NCTJ QUESTION THE MONARCHY

NCTJ Question on The Constitution and The Monarchy. You have been asked to provide background information for a short feature explaining the role, powers and funding of the monarchy.

a) Outline the powers of the monarchy. (15 marks)

The British Monarchy has been established for around 1000 years with various lines of succession and houses ruling England and The British Isles. In 21st century Britain, Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State, Head of The Church of England, Head of The House of Windsor and monarch of Commonwealth countries such as Australia and New Zealand. However, the British Royal Family have no power to rule the country, as that role is now filled by Government, in particular Gordon Brown the current Prime Minister. The Queen’s role is to travel the world meeting various state leaders, presidents and Prime Ministers, and entertaining them at formal dinners.

The Queen, with her various costumes, jewellery, palaces, stately homes and pageantry with events such as Trooping the Colour, royal weddings and state funerals, serves as a living reminder of past royal traditions, and is vital in keeping Britain’s tourism industry thriving, especially in London and Windsor to boost the UK’s economy. The Queen meets regularly with the Prime Minister to discuss state affairs, but she has no power in making any laws, acts or regulations. They also discuss world affairs such as the war in Iraq or 9/11. After Princess Diana died, The Queen had to meet with Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss her state funeral and her image as both a Head of State and a grandmother, as her reputation as a conservative stiff upper lip English woman who did not display her emotions was felt as cold by the general public. Their meetings are protocol, and serve to meet past British traditions such as in Tudor times when Cardinal Wolsey met King Henry VIII to discuss the country and power. This tradition is kept alive, but the roles of decision-making and power have been reversed.

The senior members of the Royal family such as The Duke of Edinburgh, Princes Charles, William and Harry undertake public duties if the Queen is unable to attend as the public are keen to have the publicity of such well-known members of a British institution to generate prestige, publicity, and possibly more money if it is a charity event. Stories of the monarchy are highly sought after by the media as they generate more sales, listeners and revenue for the media industry, especially stories of senior royals.

The Queen is able to award people for services to the country such as knighthoods, titles, MBEs, CBEs, which keeps old traditions alive and gives more power to people such as Sir Paul McCartney whose public profile is now higher as a result of being given a title.

The Queen’s image is also present on coins, banknotes and she has the power to call or dissolve Parliament, gives the Royal Assent to Bills passed by Parliament, formally appoints the new Prime Minister, judges, diplomats, governors, officers in the armed forces, bishops and some senior Church of England clergy. She also declares war and makes peace. Most of these roles are carried out on the advice of her courtiers, employees and Parliament. b) Indicate how the monarchy is funded. (4 marks) The monarchy is funded through Civil List to cover official expenses such as travel and accommodation to help the Sovereign fulfil her duties as the Head of State and Head of The Commonwealth.

Other sources of income include Grants-in-Aid from Parliament to cover the maintenance of the royal residence and royal travel, the Privy Purse, which is the traditional income for the Sovereign’s public and private use. The Royal family have private income from Prince Charles’s Duchy whereby he sells products from his Gloucestershire estate such as jam and organic produce, Princess Anne holds equestrian events at her Gatecombe Park Estate, Prince Edward owns a media company, Prince Andrew is in the Navy, Princes William and Harry serve in the Army and receive an annual salary and Lord Linley owns a furniture company in London. c) List three local contacts you would approach for quotes to give this a local angle and give reasons for your choices. (6 marks)

To give this feature a local angle, I would interview an elderly person who has lots of royal souvenirs and memorabilia from the last 50 years to demonstrate the changes in the House of Windsor through various weddings and births, someone who can share their memories of the events such as the Coronation, through to the 1982 wedding of Prince Charles.

I stood at the front of the queue when the Queen came to Uxbridge in June 2002, so I could arrange an interview with one of my friends who witnessed the event herself, or perhaps workers in Uxbridge who remember that event because The Queen and Prince Philip arrived in Uxbridge to unveil the statue outside the Chimes Shopping Centre.

The Queen also came to Brunel last year, therefore I would speak to the Vice-Chancellor of Brunel, and interview my friend Alex who stood at the front of the queue just to gain reactions and special memories. I would also interview the local Mayor because they always present the Queen with flowers when she arrives in the local area.

