England's experiment with handling the chronically unemployed:

[hedgehog]

I was listening to a discussion this morning of England's problem with people who have never held jobs, some from families where no one has worked for several generations. Poorly educated, these people live on the dole and are a constant source of criminal activity from petty thievery to hooliganism to riots.

Yet - England has run a successful multi-generational experiment to find a solution to this problem. The members of the family in question tend to have mess-up personal lives. One member married a naive woman much younger than himself, then proceeded to carry on a long term adulterous relationship.



Younger members display their lack of education with examples of extreme poor taste:



Younger members also tend to misbehave in public:



Yet, all in all, this family doesn't cause too many problems for the general public.

What's the critical difference between this family and all the others on the dole? This family's public housing tends to be rather grand:



they are encouraged to play dress up:





and they are given busy work to keep them occupied:

[truebrit71]

1. Epic Fail

The Royals don't need to loot...it's handed to them...

[Nye Bevan]

2. "Unemployed"? Prince Harry is in the military, and has served in Afghanistan.

The British Ministry of Defence and Clarence House made a joint announcement on 22 February 2007 that Prince Harry would be deployed with his regiment to the front line in Iraq, to serve as part of the 1st Mechanised Brigade of the 3rd Mechanised Division – a move supported by Harry, who had stated that he would leave the army if he was told to remain in safety while his regiment went to war;<20> he said: "There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country."<21> Then head of the British army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, first said on 30 April 2007 that he had personally decided that the Prince would serve with his unit in Iraq,<22> and Harry was scheduled for deployment in May or June 2007, to patrol the Maysan province.<23> By 16 May, however, Dannatt announced that Prince Harry would not serve in Iraq;<24> concerns included Harry being a high-value target (as several threats by various groups have already been made against him) and the dangers the soldiers around him would face should any attempt be made on the Prince's life or capture. Clarence House made public the Prince's disappointment with the decision, though he said he would abide by it.<25> In May 2007, British soldiers in Iraq were reported to be wearing t-shirts bearing the statement "I'm Harry!"; a reference to the scene in the movie Spartacus in which the survivors of Spartacus's army, defeated by Roman legions, are offered leniency by Crassus if they will identify their leader. Every survivor declares: "I'm Spartacus!"<26>

It was reported, in early June 2007, that Prince Harry had arrived in Canada to train, alongside soldiers of the Canadian Forces and British Army, at Canadian Forces base Suffield, near Medicine Hat, Alberta. It was said that this was in preparation for a tour of duty in Afghanistan, where Canadian and British forces were participating in the NATO led Afghan War;<27> rumours that were confirmed in February the following year, when the British Ministry of Defence revealed that Harry had secretly been deployed as a Forward Air Controller to Helmand Province in the Asian country.<28> The revelation came after the media – notably, the German newspaper Bild and Australian magazine New Idea<29><30> – breached the blackout placed over the information by the Canadian and British authorities.<31> It was later reported that, while in Afghanistan, Harry had called in United States Air Force air strikes,<32> helped Gurkha troops repel an attack from Taliban insurgents,<33> and performed patrol duty in hostile areas.<34> His tour came 735 years after his ancestor, Edward I of England (then Prince Edward), had also been on military duty in the Middle East during the Ninth crusade,<35> and also made Harry the first member of the Royal Family to have served in a war zone since his uncle, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, flew helicopters during the Falklands War; at the time, Andrew was second in line to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms. For his service, Prince Harry was decorated with the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan by his aunt, the Princess Royal, at the Combermere Barracks in May 2008.<36>

In October 2008, the news was revealed that Prince Harry was to follow his brother, father, and uncle with the wish to fly military helicopters. After passing the initial aptitude test, he was to undertake a month-long course; depending on whether or not he passed that course he would proceed onto full flight training in early 2009.<37> Harry had to pass his flying assessment at the Army Air Corps Base (AAC), Middle Wallop, the result of which determined if he would pass on to train as a pilot of either the Apache, Lynx, or Gazelle helicopter.<38>

Prince Harry was presented with his flying brevet (wings) by his father, on 7 May 2010 at a ceremony at the Army Air Corps Base (AAC), Middle Wallop. Prince Harry had also let it be known that he intended to fly Apache attack helicopters if he was successful in passing the rigorous Apache training course; after which time it could be possible for him to see active military service once again on the frontline in one of the warzones.<39> During the ceremony, he switched his Blues and Royals' Officer's Service Dress cap for that of the Army Air Corps' sky blue beret with a Blues and Royals badge.

