Benefits Scroungers

[SIRandyraven]

http://www.dailymail....rain-says-Palace.html

Have they no shame ?
Maybe I should not have thrown away my Gary Glitter signed album from the early 70s.
Should have followed the Royal example and however tarnished a free gift is always ok to keep.

[SIRandyraven]

Sorry but they make my skin crawl.
The bonus bankers must look up to them with pride.

[Teddy_boy]

How much blood on the hands of our royal family? Depends how far back in history you want to look i guess.

[jno]

why on earth would shame make you throw away a Gary Glitter album? Did the notes suddenly sound different?

[jackthehat]

Is it being so chirpy that keeps you going?

[jno]

do you think handing back the jewels would somehow punish the king and his family? Seems to me that keeping them would be more effective.

[SIRandyraven]

Yes indeed.
But this is now and they should act in a honerable way.
At least sell the gifts and give the money to charity.

Would you accept a lavish gift from a know thief or drug dealer ?
No of course you would not.
Seems the Royals would from someone who has there own citizens killed.

As I said they make me feel sick.
Not the kind of people I want to associate with.
I would not stay in the same room as them.
I have morals.

[Teddy_boy]

Britain has a history of killing protesters in bahrain going back over a 100 years ago. So no big deal is it?

[ummmm]

It's not the gems that are tainted. It's the people...

Keep them!

[SIRandyraven]

Time to change then.

So you support someone who supports killing protesters ?

[jno]

sell the gifts to someone who has so few morals that they'd accept Bahraini goods? But how could you accept money from such a buyer? How could a charity do so?

"Killing your own citizens" is no big deal; it's what any regime faced with revolt does. It doesn't prove they're right or wrong, good or bad.

The country's got oil and we want to stay on good terms with them. By "we" I don't just mean the royals, I mean everyone who drives a petrol-fuelled car.

[SIRandyraven]

@jno - yes it would be a message.
By accepting the gift, you are saying they have a place in scheme of things.

[Cowtipper]

It amazes me that a gift from an oppressive regime has more consequence than paying a repressive regime for oil.

[McMouse]

I was once given a hand shake by Robert Mugabe. Should I cut is off and send it back?

[Teddy_boy]

Im merely stating the fact theyre no worse than we were. Glass houses and all that. The problem with high horses is theres a long drop when you fall off. People forget Britains treatment of people , its not all that long ago the way we treated the Irish, we were no angels.

[hc4361]

I doubt very much it is the decision of Sophie or the Queen.
The jewellery is held by Sophie on behalf of the Queen and will return to Crown property on her death.

Accepting or refusing gifts is a matter of international diplomacy and very senior ministers will have made the final decision.

[jno]

pretty well all countries with oil also have despotic regimes.

http://en.wikipedia.o...y_proven_oil_reserves

You could refuse to deal with any of them except Canada. At least it would empty the M25 and we could turn it into a children's playground.

[Teddy_boy]

Oil , the one thing that unites people in their total amnesia to repression and torture.

[SIRandyraven]

@mcmouse - would you shake his hand today ?

If he was handing a bundle of diamonds our Royals would.

[jno]

actually, I was forgetting Canada's treatment of baby seals. We shouldn't buy oil from them.