VISIT TO CHANNEL 4 AND IRN

On the first week of term, our class visited 200 Grays Inn Road, London to the studios of IRN (Independent Radio News) and Channel 4. I saw comedian Jasper Carrot as we went into the lift. After a guided tour of the building, which seemed to be made of glass and reach skyscraper heights, we separated into groups and went inside the production room of Channel 4 as newsreader Jon Snow went on air. We also met newsreader Krishan Guru Murphy and Head of IRN Simon Cadman who will be teaching us in term two for the broadcast module. I found the visit inspirational and taught me a lot about the fast pace of working both for a radio news room for a large media organisation and also the speed needed inside the production room where everything is controlled with military precision, yet could still go wrong at the touch of a switch. We also saw the lesser known faces who play a vital role in production and the visual aspects of broadcasting such as the animators and technicians. I'm glad I gained a greater insight into IRN because now I can put a visual image to the centre the local hospital radio station, Radio Hillingdon's (where I volunteer) source for the news when they flick the grey fader button up on the hour every hour.

MY INTERVIEW WITH PRINCESS DIANA'S WEDDING DRESS DESIGNER

DAVID EMANUEL See the full interview on my coursework blog http://westlondonnewsbykatiegoodall.blogspot.com/

Click on David Emanuel link. I was lucky to interview him for a picture caption for the Uxbridge Gazette when he came to Uxbridge to lauch his first high Street collection on Friday 21st September 2007.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/david_emanuel/

VOX POP FLOODING

Much of England has been seriously affected by flooding. Reporter KATIE GOODALL took to Uxbridge High Street to see what people thought should be done to prevent building on land that is regularly flooded, or if they favoured building on flood plains. Tom Liyanage, 32, Barman, Harrow "I don't think it's a good idea to build houses on flood plains. The council should find better places for people such as town centres. I think the council should find alternative land." Karishma Kent, 25, Teacher, Uxbridge "Logic should tell you they shouldn't build on flood planes. We live in a modern place. It doesn't seem difficult to build somewhere else. If they are going to build on flood plains they should have a contingency plan in place. I don't think they favour building on the green belt, but space is scarce and they have to build on it." Ruan Smith, 18, Student, Hayes. "They should move somewhere else and try somewhere new. They should keep their eyes open for a new area. I don't think the council likes building where there is a higher risk of flooding. I think the council should do more to build where there is a lesser risk of flooding." Steven Duffy, 26, Bricklayer, Uxbridge "I think the council should find alternative land to build houses on. Houses around here are not at risk of flooding. We are away from flooding. Houses that get flooded have been there years. Houses that have been flooded should be knocked down and rebuilt. I don't think there's a lot you can do." Siouxfie Forrester, 41, Sales Assistant, West Drayton "I think the council should do more, and take more action to inform its tenants. The resident's associationj in the Hillingdon borough gives grants for parks, but they need to also invest it in clearing the rubbish out of the drains to prevent them being blocked, so that it doesn't cause flooding. Prevention is better than cure."

VOX POP METROPOLITAN LINE

Metronet, the company responsible for maintaining the Metropolitan line went into administration last week. Reporter KATIE GOODALL asked commuters at Ruislip and Uxbridge stations what effect they thought this would have on services, proposed redevelopments to the line and maintainence of the tracks. Pauline Aukett, Retired, Eastcote. "I think it's bad. They are trying to get people off the roads, but they need to make the train service more affordable. They must keep the redevelopment up-to-date. I find the trains excellent when I use them. I tend not to go out in the rush hour, and we mainly use the car. I use the trains more now because the roads are busy." Jenny Shanahan, 69, Retired, Harrow "I think the improvements are important, espaecially for disabled people. They should concentrate on accessibility for disabled people and pensioners and people who cannot climb stairs, above all else." Barbara Lequesne, 58, Housewife, Pinner "They have the money to finish the redevelopment. I believe they are getting new rolling stock in 2010. For Pinner, the service has been better lately. Perhaps they should redesign the interiors. The redevelopment affects us all at weekends. They are spending a lot, and what they are doing with it is not clear." Jennie Alexander, 44, Occupational Therapist, Harrow. "I think the redevelpoment is a good idea if it includes all of the people who use the trains. Not many of the stations cater for disabled people. They need to improve the function rather than make them look pretty. I have travelled from Harrow-on-the-Hill to Uxbridge by train, which has been efficient enough." Barhanu Muha, 21, Hillingdon "I have had a lot of problems on the tube today. I use it from London where I work to here. I the Metronet problems mean the trains are going to be more unreliable I would be unhappy. When I come from Victoria the train doesn't come all the way straight away to Uxbridge, we are stuck in Ruislip. I hope the redevelopment isn't delayed."

