Posted by John in Assen
on 14/10/2009, 1:03:38, in reply to "Bernhard van Oranje and racing..."
87.208.112.117
I know several posters want us to see things "in perspective" and also that people should not nag.
This board is ofcourse a pro-monarchy board and therefore (al to) critical sounds are always frowned upon...
Nevertheless I think the Oranges should beware!
In my (hardly republican) surroundings I hear very negative sounds and the overall opinion is certainly not in favour of the royal family anymore.
Ofcourse popularity is something very fragile, and the best of mankind have encountered the "hosianah" on one day and the "crusify him" on the next day...but I have a very irry feeling in the past weeks, a sort of build-up of negativity around our royal family that I myself cannot remember to have witnessed before.
As if there is this unstopable force that is still growing and building a sort of anti-orange-athmosphere.
Media (papers, radio, TV, magazines), politicians, people in the street...everywhere you go these days you hear about the Royal family and combined with words I have never heared before about OUR royal family: "out-of-touch with reality"...
Who would have thought that THÁT would ever be said about our close-to-the-people, tactile, down-to-earth bycicling royals?!
I hope this will all prove to be another storm in a glass-of-water but I have this gut-feeling it isn't just that, there is more to it this time.
Constantijn had his 40th birthdayparty with royal guests from Europe, celebrated in the Queen home-palace, no press allowed, no photo's being published...I presume a family afraid for more negative publicity (about costs etc.)
Private flights by the Queen can according to a majority in the parliament still be payed for by the state but the crownprince and his wife should start paying for these flight themselves. So the actual kneefall by the Prime-Minister towards the second chamber has proven not enough.
What other priviliges will follow?
As a staunch monarchist I cannot help feeling sorry for every (little) bit that the Royals have to give up on the other hand I think that things in the past months/years could have been arranged better and more pro-active by the royals (and their advisors) themselves.
I fear for the future of our monarchy as we know it today!