New Royal Yacht

[Oilchange]

£200m commission!
I thought this stuff went out years ago as an expensive relic of old Royal extravagance...

https://news.sky.com/story/new-royal-yacht-named-a...

[glazbagun]

If it's £200M by the time it sails I'll be very surprised.

[anonymous-user]

Let's be absolutely clear. This is not a yacht for Royal extravagance. To imply that is incorrect.

This is a floating advertisement for UK PLC, and given we are a maritime nation, and the Royal family is a fantastically strong brand, its not the worst idea in the world.

Also it's a job creation scheme for British ship building.

Are there better ways to spend 200m, yes. Is this the worst, no.

[MiseryStreak]

Well I think it’s disgusting.

You could buy 10 Rolls Royce boat tails for that. 10!

[Oilchange]

I happen to agree, I'm happy that this could be used to enhance UK plc by schmoozing foreign business.
I'd like to think it won't be just for the privileged few though...

[anonymous-user]

MiseryStreak said:

Well I think it’s disgusting.

You could buy 10 Rolls Royce boat tails for that. 10!

Yep, fair enough.

[AJL308]

I don't have an issue with this for the all the reasons mentioned above. It's a great thing for the nation. The thing abut Royal Yacht's is that they were never about being a toy for the Royals. They were about promoting the UK. It should be called Britannia, though!

[ReverendCounter]

MiseryStreak said:

Well I think it’s disgusting.

You could buy 10 Rolls Royce boat tails for that. 10!

I think you're supposed to spell it 'DISCUSTING!'

[shouldbworking]

It'll be interesting to see if they include a limited command and control facility or hospital role like Brittania had. Cant imagine they will unless it's an attempt to sell the idea to the public

[ATG]

Requires a rather peculiar understanding of international business to see this as a useful asset.

[garagewidow]

ATG said:

Requires a rather peculiar understanding of international business to see this as a useful asset.

Absolutely.

We aren't the power we used to be.

Ok it provides jobs but lets not kid ourselves about where we are on the global economic stage.

[Oilchange]

Fifth.
Behind USA, China, Japan and Germany.

[Ayahuasca]

Will the royal family be required to pay (from their own resources, not ours) to use it?

[roger.mellie]

ExcitableBoy said:

Let's be absolutely clear. This is not a yacht for Royal extravagance. To imply that is incorrect.

This is a floating advertisement for UK PLC, and given we are a maritime nation, and the Royal family is a fantastically strong brand, its not the worst idea in the world.

Also it's a job creation scheme for British ship building.

Are there better ways to spend 200m, yes. Is this the worst, no.

Good post even though I’m about to disagree.

Advert for UK Plc, what’s it advertising? Hereditary privilege?

Job creation scheme, my arse unfortunately, one offs do not an industry create.

Of course there are better ways, saying this isn’t the worst doesn’t make it any better.

All that said, I think it’s chicken feed in the grand scheme of things, it’s perfectly fine for a country to spend a few quid showing off when it comes to heads of states, but realise that’s what it is instead of bullstting that it’s being done for British ship building.

[frisbee]

Wedding plus this, must be some really bad news surfacing on Monday!

[Electro1980]

ATG said:

Requires a rather peculiar understanding of international business to see this as a useful asset.

Unless the “international business” they are aiming at is bribing despots and absolute monarchs, then, ye, this is going to do nothing. This is just another Boris Johnson flag waving propaganda project to get tabloid headlines and hide more incompetence.

[valiant]

Does any other country use or need a yacht to promote its interests?

Smacks of a vanity project to me. That money tree just keeps on giving, doesn’t it?

[Tom1312]

£200m if it costs that isn't really much.

In terms of flash stuff for moving people around or showing off we're hardly big spenders.

I mean, how much does a fully kitted out 747 like the Turkish have cost? How much does maintaining a fleet of 747 / 737 like the Americans have cost? You could go on and on with comparisons to other nations means of flag bearing.

There are far more expensive craft in private hands....

I laughed at the people who kicked off at Boris 'Airforce1' which is just a tanker with a flash paint job and some seats...

It could be a good idea and something to have a bit of pride in. We're a nation with a long naval history, so why not have a boat.

I've never understood why we are so obsessed with having to have a declinist view on everything we do.

Edited by Tom1312 on Sunday 30th May 08:08

[ecsrobin]

The article failed to mention Sir Donald Gosling left £50mil in his will for this project. https://www.tatler.com/article/sir-donald-gosling-...

[Andeh1]

Think about the impact of Air Force One, it makes front page news where ever it flies. Politicians & business leaders will be trying everything they can to be invited on board for meetings & to be seen there. Queueing up outside, the walk up & down the steps.

This yacht will be the equivalent. Instead of the Gov + entourage hiring out the Radison Blu & inviting people to suite ABC23 to discuss business....They'd be invited on board the yacht. There is a huge impact there.

It's a much more powerful & seductive opportunity to world leaders & business heads, who in turn will be positioning themselves for their invitation. Its all simply playing to a basic human desire to be special, wanted & admired and buttered up in the process.

In the world of social media & 24 hour news, getting an invitation for the yacht will be major milestone for most....so people will compete & create opportunities worthy of that invitation = good news for UK LTD.

£200m is fk all compared to the amount of money that will cross through its doors.