Well, not all of 'em:
"Queen’s bid for subsidy sparks outcry; Heating fund was meant for Britons with low incomes" by Raphael G. Satter, Associated Press | September 25, 2010
LONDON — A government fund intended to provide subsidized heating to low-income Britons got some interest from an unexpected source: Queen Elizabeth II, who wanted help paying the bills at Buckingham Palace.
The official response, according to documents unearthed by The Independent newspaper, was that the handout might prove to be an embarrassment if word got out....
The newspaper said royal aides were looking for a way to pay the queen’s spiraling utility bills, which had risen by 50 percent to more than $1.58 million in 2004. A letter written that year and addressed to Britain’s culture department asked whether the queen could get a community energy grant to upgrade the heating systems at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle....
The queen’s finances have been controversial in the past, with occasional debates about whether Britain’s head of state, whose role is almost exclusively ceremonial, costs too much. The queen has royal residences across Britain, including Balmoral Castle in Scotland and Sandringham House in eastern England.
Still, the queen has a reputation for frugality, and the monarchy has recently been keen to show it gives value for money. Taxpayers fund the royal household to the tune of $60 million a year, which the royal website points out is less than a dollar per person.
I'm sure it is all worth it.
Related: A Bailout Fit For a Queen
Queen Mothers
She sure is.
Word that the royal household had toyed with the idea of trying to get money intended for some of the nation’s poorest citizens had a medieval ring to it and the drew the ire of Republic, which campaigns for the abolition of the British monarchy.
These are the times in which we are living.
The group said the story provided “clear evidence of the contempt the palace has for ordinary people in this country.’’
A idiosyncrasy of elites everywhere.
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"Queen dedicates luxury ocean liner bearing her name" by Associated Press | October 12, 2010
LONDON — The queen named a luxury British cruise ship the Queen Elizabeth in a lavish ceremony yesterday, blessing the vessel to launch it on its maiden voyage....
The liner features art deco interiors harking back to the great age of ocean liners in the 1930s, and a theater seating more than 800 where passengers can watch West End-style shows.
The luxury facilities come with a price tag to match — fares for the first voyage begin at about $2,400 per person for an inside-facing room, to $25,000 each for a grand suite.
Yeah, some people are not hurting due to the global economic downturn.
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Related: Boston Globe Bumps Bottom
How little things have changed in 100 years.
"London landmark gets $350m face lift" by Associated Press | October 9, 2010
LONDON — The suave Savoy Hotel is back.
The landmark on the Strand near the River Thames has been closed for three years because of a massive renovation that went way over budget, but it reopens tomorrow with completely renovated rooms, suites, public areas, courtyard, and gardens.
Designers have tried to keep elements of the distinctive Edwardian and art deco stylings while bringing everything up to date, and the owners have added an eight-room royal suite with a price tag of nearly $16,000 per night. The goal is to attract heads of state, wealthy Persian Gulf businessmen, and the top stars of the entertainment world. The hotel has, after all, hosted the Beatles, Charlie Chaplin, John Wayne, and Marilyn Monroe.
Spokesman Brett Perkins said the public response to the reopening has been strong because so many people have emotional ties to the hotel. “Everyone has a Savoy story,’’ he said. “They were brought here as a child for tea, or their parents got married here, things like that.’’
The three-year project, with about 1,000 workers and craftsmen involved, ended up costing around $350 million.
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Meanwhile, those ordinary people:
"UK to overhaul welfare, child benefits" by David Stringer, Associated Press | October 5, 2010
LONDON — Britain will cap payments to jobless families and scrap child benefits for high earners in a sweeping overhaul of the country’s welfare system, George Osborne, the Treasury chief, said yesterday.
Related: New Government Turns Britain Over to Bank
That's who governments work for. It's crystal clear.
Also see: Britain's Budget
Yeah, screw you, ordinary person.
Osborne, who is seeking to save about $135 billion in government spending over the next five years, said the cost of welfare payments was out of control — and rewarding some people for staying out of work.
At an annual rally of his Conservative Party, Osborne said Britain’s coalition government would introduce a new welfare cap to make sure families in which both parents are unemployed do not receive more in benefits than an average family earns in wages.
Osborne also announced parents who earn more than $70,000 per year will lose child benefit payments from 2013. Currently, all families are paid $32 a week for their eldest child and about $20 for other children....
Osborne said the government’s austerity measures would bring prosperity in the future....
On Sunday, about 7,000 labor union members — including teachers and health service workers — staged a march outside the Conservative convention, to protest planned spending cuts....
The whole of Europe is on the march.
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Related: UK to eliminate nearly 200 agencies
The people with the answers:
"Younger Miliband wins Labor vote
Britain’s opposition Labor Party elected young lawmaker Ed Miliband as its new leader yesterday after he narrowly defeated his older and better-known brother in a contest to replace Gordon Brown, former prime minister. Miliband, the 40-year-old former climate change secretary, squeezed out his elder brother David Miliband, the 45-year-old former foreign secretary, in a ballot of legislators, party activists, and about 3.5 million labor union members. Ed Miliband got 50.6 percent of votes to his brother’s 49.3 percent in a final round of voting. Three other candidates also competed in the contest to replace Brown (AP)."
"Druidry recognized as a religion in UK
LONDON — The ancient pagan tradition of Druidry has been formally recognized as a religion in Britain — a decision its followers hailed yesterday as a long-overdue status for the worship of spirits and the natural world. To register as a religious charity in England, an organization must satisfy requirements that include belief in a supreme entity, a degree of cohesion and seriousness, and a beneficial moral framework. Druids have practiced for thousands of years in Britain, worshiping natural forces such as thunder and the sun (AP)."
