Constitutional Monarchy

[Wilber]

53 minutes ago, -1=e^ipi said:

 

Good thing I made no such claim. I was referring to how it creates a psychological president for society at large, I was not referring to legal effects.

 

 

There are all kinds of reasons for psychological precedents, to think some of them will go away if we just abolish the Monarchy is simplistic.

 

Quote

 

But now that you bring it up, the queen signed our charter. If we want to get constitutional or charter change, the monarch could try to veto it.

 

 

 

That could be a good or bad thing depending on the circumstances (sober second thought and all). Either way, that would be the time to consider dumping the Monarchy.

Edited January 7, 2017 by Wilber

[-1=e^ipi]

Wow, all these upset monarchists in the thread. You would think that given their strong opposition to equality under the law they would be able to formulate a decent argument beyond 'I don't feel like it' or 'there are more concerning things'.

 

4 minutes ago, Wilber said:

There are all kinds of reasons for psychological presidents, to think some of them will go away if we just abolish the Monarchy is simplistic.

 

Not a good argument. Saying X will solve some problems but not all problems therefore we should not implement X is a terrible argument. By this logic, a global pigouvian tax on CO2 emissions would solve the climate change issue, but it wouldn't solve the issue of Islamic terrorism, therefore we would not have a global pigouvian tax. Does that make sense?

[Guest]

I don't know if I'm a monarchist but I sure like the Queen.  I hope she's over that cold.

I don't know about Charles.

[Wilber]

I think Charles will do fine. When Victoria died it was a similar situation, she was the only monarch most people had known in their lifetime.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Wilber said:

I think Charles will do fine. When Victoria died it was a similar situation, she was the only monarch most people had known in their lifetime.

Yeah, but Edward VII didn't carry the same baggage as Charles.  He's been laid open by the media for the last thirty years or so, and I don't know how much respect there is left for him. 

[JamesHackerMP]

Wow, i seem to have started quite a thread!

Sometimes I wish our chief of state was a monarch, if only to avoid the embarrassment of having the highest representative of the state (even if in theory) a politician.  I believe Margaret Thatcher once said that anyone willing to make a politician their ceremonial head of state should spend some more time around politicians.

[-TSS-]

There is a lot of speculation about the Queen's deteriorating health. There could be big news coming up shortly.

On the other hand, she's only 90 when as her mother made it to 102 years of age. Last year she became the longest reigning monarch overtaking Victoria. 

[-1=e^ipi]

42 minutes ago, -TSS- said:

There is a lot of speculation about the Queen's deteriorating health. There could be big news coming up shortly.

On the other hand, she's only 90 when as her mother made it to 102 years of age. Last year she became the longest reigning monarch overtaking Victoria. 

 Oldest person lived to like 124. And the queen has a lot more resources available to be kept alive. It is a very real possibility that she will be around for another 40 years.

[JamesHackerMP]

I know someone who lived at a retirement community when I worked there--a very upscale one with good medical care--who was only 66.  She went in the hospital with pneumonia, a fairly mild case.  By night she was gone.  If it's your time (not getting religious, just medical) then your doctor doesn't always have much say in it.  Even with the best medical care, 90 is still a delicate age to be.  Then again, there's Burgess Meredith's character in Grumpier Old Men who explained how, at 99, he drank a pot of coffee, ate a pound of bacon every morning, and smoked a pack a day; death, he insisted, had forgotten him.  So who can say?

Personally, I have to give H.M. kudos, not only for doing it for 64 years without fail, but for performing her duties 25 years after the rest of us would have reached the normal age of retirement.  I'm not sure what it is she does on a daily basis, perhaps some of you could clue me in, but good for Her.  Our heads of state only have to do it for four to eight years, and they actually do it by choice (which proves the Queen must be more sane than any President).

I've been watching The Crown on Netflix.

[-TSS-]

Her father died in his 50's, that's why she has been on the throne for so long.

Can you remember when Diana died and the ridiculous mass-hysteria which followed? That is nothing compared to what will happen when the Queen eventually dies.

 

[Guest]

59 minutes ago, -TSS- said:

Her father died in his 50's, that's why she has been on the throne for so long.

Can you remember when Diana died and the ridiculous mass-hysteria which followed? That is nothing compared to what will happen when the Queen eventually dies.

 

I bet not.  I anticipate mourning commensurate with her position, of course, but I think it will be dignified.

Edited January 9, 2017 by bcsapper

[JamesHackerMP]

So, speaking of the GG again, the representative of the crown in your country, how much authority (or power perhaps) does he really have?

Also, why do you call the (titular) head of a province a lieutenant governor? In Australia they call the heads of the six states governors for some reason. (The reason I ask is also because south of the border a "lieutenant governor" means the governor's deputy.  Some states prefer not to have a Lt Gov at all, seeing the post as rather superfluous.)

Also: does a Canadian province's Lt Gov have the same authority (but not much power) as the GG? The same sort of mostly ceremonial role?

Edited January 16, 2017 by JamesHackerMP

[?Impact]

54 minutes ago, JamesHackerMP said:

Also, why do you call the (titular) head of a province a lieutenant governor? In Australia they call the heads of the six states governors for some reason. (The reason I ask is also because south of the border a "lieutenant governor" means the governor's deputy.  Some states prefer not to have a Lt Gov at all, seeing the post as rather superfluous.)

In Canada, the lieutenant governors are appointed by the Governor General, on the advice of the Prime Minister. The province does not appoint its own lieutenant governor. The lieutenant governors could be somewhat thought of as deputies to the Governor General, but certainly not deputies of the Premiers.

Yes, the role is similar to the Governor General but at a provincial level. I believe in Quebec the lieutenant governor does not read a speech from the throne at the opening of a session of the legislature.

[JamesHackerMP]

Roger that.