Saviors of the Japanese
Modern Monarchs
What do you think of the position of monarchs in the modern world?
As an American I'm culturally trained to think of them as outdated and things of the past, but some monarchs such as the Dragon King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, King Abdullah II of Jordan and King Juan Carlos of Spain are or have done good for their countries...
What do you think? Are republics the way of the future or is the monarchy here to stay?
“The nation that will insist upon drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking by cowards.”
—Sir William Francis Butler
Senator
Re: Modern Monarchs
It depends. Contary to some people, monarchies have their advantages too. A benevolent monarchy is much better than a bad democracy. Compare Jordan or the whole of Arabia with Syria or Lebanon and see which are stable and which are hellholes.Originally Posted by Farnan
Saviors of the Japanese
Re: Modern Monarchs
Well Syria isn't a democracy (the current president has had emergency powers for decades), however Saudi Arabia is a hellhole and a monarchy.
However I see your point here...
“The nation that will insist upon drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking by cowards.”
—Sir William Francis Butler
Senator
Re: Modern Monarchs
Syria is still a democracy, if a bad one, and Saudi Arabia may be a hellhole in some ways but it isn't unstable like the northern Middle East is.
Saviors of the Japanese
Re: Modern Monarchs
No Syria is not a democracy...
Hasn't been since 1963 at least...
“The nation that will insist upon drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking by cowards.”
—Sir William Francis Butler
Senator
Re: Modern Monarchs
If the guy didn't have emergency powers it would be. The fact that they have a president and that he needs emergency powers to oppress people are signs that this is a dictatorship of the 'democracy gone bad' type rather than the kind that exists in North Korea or Burma.
Domesticus
Re: Modern Monarchs
It seems to me that Saudi Arabia is a pretty stable hell hole.
Proud to be under the patronage of Calvin.
Patron of Lysimachus
Senator
Re: Modern Monarchs
It would be even more of a hell-hole if it were unstable. The monarchs keep out even more extreme groups that would be given free reign in a democracy. Plenty of radical Wahhabis hate the Saudis, and there are also radical non-Wahhabis, angry Shi'ites and millitary men waiting in the wings. Any attempt to bring full democracy would destroy the nation.
Biarchus
Re: Modern Monarchs
My Lord doubts monarchies will ever truly fade. One ruler controlling everything has some advantages that republics don't have. The day your republican governments fail you my Lord will seize power as the power monarch (Emperor actually) of all time.
All Hail Lord Feloric
Vicarius
Re: Modern Monarchs
Believe me, i would much rather have a president then that... French King of ours who can't even speak dutch. ugh...
Laetus
Re: Modern Monarchs
I think that some of them manage to make themselves useful as figureheads (that time Juan Carlos told Hugo Chavez to shut up at a summit springs to mind, strangely), but any kind of genuine constitutional role is always going to seem illegitimate to me. And even without any power, the symbolism of being born into the ultimate position of privilege, becoming your country's highest representative just because of who your parents are, is a bit out of place and contradictory in a modern, supposedly democratic and meritocratic state.
Besides which, I'd like to get rid of the British royal family if only so that there would be one less gang of halfwitted, overpaid celebrities in our media, which isn't short of them.
Saviors of the Japanese
Re: Modern Monarchs
Just so you know by King Juan Carlos as a good monarch I was referring to his role in returning democracy to Spain after the death of Franco.
“The nation that will insist upon drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking by cowards.”
—Sir William Francis Butler
Laetus
Re: Modern Monarchs
I'm sorry for the rather facetious reference when he's done far greater things.But in a sense he's still a better example of a monarch with a useful role as a figurehead rather than having constitutional power: he recognised that exercising power in the old way wasn't appropriate or viable any more and things had to change. Anyway I guess his approval ratings speak for themselves. But what'll happen when Spain eventually gets a less likeable monarch, and doesn't have a military dictatorship to recover from, is maybe another matter.
Last edited by Silenus; March 15, 2009 at 09:58 AM.
Senator
Re: Modern Monarchs
Outdated, useless, only still there as an excess product off nationalism.
Liberté est un privilège à moins qu'elle soit appréciée par une ou plusieurs
Praefectus
Re: Modern Monarchs
Kong Olav of Norway, an absoultly awesome monarch. I believe he (or his father) actually has a WC gold in ski-jumping!
The picture is from the oil crisies in the 70's where he took the tram instead of driving, in sympathy with the commoners.
"At a football club, there's a holy trinity - the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don't come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques."Have you ever seen Dirty Harry Guns and money are best diplomacy
Bill Shankly
"Not badly, considering I was seated between Jesus Christ and Napoleon"
David Lloyd George was pleased with his performance at Versailles.
Praefectus
Re: Modern Monarchs
Well i like the monarchy and i like our king Carl XVI Gustav and the majority of the people support the monarchy. I like it because Sweden has always had a monarch and i will hopefully die before we get some ridiculous president.
These fine gentlemen's have thanks to their consistent idiotic posts have earned their place on my ignore list: mrmouth, The Illusionist, motiv-8, mongrel, azoth, thorn777 and elfdude. If you want to join their honourable rank you just have to post idiotic posts and you will get there in no time.
Praeses
Re: Modern Monarchs
hah we sacked them in early 1920s....royal family members today live in various parts of Europe.
Though I'd like to have them as a symbol in our country. After all house of Osman has done awesome things in the past.
On the other hand I believe that if the leader is good a monarchy could be better than a democracy. Since it won't guarantee democracy ftw.
"Therefore I am not in favour of raising any dogmatic banner. On the contrary, we must try to help the dogmatists to clarify their propositions for themselves. Thus, communism, in particular, is a dogmatic abstraction; in which connection, however, I am not thinking of some imaginary and possible communism, but actually existing communism as taught by Cabet, Dézamy, Weitling, etc. This communism is itself only a special expression of the humanistic principle, an expression which is still infected by its antithesis – the private system. Hence the abolition of private property and communism are by no means identical, and it is not accidental but inevitable that communism has seen other socialist doctrines – such as those of Fourier, Proudhon, etc. – arising to confront it because it is itself only a special, one-sided realisation of the socialist principle."
Marx to A.Ruge
Praefectus
Re: Modern Monarchs
We kinda murdered ours....
Their house still exists, but its virtually fully German (as it was by the 19th century), so it wont make much sense to restore them now.
Primicerius
Re: Modern Monarchs
Hah, all Royal European Houses are basically German! I guess the Germans got around like that. What is the real last name of the Brits again? Saxe Coeburg or something like that?We kinda murdered ours....
Their house still exists, but its virtually fully German (as it was by the 19th century), so it wont make much sense to restore them now.
Ehhh, I wouldn't want the Romonovs back either. I researched who is the "would-be" Romonov Emperors of today and found that the head of the Romonov line is basically a Spaniard that has a controlling mother who live in an imaginary world where they act like they still live in the Ermitazh.
Google/Yandex: Georgi Romanov.
If we were to get a new monarch, it shouldn't be a Romonov, but we dont have much of an aristocracy anymore anyways. Most of us have just been delegated down to the position of commoners living in the same type of flat like everyone else. I still think it would be crazy cool to have a Tsar.
Last edited by YuriVII; March 18, 2009 at 10:12 PM.
Saviors of the Japanese
Re: Modern Monarchs
Tsar Vladmir I may be soon...
Just kidding
“The nation that will insist upon drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking by cowards.”
—Sir William Francis Butler
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