Hail to thee, William and Kate[Catherine]

Unless you have just had a holiday on another planet, you do not need prizes in guessing what I am about to talk about which is on everyone's lips, the new Royal engaged couple. What I say is hail to you both and many congratulations,I hope you have a happy wonderful life. Also this is just the tonic the country needs to see two very happy people looking forward to their married lives together.

However, not surprisingly, this has created a battle ground of verbosity between the republicans and the royalists, I for one on the side of the latter have put my point across in their support for contrary to republican views which sadly are growing in number, state that the royal family are an expenditure we cannot afford. This growing jaundiced view to me, is extremely sad, in fact reading some of the comments on the internet I found ridiculously laughable, such as oppression of the population. In my view, they have been reading too much Tolstoy and other Russian novelists. I never read so much Horlicks in all my life. Sadly Writer's News Talkback are not devoid of a few republicans so perhaps the time has come to put a few of these die hard republicans in their place and to consider their good fortune.

OK, yes we have a democracy and free speech, and all that but perhaps these republicans should read or listen to what is happening in some of the more sinister republican countries, Burma, Zimbabwe,Hungary,China where if the government does not like your face, let alone what you write, you can be thrown into prison and even tortured for your views, yes, I repeat tortured. I am not saying Britain is perfect but then no country can truly boast that but it is stable compared to many, in fact take a look at Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Holland, and yes, Spain, what do they have, that's right, you have probably guessed, a royal family. There are republics, including America who adore our royal family, Germany is all over the place, cock a hoop according to their press that we are going to have a royal wedding for they would dearly love to have one and did of sorts but they were made up of a series of disparate states. Russia had one until the Bolsheviks assasinated the Tsar and his family, who incidentally was a cousin of George V. Look what happened there when it became a Soviet Republic under Lenin then Stalin. Think a little closer, look at Czechoslovakia, invaded two or three times.

Did we have a republic, of course we did, under Cromwell, and you would hardly call that a howling success, quite the contrary in fact which is why the monarchy was restored with Charles II. Our monarchy contrary to the propoganda put out by republicans,the most ardent one that comes to mind, the Glaswegian Willy Hamilton now long since dead, work very hard. Yes, OK, the Queen who, bless her worked all through the war, remember in the ATS, repairing army vehicles etc and has since worked her socks off throughout her reign, is taking it easier now and so she should. Prince Charles and Princess Ann really earn their privvy purse and now Edward is having to do his share, quite right too. Both Charles's boys are in the services,one of them, Harry god bless him too, went out to Afghanistan, the rights and wrongs of it is irrelevant here but the fact he wanted to do his bit should make the republicans sit up and reflect, not only that he has been responsible for the campaign charity, Help the Heroes. Both of the princes have been involved in their natural mother's charities.

I am also tired of the bitching against Prince Charles who has done much to turn people's lives around,especially the young with the Trust, even helping to create businesses and also for older people. His food products are now sold in Waitrose as they have formed a partnership so I would like to raise a toast to our Royals then spit in the eye of those stingy mingy republicans