So what does everything think of "The Engagement"?

@eurocelticyankee,

Well, I'd rather not imagine, eurocelticyankee.
It seems kind of nutsy, in the current economic + political circumstances.

1 Reply

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

I haven't heard boo from anyone on the Royal engagement. Now granted I could have missed a post or two. But what do you all think?

I love the idea of Kate and William getting hitched. Honestly I don't know why this even effects me, but I do love the idea of this marriage. It seems refreshing after the previous royal marriages.

It's what it is.

The entire thing is as boring as a rat laying dead by a lamp post. Correction, the rat generates a twinkling of interest. He's been stringing poor Kate along since he was a toddler (at least it feels that way).

Refreshing? HA!

And again I say HA! In fact Double, make that triple HA!

HA! HA! HA!

Andy and Fergie was alleged as real and was refreshing the time at and we saw where that went. May Willie and Kate have a better run than the rest.

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@msolga,

Quote:

Well, I'd rather not imagine, eurocelticyankee.

Don't tell me your turning into one of these constantly angry people as well.

1 Reply

@eurocelticyankee,

No, no .... not at all.
Just thinking of all the good & useful things that could be done with that money.

1 Reply

@msolga,

msolga wrote:

No, no .... not at all.
Just thinking of all the good & useful things that could be done with that money.

Well.....

When they are spending all this money on a wedding, what are they doing with it exactly?
Are they shoveling it into an oven? Tossing it onto a bonfire?

No, they are doing just what we do when we spend.

The money is going to people, businesses who are providing services and products for the main event, and a myriad of happenings surrounding it.

The vendors and services are then turning around, paying employees, putting money back into their business, earning their livings.

Perhaps the happy couple could decide to spend this money all on products that were manufactured in England. That would make me happy if I were British.

As I mentioned before, what about the effect on tourism?
Whenever we have a concert or something where I live, it's announced on the news afterwards that the event brought in, for example, a million dollars in that single weekend to the economy. That's just for a typical 2 day event. A royal wedding isn't typical.

How much is going to be spent on hotel accomodations, food, tours for those who have decided to make the trip, and want to see more than the wedding?
How many people have read a little and thought "I never considered this before, but maybe I'd like to go to England on my next vacation."
They don't even have any interest in the wedding, but it put the idea in their head to go there some time in the next few months, or a year, and spend some money there.

How many Brits will be opening temporary shops, selling food, memorabilia, umbrellas, ponchos and 15 minutes chair massages?

Jesus, if 30 million is being spent, I wouldn't mind getting my share of it, even if it's by making a few pounds by putting that nice american couple up in the spare bedroom for a week.

Aren't these all good and useful things?

3 Replies

@chai2,

Chai, I assumed that the British government would be footing the bill. (If I have that wrong, please correct me, someone.)
But if that is the case, at a time of huge cuts to government spending (& resultant job losses, cuts to public services, etc), I can think of better uses for millions of dollars of taxpayers' money at such a difficult time.
That's just my view. You don't have to share it, of course.

2 Replies

@msolga,

I don't think the govt would be paying for the wedding, msolga. From what I understand, the Royals do get $ from the government, and it is from that that they'll be paying for the wedding.

2 Replies

@Mame,

It took a bit of Googling, Mame, but (according to this article) the public will pay most of the costs of the wedding. Apparently security will be the biggest cost factor.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cost-of-security-will-dominate-royal-wedding-plans-2136109.html

2 Replies

@chai2,

chai2 wrote:

Yeah, I noticed in a photo he's getting a little sparse on top.

As far as her making use of her degree, again....meh.

Seriously, what is she supposed to do? (I don't know what her degree is in either)
She's not going to be able to take any employment seriously.

Oh, I know he's a helicopter pilot and all that, but really, do you want to be the one to reprimand Prince William?

What about if you were Kate's boss?
"Um, Kate, it seems you're having trouble with your TPS reports.....yeeeaaaah....if you could get them in on time, that would be just great."

Kate discussing the TPS reports with her boss....

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52ljfrTR24o[/youtube]

Pardon the digression, but, I just love the way you find the perfect movie snippet to post in these threads, like the one from Fargo, "Unguent." "I need . . . unguent."

Ok. Tangent over.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

1 Reply

@chai2,

How can I get in on that action?

