A Right Royal Racket?

With even Gary Goldsmith out of circulation, the revolution starts tonight. Then again, without Sharon Osbourne, whom would we install? I am all for the Queen's and the Prince of Wales's taking time off to care for their spouses, but as with the King's access to cancer treatment, other people find it rather more difficult.

None of the four most senior members of the Royal Family is currently performing the duties for which they are all paid, so whatever happened to minimum service levels? While the King's condition might at a push be enough for the people who assessed these things for the DWP, although they are paid by how many they failed, he is in any case of pensionable age. But the 42-year-old Princess of Wales would stand no chance, no matter what were wrong with her. People of that age are assessed fit for work and die the same day. It happens.

Monarchists should count themselves lucky that the republican arguments were also rubbish in their own terms, meaning that the case for change had not been made. We know who wins elections in this country, and who does not. Abolishing the monarchy would not make Britain less class-bound or less corrupt, unless we were to aspire to the classless cleanliness of Ireland, France, Germany, Italy or the United States. The obscene political power that the Royal Family enjoys because of its extreme wealth is the obscene political power of extreme wealth. Other people also have it, and the problem is hardly confined to Britain or to monarchies. But for all purposes except remuneration, the monarchy has just stopped. Its stout defenders had better hope that the other side never came up with a better line of attack.