Vocal Voices

The about to be commissioned £200 million (on paper) Royal Yacht HMY Prince Philip

We already have two "Royal" planes painted in the UK livery. One is an Airbus 321 for short and medium haul flights - Europe, the Middle East etc., the other is an Airbus 330 for global reach. They both have conference suites, but, more importantly, military grade comms systems. They are not uncommon assets for many countries.

But a royal Yacht? This is not the 19th or early 20th century!

Backers claim it would sail the globe for Royal visits and trade missions and be an 'advert' for Britain? Isn't that what what we were told the special livery on the planes is for?

So let's see. It would sail to, say, Mumbai where it would dock. UK businesses would then fly their missions to Mumbai and a few meetings for Indian businesses and the elite would be held on board, plus a few parties for local slebs. Everyone would then disperse back home and the yacht would sail back empty.

There are plenty of better things to be spending £200 million on in these tough times.

Workingman wrote:
There are plenty of better things to be spending £200 million on in these tough times.

There certainly are!

It's an idea past its sell-by date, I'm afraid. Charles might use it, but I can't really see William doing so.

On the other hand, the way the Royal Navy has been degraded, it may be the only operational naval vessel we have left by 2040 ....

The Royal yacht Britannia provided excellent service all the time it sailed the world. It provided a base which is extremely comfortable and far more spacious than an aircraft.

It may not be as nimble as a plane, but it is far more capable is many other areas. There is another point about a yacht or ship, under international law, it is UK territory, when it docks, the people on board are not being hosted by the country it is visiting, they are being hosted by the UK.

These things are vitally important and highly important if the UK is going to rebuild ties with the commonwealth. Especially where many nations are meeting under the roof of one, the UK territory can provide neutral ground for hosted countries to talk.

Over and above that, it is about time the Royal family started getting something back for the £150m a year they push into the UK finances. They have already paid for this yacht so let's take the money angle out of it.

I'm not a huge enthusiast, but after the billions that have been chucked away in the last year and a bit the royal yacht sounds a bit of a bargain.

Ah the pomp, the ceremony, the glitz, the glitter, echoes of Empire.

And ships have never, ever, been impounded or boarded. Tell that to the Ghanaians, Iran and the pirates of the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian sea and many other places.

Also, if the Royals want their own yacht there is nothing stopping them. Commission one, get it built, do the sea trials then crew it with their own private crew, pay for it's upkeep - no problem. Go anywhere and at any time.

The fact is that the new ship only carries the name "Royal Yacht" but it would be a state ship owned by the taxpayer and crewed by the RN while sailing under the white ensign. According to its proponents its main use would be for trade missions though it would also be used for state visits by the Monarch as Head of State - a dual role. It certainly would not be for the Royals to use at their whim.

It is an idea out of time in the modern world, as other maritime states know.

Workingman wrote:Also, if the Royals want their own yacht there is nothing stopping them. Commission one, get it built, do the sea trials then crew it with their own private crew, pay for it's upkeep - no problem. Go anywhere and at any time.

No problem, scrap the civil list, stop the family getting anything from the state, exempt them from paying tax and stop giving the revenues from the crown lands to the government. Job done and the Royal Family can afford half a dozen yachts, a couple of planes and many other trinkets to boot.

That's the bit I hate about the republicanism. Happy, greedy even, to grab every revenue they can, willing to piss it all away on a president who doesn't pay tax and sucks money out of the country hand over fist, but unwilling to part with a single £ they have already taken from the Royals.

Bit irksome really.

Suff wrote:Bit irksome really.

You mean turning it into a Royalist / Republican issue when it isn't? Definitely irksome!

It is about a state owned ship, to be formally known as Her/His Majesty's Yacht (HMY) [The] Prince Philip, or more informally "The Royal Yacht". It will be crewed by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. It will be used by the government on trade and diplomatic missions as well as the Monarchy for state occasions and visits. It is not their personal possession.

Have I mentioned that it will be a waste of time and money?

You do know that the Monarchy can be abolished by a simple two line Bill? See Oliver Cromwell for details. Yes, the Republican Commonwealth did not last long but it did away with the absolute monarchy and eventually led to a constitutional monarchy, a version of which we still have today.

And please stop peddling the US Presidency as if it is the only one available. It isn't, there are many presidential system of government. Many countries operating under a parliamentary system of government also have presidents, but these heads of state are largely ceremonial offices with little executive power. They are elected in some way and have their terms in office restricted.

But you knew that.

Now, back to that useless boat....

Workingman wrote:Have I mentioned that it will be a waste of time and money?

You have but you keep ducking the issue. The Royal family has already paid for it many times over. Centuries past it was a case of the royalty being funded by the country. But it is not so today. Crown lands pay far more into the budget than the royal family takes out and, on top of that, the Queen pays taxes.

If they want a ship, then give them the bloody ship and be done with it. They earned it, paid for it and it is a fitting tribute to someone like Philip; which will do good service for the UK. Much better service than the official PM's plane....

Suff wrote:

Workingman wrote:Have I mentioned that it will be a waste of time and money?

You have but you keep ducking the issue.

I have not.

The Royal Yacht is not, and never will be, owned by the Monarchy for their private use. If the damned stupid idea goes ahead it will be state owned and it and its crew will be funded by taxpayers. Taxpayers who, by the way, will have no say in who uses it, when, where nor for which purposes.

In the modern world it is obsolete.

Your conflation of the yacht with Royalist / Republican issues is deflection because you know that your defence of said yacht is non-existent.

I'll say no more.