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10A076
Morphed Monarchy
by Jim Davies, 11/17/2010
Many years hence (the Windsors live long) they will be King William and Queen Catherine, but fortunately will not have any particular power over lesser mortals. Or will they? - it's an odd thing, the institution of monarchy, in other European countries as well as Britain. Half a millennium ago, when Kate's namesake lost her head, a monarch's word was pretty close to law, though it began to get trimmed in 1215 when his nobles agreed to go and kill Muslims for John only on condition that he signed a charter giving them the right to over-rule his laws. That's a right inherited by US juries, though the legal profession does its utmost to pretend otherwise. Today monarchs reign, but don't rule; and it's hard to understand the subtle meaning of "reign." While it includes being an icon in a sense similar to a wildly popular movie or rock star, unfortunately it's not limited to that; Elizabeth, today, does carry weight in London's corridors of power, and in due course so will William. It's done partly by the long tradition that the Top Pol holds a weekly chat with her and hears her advice - which, since she's outlasted twelve Prime Ministers in the UK itself, and 152 in the Commonwealth, is not to be heard lightly. She probably knows more about governance than anyone alive. Yet by the same long tradition (which is Britain's substitute
for a constitution, and treated with much more respect) the
monarch "must" not express a political opinion in
public, and of course is not allowed to vote. He or she is
"above" party politics, and so is monarch of all
the people. It's really a cunning arrangement; a very large majority
of everyone holds the monarch in awe,
reverence or at least respect, while the monarch sprinkles the
entire kleptocracy with his or her blessing and approval. Hence,
the institution of government itself, which deserves no more of it than
any other gang of organized torturers, extortioners, pirates and liars, is held
also in respect; so do its victims and subjects bow down before it willingly.
If you were planning to set yourself up as a tyrant |
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