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Tuesday, July 01, 2014

Royal Prerogative

I have commented before on Prince Charles habit of seeking to use his privileged position to influence public policy.

Back in November 2008 I said that Charles may be in line to succeed to the position of Head of State by an accident of his birth but that does not give him the authority to contradict those who have been voted into office by the people. Nor does it give him any legitimacy to 'speak for the nation'.

So this story in The Times, who report that the Prince of Wales tried to persuade Tony Blair’s government to expand grammar schools and limit the use of genetically modified crops is no surprise. What does surprise me is that Peter Hain indulged him on trialling alternative medicine, something that has little or no evidence base to recommend it.

If only everybody had his level of access and influence.
Comments:
Tell me why Prince Charles should be gagged and not have freedom of speech in a democratic free society?
Much of what he says is true and just because you may not like what he says at some time does not give you the right to deny him that freedom surely.
The glaring problem with the gagging of the Royal Family has been shown by the signing of the Commonwealth Charter by her Majesty the Queen. Wonderful one might say but when the charter says that "We are implacably opposed to discrimination in any form" and the government ignore it and even include clause 20 in the new Pensions Bill which will deny just a minority of pensioners their uprating entitlement then you have a serious problem. By doing so and then asking her to give the Royal Assent to the bill which must be a huge embarrassment for her to have to comply and shows the poor quality of government today made up by politicians with no morality or integrity and the next election will show how the general public are so disenchanted that there will be big changes unless more honesty is shown and promises kept.
The EU elections are just a warning and you ignore that at your peril.
 
Because he is using a privileged unelected position to influence government using access given to him by that position and because he aspires to become Head of State which is a position that under our unwritten constitution is meant to be politically neutral.
 
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