Ridding the Royals

Isn't it about time we got rid of the royal family in Britain?  I know that many people would be simply aghast at this idea, but in my opinion for all the good that they (may) perform, it is far outweighed by the bad.
Those in favour of keeping them often trot out the same lines about them bringing in tourism and (at the last count) they don't cost more than two pints of milk per person.  But would people suddenly stop visiting Britain if there were no royals? I seriously doubt it.  For a start, no-one ever sees or meets them anyway, and there's nothing to say that we can't keep a few castles and palaces open for people to have a nose through.  We'd even be able to open the whole of Buckingham Palace for the whole year, rather than just a few rooms for part of the summer.  Plus there is so much glorious history and countryside here that we could spend money promoting that instead.
And although they don't cost much (somewhere in the region of £9m which is less than most MP's moats these days), its still a rather exorbitant fee for a handful of ambassadors.  And in-bred ambassadors, with a decidedly dodgy family history at that.  If they weren't born into it I'd be surprised if they could get through the job interview.
So in reality the only thing stopping us is a desire for keeping things the same.  It is a fear of the unknown, especially for the upper and middle classes who know that if the royals go, then they could be next.  While Her Majesty sits on her thrown they remain protected, but once she's out of the way, they are next on the list.
You see, the worst thing I think about royalty is not how much money they cost, or what they do with their lives, but the myth they perpetuate that it is possible to be simply born greater than other people.  And this is what lends credence to those in power, a belief that simply because they were born the son or daughter of a politician/doctor/lawyer etc. then they have a birthright to hold power too.  And somewhere deep down we must know that this is not true.
To be great you must have wisdom, not money.  You must be intelligent, not connected.  You must have humility, not extraordinary luck.

Your comments please...