Prince Charles will speak out as king

Professor Nordheim · 11-17-2008, 10:50 PM

Members of Prince Charles’s inner circle are preparing the ground for him to break the monarch’s traditional vow of silence when he is king.

Ten years ago, in the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death, his unpopularity apparently knew no limits. Now a poll for The Sunday Times shows people think he will made a good king and that he should be allowed to continue to speak out on issues of the day even when he succeeds to the throne.

Charles has attracted ridicule for his public interventions on architecture, education, genetically modified food, climate change, sustainable communities and other issues. He has also developed an infuriating record of being right and of latching on to important issues well before they have entered the main-stream.

His charities, especially the Prince’s Trust – established when he was just 28 – have achieved considerable success, most notably in rescuing young people from life’s scrap-heap. Long before government got into such programmes on any scale, the Prince’s Trust was there. Nearly three-quarters of those whom the charity helps find their way into education, training or employment, a record any politician would give his eye teeth for.

BLAIR'S VEILED BLAST AT 'ANTI-SCIENCE' CHARLES

Tony Blair put himself on a collision course with Prince Charles when he attacked Britain's "anti-science brigade".

The PM laid into "powerful and vocal figures with access to all the media" who protested against GM-foods, stem cell research and animal experiments.

Charles has set himself up as an anti-science figure warning technology will kill the earth.

He has also led the campaign against GM-foods by questioning their safety.

Blair warned such sentiment could damage our economic future and said those who opposed scientific progress had not conducted their arguments rationally.

"Patron Saint" Of Organics

In October 2005, Charles told 60 Minutes, "I'm just trying to say that we ought to redefine the way in which progress is, is seen. Is it progress to rush headlong into upsetting the whole balance of nature, which is what I think we're beginning to do?"

At Highgrove, his 1,000-acre private estate in western England, he has set the standard not just for organic farming -- he has a big business selling organic products -- but for organic gardening. No chemical fertilizers or poisonous pest control is used there, yet he's created what's widely accepted as a horticultural masterpiece.

In the '70s, he was talking about the environmental crisis, in the '80s he cottoned on to organic farming as a solution to build a more sustainable agriculture.

The prince once made the mistake of saying out loud that he talked to his plants, reinforcing the impression that he was -- as the expression goes -- different from you and me. But, as the organic movement has taken off, Charles is now seen as a naturalist guru, and has just published a new how-to book, "The Elements of Organic Gardening." Put away those pesticides, he says. Garden by natural laws. It may be labor-intensive rather than chemical-intensive, but he's proven, he says, that it can work.

The book is a lavish portrait of the rarely-seen gardens at Highgrove. The prince is very protective about the place. But it's full of helpful hints, and his philosophy that too much of nature has been destroyed in the name of progress.

Still, not everyone thinks the issue is that clear-cut.

Nick Cohen, a columnist for "The Observer" comments, "The world has 6 billion people, and you're going to get a lot more, (and) you're not going to be able to feed them with organic agriculture, or if you're going to do it, you're going to have to cut down every rainforest and turn them into fields. Only with industrial agriculture can you avoid mass famine and starvation, and Prince Charles ... just doesn't like to think like that; he's a deep conservative in some ways, as you'd expect. He's a member of a royal family!"

Prince Charles: Antichrist or Patron Saint? Any thoughts on this?

11-17-2008, 10:50 PM	#1
Professor Nordheim Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Northern Norway Posts: 59	Prince Charles will speak out as king Members of Prince Charles’s inner circle are preparing the ground for him to break the monarch’s traditional vow of silence when he is king. Ten years ago, in the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death, his unpopularity apparently knew no limits. Now a poll for The Sunday Times shows people think he will made a good king and that he should be allowed to continue to speak out on issues of the day even when he succeeds to the throne. Charles has attracted ridicule for his public interventions on architecture, education, genetically modified food, climate change, sustainable communities and other issues. He has also developed an infuriating record of being right and of latching on to important issues well before they have entered the main-stream. His charities, especially the Prince’s Trust – established when he was just 28 – have achieved considerable success, most notably in rescuing young people from life’s scrap-heap. Long before government got into such programmes on any scale, the Prince’s Trust was there. Nearly three-quarters of those whom the charity helps find their way into education, training or employment, a record any politician would give his eye teeth for. BLAIR'S VEILED BLAST AT 'ANTI-SCIENCE' CHARLES Tony Blair put himself on a collision course with Prince Charles when he attacked Britain's "anti-science brigade". The PM laid into "powerful and vocal figures with access to all the media" who protested against GM-foods, stem cell research and animal experiments. Charles has set himself up as an anti-science figure warning technology will kill the earth. He has also led the campaign against GM-foods by questioning their safety. Blair warned such sentiment could damage our economic future and said those who opposed scientific progress had not conducted their arguments rationally. "Patron Saint" Of Organics In October 2005, Charles told 60 Minutes, "I'm just trying to say that we ought to redefine the way in which progress is, is seen. Is it progress to rush headlong into upsetting the whole balance of nature, which is what I think we're beginning to do?" At Highgrove, his 1,000-acre private estate in western England, he has set the standard not just for organic farming -- he has a big business selling organic products -- but for organic gardening. No chemical fertilizers or poisonous pest control is used there, yet he's created what's widely accepted as a horticultural masterpiece. In the '70s, he was talking about the environmental crisis, in the '80s he cottoned on to organic farming as a solution to build a more sustainable agriculture. The prince once made the mistake of saying out loud that he talked to his plants, reinforcing the impression that he was -- as the expression goes -- different from you and me. But, as the organic movement has taken off, Charles is now seen as a naturalist guru, and has just published a new how-to book, "The Elements of Organic Gardening." Put away those pesticides, he says. Garden by natural laws. It may be labor-intensive rather than chemical-intensive, but he's proven, he says, that it can work. The book is a lavish portrait of the rarely-seen gardens at Highgrove. The prince is very protective about the place. But it's full of helpful hints, and his philosophy that too much of nature has been destroyed in the name of progress. Still, not everyone thinks the issue is that clear-cut. Nick Cohen, a columnist for "The Observer" comments, "The world has 6 billion people, and you're going to get a lot more, (and) you're not going to be able to feed them with organic agriculture, or if you're going to do it, you're going to have to cut down every rainforest and turn them into fields. Only with industrial agriculture can you avoid mass famine and starvation, and Prince Charles ... just doesn't like to think like that; he's a deep conservative in some ways, as you'd expect. He's a member of a royal family!" Prince Charles: Antichrist or Patron Saint? Any thoughts on this?