No doubt it is going to boost London Tourism and retail sales - however, overall the double bank holiday is expected to shave 0.5% off GDP for the quater - so after yesterday's first quarter GDP Q2 is going to be anaemic too. Expected lost labour production is £7.9 bnillion - so the Tourist spending will have to be chunky to make up for the Bank holiday. I somehow doubt we will see the BBC's fees for worldwide broadcast come off the licence fee for next year either.
I am though a staunch Republican and so am dismayed by the reaction to the Wedding. it is costing taxpayers a forutne and next year we have the Olympics too - with tickets for hospitality going for £4000 pounds and a £9 billion state subsidy to boot. It's a sad state of affairs.
In a real democracy there should be an aspiration that anyone can make it; this will be tempered by the knowledge that life hands out easier and harder starts and is in the end, very unfair. But the US has this right, we should all have hope. In the UK there is no hope of reaching rigth to the top except by marrying Prince William. Only Royalty rules and this is through birthright. This creates a divide and limits aspiration, idolsingin kings and Princess's is no better than idolising celebrities and this level of wishful fantasising on the part of people in the Uk is in part responsible for the gradual decline of the Country and its culture.
Generally lefties I come across who get overly excited about class are middle-class charlatans who are pretending to be downbeats - useuly to secure some pernicous advantage of their own either moral or commercial. I do agree with them though about the need for merit in society and rewarding merit, not of rewarding birthright solely. That is feudal not deomcratic.
I would much rather see even Neil Kinnock as titular head of state than the Queen. even Kinnock has tried and failed miserably for his whole lifetime - something to be respected if not admired.
None of this refelcts badly on the couple getting married, good luck to them. The Country would be a better place if they could go and live happily ever after in obscurity though.
I shall say no more of this now.
