the real cost of nothingness

this weeks NEW Statesman is featuring why we dont need the monarchy.
There are many goodarticles including
the cost of the bolt holes and how much they cost us
http://www.newstatesman.com/life-and-society/2009/07/palace-cost-prince-queen

http://www.newstatesman.com/life-and-society/2009/07/prince-royal-cost-william
william windsor and his aeronautic activities plus some of the costs of 'minor' royals.

But most of all this brilliant insight within the leader.
http://www.newstatesman.com/2009/07/constitutional-british-power#reader-comments

whilst the zeitgeist is for reform we still have to endure an unelected head of the church,less than 1% of the population owning near 70% of the land.
The queen herself through the crown estate continues to prosper in a culture that celebrates excessive greed and demonises the most vulnerable.

the truth at last

yesterday the US forces made known their intentions to withdraw from Iraq.

Coincidentally this is the same day that the Iraqi oil fields have been put up for auction to foreign companies.

surely no coincidence.