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Who owns Parliament?

whoownsengland.org

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Re: Who owns Parliament?

#11

Post by Mikeb85 »

bsedlm wrote: post #8
kcartlidge wrote: post #6

Here in the UK we're one day into a two day extra 'bank holiday' for the Queen's jubilee (70 years). Seems a good time to remind people of great sites like these, places that take the time to gather the evidence that reveals the truth behind royalty - descendants of thieves and murderers still profiting off the proceeds of their ancestral crimes, with their only 'qualification' being an accident of birth . We've neve…

I'd argue that while the current generation of nobles may in fact have done nothing much to earn them, they do have ancestors that fought bitterly, and in some cases quite sleazily, to earn and keep their privilege. the idea that "all men are equal" is not really true in Europe. And it's only supposedly true in America

There are some republics in Europe that did indeed overthrow their royalty/aristocracy...

Re: Who owns Parliament?

#12

Post by dan-robertson »

kcartlidge wrote: post #6

Here in the UK we're one day into a two day extra 'bank holiday' for the Queen's jubilee (70 years). Seems a good time to remind people of great sites like these, places that take the time to gather the evidence that reveals the truth behind royalty - descendants of thieves and murderers still profiting off the proceeds of their ancestral crimes, with their only 'qualification' being an accident of birth . We've neve…

> We've never been a democracy

I’ve definitely heard it argued that the brief commonwealth between Charles I and II was the first modern democracy, where ‘modern’ means a system somewhat like current democracies rather than ‘after 1500’.

Re: Who owns Parliament?

#13

Post by simonh »

kcartlidge wrote: post #6

Here in the UK we're one day into a two day extra 'bank holiday' for the Queen's jubilee (70 years). Seems a good time to remind people of great sites like these, places that take the time to gather the evidence that reveals the truth behind royalty - descendants of thieves and murderers still profiting off the proceeds of their ancestral crimes, with their only 'qualification' being an accident of birth . We've neve…

We could get rid of the monarchy tomorrow and ordinary britons would notice zero change in our political and democratic freedoms. They are politically irrelevant, a few completely peripheral procedural and technical issues aside that make no real difference in the grand scheme of things.

I'm not sure if that's an argument for or against keeping the monarchy to be honest. They're a historical vestigial appendage of the state, but the idea that we're any less of a democracy because they're there is kind of silly.

Re: Who owns Parliament?

#14

Post by goatcode »

Mikeb85 wrote: post #11
bsedlm wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd argue that while the current generation of nobles may in fact have done nothing much to earn them, they do have ancestors that fought bitterly, and in some cases quite sleazily, to earn and keep their privilege. the idea that "all men are equal" is not really true in Europe. And it's only supposedly true in America

There are some republics in Europe that did indeed overthrow their royalty/aristocracy...

And others that thought they did, only to find that they were the arms and legs of an even more brutal and incomprehensible regime.

Re: Who owns Parliament?

#16

Post by vasco »

simonh wrote: post #13
kcartlidge wrote: post #6

Here in the UK we're one day into a two day extra 'bank holiday' for the Queen's jubilee (70 years). Seems a good time to remind people of great sites like these, places that take the time to gather the evidence that reveals the truth behind royalty - descendants of thieves and murderers still profiting off the proceeds of their ancestral crimes, with their only 'qualification' being an accident of birth . We've neve…

We could get rid of the monarchy tomorrow and ordinary britons would notice zero change in our political and democratic freedoms. They are politically irrelevant, a few completely peripheral procedural and technical issues aside that make no real difference in the grand scheme of things. I'm not sure if that's an argument for or against keeping the monarchy to be honest. They're a historical vestigial appendage of th…

They are not irrelevant in the sense that they are a declaration of the nation that there are special people by birth. In a society so worried about equality, it is appaling that multiple countries in europe not only have populations that leave under monarchy, but that they seem to be in favor.

Re: Who owns Parliament?

#17

Post by simonh »

fennecfoxen wrote: post #4

It might be nice for Parliament to own their own building but England more generally has a real problem where normal humans have a hard time owning the property their homes are built on, with all sorts of fun fun fun fun fun ground-rent renewal politics. Reforming those is more impactful and urgent.

Good news. Ground rent is going to be banned from the end of this month on new leases. It'll take a while for it to be eliminated completely but it's firmly on the way out.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/future-homebuyers-to-be-f...

Re: Who owns Parliament?

#19

Post by lisper »

Angostura wrote: post #15

We’re a constitutional monarchy AND a democracy. The monarch is the disabled root account of the nation. The government is the sudoers

That is one of the more brilliant (and accurate) analogies I have ever seen!
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