God Save The Queen?

You may or may not know that I'm set to represent my school along with 2 of my schoolmates in the Rotary Youth Speaks Regional Finals on 13th March. It's a public speaking contest for schools across the country. If we win the next round, we go to the Nationl Finals. I was drafted in at short notice to replace the previous main speaker for our team and I was given his speech and made it my own, so credit to him.

The subjest is "The Case Against the Monarchy". I wasn't too swayed either way previously, but since entering the competition and researching this speech, I'm fully convinvced we need to be rid of it. Below is an abridged version of the speech!



INTRO
-In January we were told we'd risen out of recession. Many people have been suggesting the whole of western society needs to be reshuffled in the wake of it. This should prompt us to think about clearing out the most ancient of British institutions: THE MONARCHY.

DEMOCRACY
-It's the epitome of unfairness. People say the royals have a bit of class, they certainly do. Britain will continue being bound by social class with the monarchy still in place.

- We suppose Britain is a democracy. Democracy is an ideal we can't fully achieve. But we have to strive for it, uncompromisingly as the fairest form of governement. In order to do that, it makes no sense to have a head of state symbolic of a bygone, undemocratic age.

- Parliament can't even vote to abolish the monarchy, as it would be treason under the 1848 Treason Felony Act!

FINANCES
- You might know "the 67p figure". This is the supposed cost of the monarchy per person, per year. But it is a total lie. The government simply fabricate the lowest acceptable sum for the monarchy and divide it by the 60 million people in the UK.

- The actual cost has been but at £180million a year. This equals 9000 NHS Nurses' wages for a year, and is 100x the cost of the Irish Presidency- a system not only fairer but cheaper!

- Disgracefully, Parliament can ONLY INCREASE the amount of money The Queen (worth £349million) receives annually, under the 1972 Civil List Act!

TOURISM
- People say the royals earn their keep bringing in millions in tourism. This assumes the London tourist industry would be crippled if we abolished the monarchy. This is absurd! No one goes to Buckingham Palace for a quick chinwag with old Liz!

- Millions more could be made if we abolish the monarchy and turned palaces into museums. It could become a historial attraction, like the Nazis...

THE WINDSORS
- The monarchy system is bad for the Windsor family!

- Charles has had his life ruined. He can only prepare for one job that he may not even get and has had his entire life scrutinised by the media

- And for what? He's now known primarily by my generation as the favourite punching bag of BBC Panel Show Mock The Week.


NATIONAL IDENTITY
- Many say the monarchy is part of our national identity, removing it would remove part of ourselves. We need to look at my generation the future to answer this.

- I asked a sample of people my age to name all of the Queen's children. None of them could. I asked tell me what the Prince's Trust did. Hardly any could.

- Older folk may believe the monarchy is part of our national identity. My generation though, neither truly knowns nor cares.

- Looking at our past, some of the biggest leaps in British society have come from opposing the monarchy e.g the Magna Carta, 1689 Bill of Rights

CONCLUSION
- An immediate disolution of the monarchy would be impractical and damaging. But we need to begin phasing out this tired and irrelevant

- It can't survive apathetic generation, or the impending prospect of one European super state

- A king is a king, not because he's a successful politician or has united a country behind them. He is King because he is born. We leave the selection of our Head of State, our representative on the world stage, the symbol of our British values to that wonderfully unpredictable thing - the accident of birth

- So I urge the country, ‘Make Monarchy History.’


PLEASRE, FEEDBACK, QUESTION, ARGUE!
THANKS FOR READING!