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The Monarchy

Government Minister Proposes £60m Gift to Windsors
“Austere Times” Justification

If anyone doubted that monarchists have no sense of shame, in 2016 a minister in the coalition government put them straight. Education Secretary Michael Grove, who the Financial Times has described as "the strongly monarchist education secretary", was reported to be proposing that £60m should be taken from the people of Britain and given to the Windsor clan, in the form of an ocean-going yacht.

In a time when the real earnings of public employees and others were falling, when public services were being cut back, and when taxes had been reduced, Gove highlighted the chasm between monarchy and democratic decencies.

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Windsor's old yacht is seen in background

The Windsors are a a super-rich family. The leading members of the clan were already paid much more than any elected official or civil servant who does a real job of work for the people. Mrs Windsor was paid £13m a year and her son Charles got more than £18m. The taxpayers provide them with palaces to live in, and planes, cars and trains to travel in. By contrast then Prime Minister David Cameron was paid only £142,000. President Obama got £261,000.

Mr Gove denied that he wanted hard-pressed British taxpayers to give the Windsor clan the £60m gift. But both Gove and Prime Minister David Cameron admitted that they did want to make the gift of a yacht to the super-rich Windsors if private finance could be found. That would have left taxpayers still having to pay for the crew, berthing and security.

Despite Gove's denial he is reported in The Guardian to have described the yacht as a gift from the nation. A letter leaked to that newspaper also indicated that he did believe that taxpayers' money should be the main source of funding. In one letter he wrote that only ""if there is not sufficient public money available" should private funding be looked for.

In spite, and perhaps because of, the austere times, the celebration should go beyond those of traditional jubilees.
Michael Gove, Education Secretary in support of a yacht for the Windsors to mark another 60 years of feudalism.

The gift that monarchist Gove wanted to force the British people to give to his favourite family was to be a reward for the "highly significant contribution"" the Conservative believed the feudal family have made to Britain. In a letter to the Culture Secretary obtained by the Guardian newspaper he wrote that "In spite, and perhaps because of, the austere times" the gift should be made to mark Elizabeth Windsor's "jubilee" - her sixty years as hereditary head of state. He described this anniversary as a "momentous occasion"".

According to The Guardian Gove had urged other members of the Cabinet to support his plan, while other ministers lobbied the Prime Minister for support. Prime Minister David Cameron said that buying a boat for the Windsors would be a "truly inspirational initiative"". The newspaper also reported that two prominent members of the Windsor clan expressed their support for the extravagant gift. Queen Windsor made no public comment.

In an apparent attempt to disguise its true nature, supporters of the yachts for millionaires scheme made the strange claim that it could also serve as a so-called "university of the seas", and be used for trade and business events, and for research, while accommodating the Windsors on their trips. Coalition leaders David Cameron and Nick Clegg rejected Gove's idea. However, Clegg said that the "jubilee" celebration of feudal privilege would be a "wonderful occasion for us to celebrate together as a community and as a nation".

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