badgerx16

"US goods imports continued to outpace its exports last year, sending the country's trade deficit to a new high despite sweeping tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump. The gap between the value of goods imported into the US and American products sold to other countries widened by 2.1% compared to 2024, hitting roughly $1.2 trillion (£890bn), official figures show." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4ge4yxwnlno

How much do you think the President of the Irish Republic costs ? People thinking that having a President automatically means having a despot like Trump running roughshod over democracy and the Consitution forget there are other, more ceremonial, models of presidency, that do not bring the baggage, fawning sycophancy, and undue deference that attend the Monarchy.

The Trump appointed US Commission of Fine Arts has, perhaps unsurprisingly, apprved the building of his ballroom, despite almost unanimous opposition to the project from public comments submitted to the Commission. They were hardly going to tell him to restore the demolished East Wing.

Given there are apparently "millions" of people decended from Richard the Third, how did Chuck get the gig ? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59041055

Terry Pratchett had it right; "Royalty is the tradition where Kings practice waving whilet normal people do the real work". "Royalty is like dandelions, no matter how many heads you chopped off, the roots were still there underground, waiting to spring up again". "Kings. What a good idea. Whoever had created humanity had left in a major design flaw. It was its tendency to bend at the knees.” ".....she lived in hope, and prepared her granddaughter for a royal life by seeing to it, whenever possible, that Ermintrude was not taught anything that could possibly be of any practical use whatsoever." "Every trade, every craft had its hat. That’s why kings had hats. Take the crown off a king and all you had was someone good at having a weak chin and waving to people. Hats had power. Hats were important." "Royalty pollutes people’s minds, boy. honest men start bowing and bobbing just because someone’s granddad was a bigger murdering bastard than theirs was.”

The BCCI also instructed Kolkota Knight Riders to release their Bangladeshi player.

Do you think there would be more tourists in Paris, Vienna, Rome, and Berlin, if there were still Royal families there ?

I do not believe that a significant proportion of tourists come because of the Royals. Other than the Changing of the Guard there is very little pageantry to see, and that could happen without the Royals as it does in other capitals. What you have posted is the value of "Royalty" and history, it's not as if there is much chance of spotting any of the Family.

That is not my point, tourists would come regardless of whether we had a Royal family.

Don't expect Southern Brave to select any Pakistani players for the Hundred, teams owned, fully or partially by IPL franchises won't pick them. Happens in all franchise tournaments around the World.

3 of the Queen's 4 children are divorced, I would say they are a typical family.

Of course nobody goes to Paris or Vienna to see the palaces, and as for castles, it is not as if there are any in France or Germany.

No they don't, the Crown Estate effectively a commercial branch of Parliament, own Buck House. Windsor Castle and Holyrood House belonging to the Crown, not the Royal family. The King owns Balmoral and Sandringham. The revenues from the Crown Estate go to the Treasury, and in part are then used to fund the King's official expenses.

We like Vienna.

I wonder if there will be a file in his cake.