Queen gets pay rise at expense of public

An analyst describes the Queen’s pay rise as inappropriate, insensitive, callous and completely out of touch with reality as masses of Brits suffer economic depression.

In the background of this the British people may face a triple-dip recession in the near future as many now battle daily to cope with immense austerity pressures imposed upon them by their government. It is at this time that the yearly sovereign grant for the Queen that is also used to pay staff and maintain palaces of the royal family, paid by the British tax payers, has received a hefty rise of five million pounds per year.

Press TV has interviewed Professor Rodney Shakespeare, professor of binary economics, London about this issue. The following is an approximate transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Why should the average tax payer pay for the Queens funds?

Shakespeare: They pay for the Queen because that is at the essence of our society, which no longer has any intent of addressing the real economy or ensuring that ordinary people have a proper income.

This rise is grossly inappropriate. We have a government minister saying that the poorest can live on 53 pounds.

Well, if I may give you a little detail of my personal circumstances namely that in the last week our gas cooker broke down and it will cost us 450 pounds to replace it. I can afford that, but someone on 53 pounds cannot have a gas cooker. Also, a personal detail, my shoes are wearing out and a new pair will cost roughly 53 pounds.

It’s outrageous that a government minister who himself his family is a millionaire should lecturer anybody at a time when on April first new taxes are coming in, inflation benefit is being lost, benefit is being capped.

Masses of population is suffering. This whole thing is totally insensitive and shows that the government is totally out of touch with reality.

Press TV: Doesn’t this show that the monarchy or the Queen doesn’t even care about the wellbeing of its people?

Shakespeare: Well, it goes right to the whole structure of our society of which the monarchy is part.

If there was any sense that they really understood the situation of the people, or any sense they were genuinely trying to do something about it… but they’re not you see, they’re actually upholding the interests of a narrow global financial elite and they are sniggering to themselves that they are actually doing something that benefits everybody. They are not.

You’re looking at yet another sign of a corrupt, self-centered, vicious system, which is no longer interested in upholding the material realities of the people.

Press TV: We’ve seen a lot of anti-austerity protests taking place in the UK especially in the heart of the UK, the capital of London. How strongly do you think the people will react this time around?

Shakespeare: The people will not react strongly particularly to this because it is just part of an overall callousness they’ve exhibited towards the people as a whole.

But there is going to be an increasing reaction to that overall callousness as more and more people are hit or smashed in everyday life and in many cases will not be able to cook their food or have a new pair of shoes or a new piece of clothing or pay of the toothpaste, which they put off buying last week – in all of these ways.

We’ve even got a thing called a ‘bedroom tax’ now. It’s like in the past when there used to be a window tax.

So it’s building up and the anger will be building up and it’s just another part of the callousness and indifference of our ruling elite to the concerns and interests of the mass of the people.