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| Subject: Opinion | |
Author: Ed Harris (London) | [ Next Thread |
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] Date Posted: 00:58:04 01/23/05 Sun In reply to: Steph (U.S.) 's message, "A Defense of a Hereditary Head of State" on 16:45:07 01/22/05 Sat I do not find it strange that a republican, not least a Republican, should seek to defend the system of constitutional monarchy. (Please note, Steph, that, unlike the vast majority of posters on this forum, I cheered loudly when young Bush won in November, and I put my De Souza record on the grammophone, much to the chagrin of my Islamic World League neighbour and his mates.) The entire point, here, is that someone who lives in a republic will be in a better position to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of the presidential system, whereas someone who lives in a monarchy will only see something weird and wonderful, and often attractive through its very strangeness and mystery. The grass is always greener etc. I have lived in three republics - RSA, India and Italy - and the people there, although reconciled to and supportive of their politicised head of state, do not have the bizarre and unhealthy hostility towards monarchy which characterises British or Dominion republicans. There is, in my opinion, a simple explanation for this: they have no point to prove, since they already live in republics, and it is not an emotional but an intellectual issue, and therefore more rationally debated. Thus it was in 1660, after 11 years as a republic, that we debated the return to the monarchy. Alas, that was all too long ago, and we have of course forgotten all the lessons of the Commonwealth years, which were, essentially, that republics look good on paper but tend not to perform well in the real world. I have nothing but respect for Americans in this regard, since they are the only people, after objective analysis, who have made a republic work without it degenerating into the kind of tyranny under which British colonials in the 1770s imagined they were suffering. This is, perhaps, because the American Republic has an elective monarchy rather than the usual presidential system. To conclude in a particularly cliché manner, I will go with Plato and state that a constitution depends not only on the changing political circumstances in which a people might find itself, but also the unchanging ethos of that people, and that this indicates that different peoples will prosper under different forms of government, whichever is most appropriate for them. The monarchy may not suit Americans or Europeans or Asians, but it suits Britons very well, and if a Bill ever comes before parliament to do away with it I shall be the first in Parliament Square shouting rude slogans about the socialist republicans, some of which may even rhyme. I shall, of course, consult Ian beforehand, in case my slogans are too McGonagalesque for his liking... [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| [> [> Subject: rhyme if you wish, but scan you must | |
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Author: Ian (Australia) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 01:39:39 01/23/05 Sun [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
| [> [> Subject: A few years ago... | |
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Author: Roberdin [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 13:34:11 01/23/05 Sun A few years ago, someone did try to get a Republic of Britian or something bill through the House of Commons. It was defeated on its first reading by an overwhelming majority. [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
| [> [> [> Subject: glad to hear it, I republic in Britain is by no means just round the corner | |
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Author: Owain (UK) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 18:01:39 01/23/05 Sun [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
| [> [> Subject: Neither in Canada | |
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Author: Jim (Canada) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 16:00:52 01/24/05 Mon [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |