The cost of petrol and the Monarchy

The UN has published a report that suggests Britain should hold a referendum on establishing a written constitution, preferably republican, and abolish the monarchy!

Hmmmm, let me think about that for a minute… NO THANKS!

Britain has a written constitution, it is called Magna Carta (US National Archives reference), and it was established in 1215. Magna Carta was a truely revolutionary document and established that the Monarchy was not “above the law” as well as establishing in law many of the rights and freedoms of the common man. (Wikipedia reference)

No freeman shall be taken, imprisoned,…or in any other way destroyed…except by the lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land. To no one will we sell, to none will we deny or delay, right or justice.

The British Monarchy serves a many essential purposes, some of which are not addressed in any way in a republic.

1. Tourism – The Monarchy attracts tourism, and tourism is beneficial to the economy.
2. Identity – The Monarchy provides an easily identifiable representation of Great Britain both at home and around the world.
3. Morale – The Monarchy provides reassurance, and stability to Great Britain. Governments may change, wars and strife may trouble the nation, but the Monarchy is there throughout. They provide continuity in an ever changing world, and a rally point for the nation.

So now for an interesting fact about the British Monarchy:

• The British Monarchy costs each tax-paying adult in Great Britain approximately 62pence a year! (Amount from Telegraph article here, 2005 figure was 61p shown here on BBC Website)
• In 2007, when a litre of petrol cost 95.1p, the British Government taxed 63.7pence for every litre of furl pumped! (Figures from PetrolPrices.com)

So there you have it, keeping the monarchy costs you less than the tax paid on a single litre of unleaded and provides the country with higher tourism revenues, exciting tabloid headlines, and some magnificent stately homes to visit!