Gove wants us to give Queenie a new yacht

Sonic67

It could be built by public money and used by sea cadets etc. I think they count as public. It could also be open to the public. The public wander round Buckingham Palace. If it's meant to entertain foreign dignitaries abroad then there's no reason why it should be open to the general public. Can you wander round an embassy? If it's funded by buisness contributions to increase buisness abroad then there's no reason why it should be open to the general public though still could be. It depends on what it is.

Pecker

This raises an interesting point.  The argument on one side is that it's not fair to spend millions on a yacht for people who are already rich.  The argument on the other is that it will bring in more money through trade than it cost.

Let's run with that.  Can the state buy me a yacht, please.  I'll only holiday on it for a few weeks a year, and the rest of the time it can be used for trade missions.  It'll pay for itself!

Does the 'unfairness' objection to this idea trump the 'it'll pay for itself' idea?

All this about private donations is tosh - we know the score.  Pay £60 million for our yacht and we'll give you contracts where you'll earn twice that.  Or a knighthood.

Steve W

Sonic67

You can Google that or visit the ship itself. There's plenty of information around.

If I remember right it used the wrong fuel and they couldn't send a different ship down just to fuel up that ship alone. It was intended to go to the Falklands otherwise. For a new ship it wouldn't apply. You'd build in from the start some commonality with other ships if this was important.

Kebabhead

London has enough visitor attractions without adding this to it

Exactly where is all this trade going to come from as most of Europe is a no go unless you want you use it to fund arms exports

Sonic67

Too silly to almost not bother posting but what the hell, it’s a slow work day. You aren’t nationally or internationally important to this country. So no no one will be giving you a yacht for your holidays. I know you are desperate to have a snipe at the Royals. Earlier I also thought the PM should have his own Air Force One. I think we as a nation should have symbols to project abroad and that means our head of state, or our PM should have this sort of stuff rather than have them get off an Easyjet flight and make it look like we do everything on the cheap.

Any more interesting points only it sounded like a bit of ‘envy’ from you.

Sonic67

This won't always be in London. It would be a ship.

The trade would come from the same place it came from before. See earlier post regarding Britannia.

la gran siete

do France and Germany need such symbols or Italy for that matter? the only symbol I see is that the world at large still think we are sort of quaint ruritanian monarchy with the Queen as its head

Rasczak

Who says it wouldn't be used much?  It may only be used by the Royals for a few weeks per year - but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be used on numerous other trade and diplomatic missions outside that period - just as Britannia was.  It would be a floating centrepiece for a whole host of British companies to entice foreign nations into trade.

Sonic67

First off they don’t have royal families so not comparable more on this in a moment. Second, if we are ever going to compare ourselves with anyone… Italy? They are on their way down the tubes which comes onto the next point.

If they aren’t doing this and we are then that puts us at quite an advantage. The idea isn’t to do the same as other nations. It’s to stand out ahead of them.

For the UK the Royals are one of our selling points. It’s what people abroad associate with the British. If that association is then tempered with them travelling round on the cheap it is counter productive to our image.

Imagine you are a Saudi Prince. You are wondering whether to buy British fighter aircraft or French. Before deciding you are invited to spend a weekend on a royal yacht being entertained by British royals. What do those nations have to offer in comparison? As you say they can’t.

Oh and yet another dig at the nation that you choose to live in? Shame on you.

BISHI

Well Germany has BMW and Mercedes to do that - France has the Presidents wife------------ we have on Octagenarion monarch and her leather faced daughter in law............... I think the Yacht is looking a better option !!!!