Quote Originally Posted by JamesWales View Post
Oh yeah, the interest is understandable. And it's good to have good and interesting debates about topics like this. I'm just not sure that a thread moaning about peasants swearing allegiance is that place. It's kinda misleading, and as I said with tongue in cheek...no one is making you do anything.

There's probably a cross over of views between us here, as I'm sympathetic to the thrust of what you say, but I find the people moaning about the royal family are usually pretty privileged themselves and this topic is usually a distraction, often from their own inherited wealth and power.

There is also a pretty big crossover between said people and those who, when push came to shove, actually were pretty keen in cancelling the opinions of 'the people' when they didn't think the same way!

I just think live and let live. And as football fans who pay good money to watch multi millionaires kick a leather ball while we chant their names, we are probably not best places to criticise other people getting some enjoyment, entertainment or community togetherness from a dose of flag-waving pageantry.
As others have said before me, the comparison of football and the coronation is pretty strange.
What football events are asking for £100m in taxpayer money? I was of the understanding that fans pay for tickets and the clubs pay for what goes along with the event. With the added bonus of a positive impact on the local economy.

I don't really care about the royals, i'll be switching off from it as much as physically possible and let those who want to enjoy it enjoy it. But I do find it hard to understand a country where a government says it has to make tough decisions but can then find money for this sort of nonsense.

As a side note, no doubt it's already been mentioned but were Charles quite the environmentalist he's made out to be then surely this wouldn't go ahead at all