Prince Charles and his 36 private meetings with cabinet ministers

[jakeXT]

Source: Guardian

...

However, activists campaigning for an end to the monarchy seized on the figures. The lobby group Republic tweeted: "We've been pushing this issue for some time. Charles is political operator and businessman with direct access to govt."

The high court ruled last month that the public has no right to read documents that would reveal how Charles has sought to alter government policies. Three judges rejected a legal attempt by the Guardian to force the publication of private letters written by the prince to government ministers.

However, Lord Judge, the lord chief justice of England and Wales, and two other judges have given the Guardian permission to appeal against the decision.

The appeal, which is due to be heard in the court of appeal this year, will be the latest stage in an eight-year battle by the newspaper to view a set of letters written by the prince to ministers in seven government departments over a nine-month period.

...

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/aug/12/prince-charles-lobbying-david-cameron

---

Love that secrecy, reminds me of something....

[dipsydoodle]

1. The lobby group Republic

[jakeXT]

2. Looks like they even have a website, any inside info from the island?

http://www.republic.org.uk/

[dipsydoodle]

4. I hadn't heard of them

outside of the Guardian link you posted. Whoever they may be they are easily outweighed by the +70% who do support our Royal Family.

Our Royal family cost us c. a dollar a year each. What you got for a dollar ?

[jwirr]

7. That dollar figure is interesting. The propagandists are forever siting the high cost of having a

royal family. One thing - even if England becomes a republic would that change the "ROYAL" status of the family. IT is heriditary and their wealth is still theirs. What is kind of funny is that the one lobby group is trying to stop Charles from lobbying!

[Paulie]

12. A tenth of a penny per dollar

Gives us NASA. wish they got a whole penny per dollar.

[dipsydoodle]

13. There are however more of you.

About 5 times more.

[Berlum]

3. "Bugger off" - The Once and Future King George

[pscot]

18. George the First was often reckoned

Vile, but viler George the Second
And what mortal ever heard
Any good of George the Third
When from earth the Fourth descended
God be praised, the Georges ended

[fasttense]

5. Feudalism alive and well in England

Seems the US is reincorporating parts of it into our government too.

Let's hear it for a lucky few born into power and wealth because they came out of the right womb. They will never know the harsh realities of living in a capitalist economy with a feudalistic power structure. The worst of both worlds.

[enlightenment]

6. Feudalism?

It doesn't mean what you think it does.

[fasttense]

8. Oh yes it does.

feu·dal·ism - A political and economic system of Europe from the 9th to about the 15th century, based on the holding of all land in fief or fee and the resulting relation of lord to vassal and characterized by homage, legal and military service of tenants, and forfeiture.

Does NOT England pay homage to their Kings, Queens, Princes and Lords? Their news organizations certainly do. Citizens of England support the royals with their tax dollars and their willingness to allow the royals to maintain huge tracts of land, castles and stolen fortunes. Are not their roles prescribed by law? Do not citizens of England serve in the lower ranks of the military (while royals serve as officers). If an English citizen refuses to pay taxes are they not forced to forfeit their freedom or meager wages?

And Americans have come to do the same. Supporting corporate capitalist with our tax dollars, our willingness to allow them to keep their stolen fortunes to pass down from one generation to the next. Then there are the kingly powers of the president who may take anyone's life and spy on their most private communications on the mere suspicion of terrorist activity. And all these powers backed by laws secretly interpreted to benefit the corporate capitalist. In the US our royalty does not normally serve in the military but our poor certainly do. And of course citizens without stolen fortunes are subjected to all forms of forfeiture if they fail to follow even the secret laws.

Ok, the US and England are not in complete economic/political feudal systems but so many parts of our society resemble the feudal system that I wonder at times if we really are capitalists.

[enlightenment]

9. Right.

England has a constitutional monarchy that well over half the population supports keeping. They like their royals and want to keep them; that's their choice.
Homage in the context of feudalism was a voluntary system of mutual reciprocity, not genuflecting and kowtowing - and trust me, there is no genuflecting and kowtowing going on in the UK toward royals and peers. You're more likely to see that toward celebrities.
What news organizations do is irrelevant.
The role of royals are to a large extent set by law, but that law is definitely modifiable - as any quick look at history will attest.
There are many more non-royal officers in the military than royal. Royals tend to serve as officers because they - like many other officers - attend university and/or military academies and so enter the ranks as officers. This is different from any other military system how?

Your statement about taxes and forfeiture of freedom or wages reflects a common reality. Just about any nation, with any system of government, will penalize a citizen for non-payment of taxes. To call that feudalism is bizarre, frankly.

Feudalism has a specific meaning and requires a specific set of circumstances. You can bold sentences and take individual words and use them out of context all day long - but it isn't going to make the current state of affairs in either the UK or the US "feudalism."

Feel free to believe it; I'm not trying to stop you. It's become so common for people to apply sweeping generalizations on the Internet that it's not worth any more time than I've just spent.

[fasttense]

11. Oh my you really don't understand how feudalism worked

Monarchies are the back bone of feudalism and just because you decided to put an adjective in front of it does not make it any less of a monarchy.

No homage was not voluntary in feudalism. Serfs were born to the land and were required to farm that land after their parents died. If a serf did NOT stay on their land they were accused of abandonment could be punished by a kingly representative. Oh yes there was a fair amount of kowtowing in the feudal system. How else would a serf show his true devotion to the king and his lords, if he did not show submission when they went by?

To NOT acknowledge that taxation began with the feudal system seems to be willful ignorance. Portions of the serf's week were spent laboring for the king an Lords at no cost to the king and Lords. A form of taxation.

We must deal with a living language and most words change their meaning as they are used. So, you may find dealing with other words just as annoying.

By the way, the internal management of a corporation most resembles feudalism than most any other organizational structure.

[enlightenment]

15. You have gaps in understanding

that I can't be bothered to deal with now, or in future.

Go back to school. Read a book. Stop using Wikipedia as a source.

[Orsino]

10. Cheneyism. n/t

[tabasco]

14. No rational society allows monarchy to exist,

even for historic purposes.

[Octafish]

16. Jimmy Savile is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life

http://www.hangthebankers.com/covered-up-prince-charles-links-to-mass-pedophile-jimmy-savile/

[brooklynite]

17. But, he's the heir apparent...

he might need to step onto the throne any.....decade now.