Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The great business of the royal wedding

The numbers that revolve around what has been called "the biggest television event in history" - BBC and Sky talk of a television audience of 2 billion people - are staggering. Visit Britain, the tourist agency of the United Kingdom, has estimated that more than one million visitors who reach the capital for the wedding between Prince William and Kate Midlleton, of which 400 000 will arrive by train the same day.

Many paralyze many world capitals, but not London. The city is ready to accept all too calmly. Walking along the streets that lead from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, a few days of the event, there was no major difference with other festivities. The crowd of tourists (including many Italians) is the same, lined up to visit the Abbey ending as usual.

The real news is the massive media center mounted in front of Royal Palace, which is there to remember how the marriage will be a bargain especially for printing that will sell worldwide. Even the atmosphere of excitement that reigns in the streets is not unlike that which accompanied other major events.

The feeling is that the British, and Londoners in particular, the Royal Wedding will be a particularly good opportunity to celebrate, regardless of the event itself, which is sympathetic to the royal family or not. This is demonstrated by the 2000 street party - festivities that take a little 'everywhere, squares, parks and roads in the UK - that will accompany the marriage with a great popular participation.

Right on the homepage of StreetParty. org. uk reads the invitation that says "you're a fan or not of the royal family, the marriage will be a great excuse to celebrate with your neighbors." Meanwhile, the street party, with their almost century-old tradition (the first was issued in 1919 after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles), will be the most striking characteristic of the long weekend celebrations.

Vocation celebration of London and its citizens we are discussing, and there is no doubt that eventually the Royal Wedding will be a big party. A poll in the Sunday Times in association with YouGov site. co. uk reveals that only two hundred people have yet to celebrate as planned. Although the same survey indicates that participation among the subjects of His Majesty will not be a record.

It is surprising that only 2% of the British state that will visit and assist the center in person at the ceremony, and if 35% say they will look on television, many say they will not follow at all. Given that 2 million of English will benefit from the bridge to take a holiday abroad, the suspicion with which to toast the bride and groom will be mainly tourists is more than well founded.

As usual, when half of the royal family there is no shortage of controversy surrounding the event. Republic of Republicans. org. uk revived the proposal for a referendum to abolish the monarchy by 2025. From the Telegraph, with Coughlin emphasizes the risk of attacks by al-Qaeda and the IRA (recently returned to kill Ulster), and points out that not everyone in Britain augurino the best to the couple.

Just the issue of security is one of the hottest. The 5 thousand policemen will monitor the streets of the capital will cost taxpayers 20 million pounds, according to a report ilDaily Mail, making it the most expensive event in the history of England (more than double the G20 of 2009). Of course, if expectations are confirmed, and if, as anticipated, the Daily Star, the revenue for the festivities will yield 50 million pounds, David Cameron's decision to declare a public holiday becomes more understandable.

The decision had angered the head of the Metropolitan Police Peter Smyth, that pushed to declare that it should be the prime minister to pay the bill for extra security. Clearly, the Conservative leader, besides wanting to pay homage to the royal family, had its accounts. If the celebrations will cost a record amount, the revenue will not be outdone.

So royalist or not, the requirement is only one: that the party started. Andrea Tancredi, an Italian journalist in London, www. andreatancredi. co. uk

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