave Trident as an example of something else that's using up money (huge, staggeringly vast amounts in this case) that could be better spent addressing more pressing issues.

sorry for derail.....

on topic, my understanding is that the crown estates pay around 85% of the profits to the treasury , about £300 million last year and an average of £250million over the last 10 years.

The remaining £30-40 million goes to the monarch and is used to fund living expenses and things like garden parties, dinners etc (which I think is reasonable to class as "business expenses", after all a BBQ with your mates is personal, a BBQ for people you have never met, probably won't meet again and/or are foreign dignitaries is not pleasure).

If we had a president and the presidential residence needed renovation, would it be reasonable for the state to pick up the tab or the president?

We also need to consider that the money is not in one year but over a number of years (incidentally, the same applies to Trident) and as building work a big chunk of that cash will end up as wages for plasters, painters, plumbers, furniture restorers, delivery drivers etc.

Finally, £300 million represents approximately 3 and a half hours of the UK government's spending. It's the time taken to watch one part of the lord of the rings trilogy, compared to an entire year. Some of us have probably had longer Elite sessions than that.

I don't deny there are pressing problems for the UK, but the renovation of BP is not important, except as a distraction.
 
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