VOX POP MARRIAGE

Following the announcement that Conservative leader David Cameron is considering a tax break for married couples, reporter KATIE GOODALL took to the streets of Uxbridge to ask you if this was fair, affordable and a useful encouragement to wedded bliss. Ruth Vowles, 23, Visual Manager, Watford "Yes, for the right reasons. Marriage is too expensive. People spend far too much on getting married. Tax credits are a good idea because every little helps a busy family. There's a lot of help available for single parents so there should be something to help married couples too." Catherine Macnamara, 63, Retired, Hillingdon "Marriage is a very important institution because it seals the relationship. I think marriage is very important. People must be committed, and not give up at the first hurdle. The tax credit sysytem does not go to the right people. People must be on a really low income to receive tax credits, and excluded us when we had teenage children." Mika Gur Arie, 22, Student, Uxbridge "I think marriage is a good thing. To be alone is very sad. Marriage means you can start a family. I think tax credits are a good idea for married couples because it helps them to look after their children. Everyone should work hard at their marriage, and receive the right help." Darron Jackson, 42, Ramp Agent, Ruislip Gardens "Marriage is a good idea. It is about commitment and spending time with the same person for the rest of your life. The tax credit sysytem is a good idea for families and married couples, but it might not change people's attitudes. There's a lot of people who do a good job with families who are not married." Anita Jackson, 40, Department Manager, Ruislip Garden's and Darron's wife. "My husband and I are celebrating our 17th wedding anniversary on July 16. Marriage is a commitment to someone you love, and someone you want to spend the rest of your life with. Tax credits are a good idea if used wisely. They should be encouraged for married people without children."

MY NEW BLOG

Hello Everyone on the MA in Journalism course at Brunel. Welcome to my new blog. I was blogging away last night, I never thought I would say it but I'm a blog addict. Wonder what you call that bloggaholic? Well anyway I was getting into all the advanced layout stuff and decided to add another YouTube political video just to remind me to watch the news a bit more and add a newsy (is that a word?) feel to my blog and I wanted videos of ITN newsreaders in action just so that I could recreate on-line the memory of visiting ITN. Anyway, all was well at first and I was starting to have a professional looking blog, then all of a sudden, CRASH, it didn't work. The screen froze and I couldn't blog anymore. What am I to do? I was starting to panic, this forms part of the course. A bloggaholic (wonder if this term catches on amongst my fellow trainee journos?) must blog so I created a brand new blog page with NEWS, VIEWS, AND INTERVIEWS....all this rhyming is reminding me of shortland classes "at, able to ability, etc.....zzzzzzzzzzz" by that point I notice a few pairs of eyes shut in class, the pain of shorthand will make us gain valuable notetaking skills, hopefully without driving a few students insane in the process. Where was I? This is my new blog that I will use to post relevant news and notes for the purpose of my MA. I really like this on-line journalism, you get to be artistic at the same time. As a visually minded and creative artistic student this is right up my street. Well despite messing up my last blog, an artistic work in progress, I learnt a lot. Two weeks ago I was a novice blogger, now I'm a bloggaholic. I must now go and learn shorthand, and law and government. The list is endless.... And if any of my classmates are reading this today, don't forget your digital camera for class tomorrow, plus learn your teeline, it's only for an hour-and-a-half so I'm sure you won't fall asleep by 10.30am tomorrow.

VOX POP VOTING

The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, is keen for 16-year-olds to be given the vote. Reporter KATIE GOODALL asked people in Uxbridge what they thought of the idea. Raymond Piggot, 76, Retired, Uxbridge "I don't think a young person of 16 has formulated ageneral opinion. Sixteen is a bit early. Eighteen is maturing. Twenty-one is there. I think 16 is too young because they have just left school, and their head is full of the academic and social opinions they have learned. I believe 16-year-olds are more guided by school teachers, and other authority figures." Syed Mohammoud, 24, Security Guard, Uxbridge At 15 young people do not have an opportunity to vote. Sixteen is a good age to vote because young people are mature enough, and they more intelligent because they can formulate their own opinion. At 16 people are mature enough to have an opinion of their own. At 18 most young people don't even bother voting." Jack Hare, 79, Retired, Uxbridge "In some cases it would be good, other cases they would be too young to know what they are doing. It all depends on the individual. I don't know if those youngsters are willing to vote. The majority of them won't be bothered. We vote because what happens to this country is our concern." Barbara Boasley, 63, Retired, Hillingdon I think it should stay at 18, preferably 21. Some 16-year-olds are mature and some are not. As I said before, it should stay at 18." Maureen Osborne, 60, Retired, Hayes "Not very good. Some 16-year-olds are mature and some are not. Some followm the opinions of others. The voting age should stay at 18."