1 Reply

@chai2,

I agree with Chai.
There will be lots of things people want to buy as a souvenir, people will come to London to get in on the happening.
When the Crownprincess of Sweden got married the amount of people coming to look at it was expected to be ? and there came 250 000 more. All these people had to have something to eat and drink, many stayed over in Stockholm either by friends ( who had to buy more food) or in hotels.
A very special cake (prinsesstarta) which is very popular was served in old people´s home as a special treat.
My friends and I did the same, watching the wedding on TV. But at home,
Beautiful chocolate boxes with the couple were sold - and of course shipped to Swedish friends abroad.
Many other things were done, books with pictures from the wedding etc etc
So Sweden did earn money on the wedding.
If the wedding in London including security will cost 30 million and there are 60 million living in GB that is about 50 cent per person.
Obama´s visit to Norway when he got the Nobel Peace Price the security cost was 11 million dollars and the Norwegian population is 5 million that would be over 2 dollar per person and noone objected to that. After all it was necessary just as security will be necessary at the wedding in London for all the dignities arriving.

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The Crownprincess wedding cost 64 million (9 million dollar). The King payed
15 million (1,3 million) That would make about 77 cent per person in Sweden.
And I did not see any real protests against that.

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@InfraBlue,

InfraBlue wrote:

Pardon the digression, but, I just love the way you find the perfect movie snippet to post in these threads, like the one from Fargo, "Unguent." "I need . . . unguent."

Ok. Tangent over.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

Thanks.

It's a God given talent.

0 Replies

@msolga,

msolga wrote:

It took a bit of Googling, Mame, but (according to this article) the public will pay most of the costs of the wedding. Apparently security will be the biggest cost factor.

all 50 cents a piece

kinda hard to get worked up about

especially when that 50 cents a piece is money moving around the economy

0 Replies

@Mame,

Mame wrote:

I don't think the govt would be paying for the wedding, msolga. From what I understand, the Royals do get $ from the government, and it is from that that they'll be paying for the wedding.

looks like the family's paying for the wedding and associated celebrations

the public is footing the bill for security in re the public's insistence on viewing the wedding and associated celebrations

fair play eh

1 Reply

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

How can I get in on that action?

Last month, during the ACLF (Austin City Limits Festival), they have a lot of bands in Zilker Park. The park is about a mile as the crow flies from my house.
The festival goes on 3 days; Fri, Sat & Sun. The city puts signs up all over saying "no festival parking" all around the surrounding neighborhood, including mine. Otherwise, we'd be overrun with parked cars in the street.

Sunday night I was walking in my neighborhood, and passed a house that has a huge side yard, with a low stone wall around it. The owners were sitting in lawn chairs, by a sign that said "ACLF Parking $20 for entire day" It was dark, but I could see the yard was full. I asked them how many cars fit in there, and they told me they could get 15 in there comfortably. They said more than half cars turned over during the day/evening, so it was about 23-25 cars a day.

23 x 3 days x $20 = $1380.

Not bad for sitting around drinking your own ice tea.

1 Reply

Chai, How'd you know it was iced tea?

Beth, that's what I thought - that sounds reasonable to me.

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@chai2,

Sweet deal.

1 Reply

@msolga,

msolga wrote:

Chai, I assumed that the British government would be footing the bill. (If I have that wrong, please correct me, someone.)
But if that is the case, at a time of huge cuts to government spending (& resultant job losses, cuts to public services, etc), I can think of better uses for millions of dollars of taxpayers' money at such a difficult time.
That's just my view. You don't have to share it, of course.

All due respect msolga, but do you realize how little that amount is?

I just Googled, and see that (I've heard this figure before) that the royal family costs each british subject a whopping 64 pence a year. That's 18% of ONE pence a day. A little more than a pence a week.

Even if the wedding cost each person their share in taxes, you are talking about each person chipping an extra pence a week, for this one year.

That's assuming no one benefits in any way from this wedding, which obviously isn't true.

Now you can look at it like it's the principle of the thing, and I respect that. However, in practice, this wedding is going to make many average people a bit of a wind fall.

How many people will get part time, temporary work either doing something directly related to the wedding, or indirectly, by selling or serving more scones and tea where they work?
Someone going to be busy making William and Kate teashirts, and they'll be hiring friends, family, teens and retirees to sell them.

With the money they make, they can stock up on their medications, food for the kids, spend it on entertainment, clothes, putting it into their business. If they make more than a little, they might buy a car, make an improvement on their homes.

The security costs? Well, doesn't it take people to make the security happen? Doesn't the equipment have to be bought from somewhere?

In fact, this is just speculation, I'm thinking that the money the government needs to spend on this is more directly going into the hands of the people who need it, then by going through all the red tape and BS of getting something through entitlements.

A number of the people who get temporary work, will end up getting hired on permanently. Someone who starts a small business enterprise will get the experience, and may continue on and grow.

This is an opportunity.

1 Reply

@Linkat,

ch'yeah

0 Replies

So what does everything think of "The Engagement"?

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