On 10 March 2011, it was revealed that Prince Harry had passed his Apache flying test and he was awarded his Apache Flying Badge on 14 April 2011. There is speculation that he shall return to Afghanistan once again before the withdrawal in 2015. On 16 April 2011 it was announced that Prince Harry had been promoted to the Army rank of Captain after having held the rank of Lieutenant since 2008.<40>

In June 2011, Clarence House announced that Prince Harry on completion of his training conversion course to use Apache helicopters in the war arena would be available for deployment, including in current operations in Afghanistan in his role as an Apache helicopter pilot. The final decision will ultimately rest with the Ministry of Defence's senior commanders including principally the Chief of the Defence Staff in consultation with the wishes of Harry, his father the Prince of Wales and The Queen.<41>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_harry

Not exactly "the dole".

[HipChick]

3. He's not exactly struggling to make ends meet...I knew people that left Uni with degrees

and still couldn't find a job...

[Nye Bevan]

4. Perhaps they should try the military?

If they are willing to go to Afghanistan, like Prince Harry, it might be worth a shot.

[HipChick]

6. How? When they can't get in? Instead, the UK has been recruiting from the Caribbean

with promises of granting folks that join, British citizenship after 5yrs....

Kinda 'outsourcing' the military, when you yourself can't get a jon

[Javaman]

5. Defending royalty. now I have read it all. nt

[Nye Bevan]

7. How many tours of duty did *you* serve in Afghanistan? (nt)

[Javaman]

12. and what does that have to do with anything?

this is the most ridiculous argument for defending royalty ever.

[jwirr]

16. This whole thread is ridiculous and none of our business.

[Javaman]

18. It only became my business when...

someone chose to defend a group of people that contribute nothing and get paid huge amounts of money only because they won the gene pool.

this is equivelent to defending the trust fund rich in this country.

[reggie the dog]

8. saying that a combat zone helicopter pilot was unemployed

is going too far. royalty or not the kid is risking his life for his country.

[HipChick]

9. The Palace ensured they were kept far from danger...

They couldn't afford the loss of the 'spare'..

[Nye Bevan]

14. Right. Because helping Gurkha troops repel Taliban attacks is "far from danger". (nt)

[Javaman]

13. I didn't say anythig of the like...

I was responding to the op.

[malaise]

10. Fabulous post

What's the difference between this family and Bin Ali from Tunisia? They too live off the public purse - one steals it openly and the other finesse's the looting as if they serve some purpose other than class divisions.
Bin Ali also had 100s of cars. Word is that the young daughter had ten of her own.

[HipChick]

11. Yeah..this is the same Royal family that wanted to use state poverty funding for their palace..

seriously one of the richest women The Queen in the world depriving poor families

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/queen-tried-to-use-state-poverty-fund-to-heat-buckingham-palace-2088179.html

[malaise]

17. And that never created a scandal - can you believe it

Just wait for that diamond jubilee - no cuts there.

[Odin2005]

19. The British royals attract tourist money.

[GreenArrow]

15. "flowers in the dustbin"

This song is looking fairly prescient in light of current events:

God save the queen
The fascist regime
They made you a moron
Potential H-bomb

God save the queen
She ain't no human being
There is no future
In England's dreaming

Don't be told what you want
Don't be told what you need
There's no future, no future,
No future for you

God save the queen
We mean it man
We love our queen
God saves

God save the queen
'Cause tourists are money
And our figurehead
Is not what she seems

Oh God save history
God save your mad parade
Oh Lord God have mercy
All crimes are paid

When there's no future
How can there be sin
We're the flowers in the dustbin
We're the poison in your human machine
We're the future, your future

God save the queen
We mean it man
We love our queen
God saves

God save the queen
We mean it man
And there is no future
In England's dreaming

No future, no future,
No future for you
No future, no future,
No future for me

No future, no future,
No future for you
No future, no future
For you

"God Save the Queen" - Sex Pistols