Kings in the Western Democracies

[ode1299]

I wonder how the people feel about their symbolic monarchies in countries like UK, Sweden, Spain, Netherlands etc. (also Japan)
What is the reason for having kings or queens ?
How much a country spends money for its royal family in a year ?
Do you feel that your symbolic monarchy is an advantage or a disadanvage ? Do you for or against ?
Personally I admire this kind of government types.

[Carach]

The monarchy has been part of our country for a long long long time..

Advantage i think, i think to be honest, we have the best working democracy in the world...Getting rid of the monarchy would require changes to the way our democracy works.

Im english

[Shaun]

The monarchy has been part of our country for a long long long time..

Advantage i think, i think to be honest, we have the best working democracy in the world...Getting rid of the monarchy would require changes to the way our democracy works.

Im english

well i think the quicker we get rid of of the British Monarchy, the better!

Im Scottish

[Mr.Flint]

well i think the quicker we get rid of of the British Monarchy, the better!

Im Scottish

Boooooo! go up into your mountains and stay there!

[Shaun]

Boooooo! go up into your mountains and stay there!

f@@kin A$$, even though most os Scotland is flat!

i think there shood be a poll about monarchy, to see if most people support it or not. Generally its only people in England(not all of them) that like the monarchy. People in ever other part of the UK dont accept the queen to be the head of their state.

[Justinian]

I don't see how this is historical? Shouldn't it be political?

[King Henry V]

I swear my allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. However, if a monarch proves themselves a shame to the institute of monarchy, I will favour someone else.

[kirroyale]

Well I'm English too, and I'm all for a politically powerless monarchy, because it deprives an elected prime minister (or a president) from the ability to call themselves head of state and from taking on the trappings of power that go with that status.

What we have is a constitution that has slowly evolved over the centuries, in which checks and balances have always taken precedence over the democratic ideology. In my world-view there is a point at which unfettered democracy leads to tyranny, since an unquestioned democratic mandate = claim to absolute legitimacy, and you can do whatever you bloody like. When monarchs were absolute, divine sanction was the ultimate source of authority and that's what gave them the right to rule. Now it's democratic mandate which is the only true source of absolute authority.

However democracy requires modification to ensure the rights of those who are not part of the majority, or dissent from the majority view, and under an elitist/conservative arguement, to ensure that there is a check on how much the "masses" can be manpulated by polticians, the media or religion into dangerous beliefs (e.g. voting in the Nazis as in 1933, or putting in theocratic governments, both of which did or could use the democratic mandate to suspend further free elections).

[Mr.Flint]

As a Canadian i swear my allegiance to Her Majesty as well, im staunch supporter of keeping the monarchy as part of Canada, after all only a buck of my taxes per year goes there, so the money doesnt bother me
on the other hand i really dont think that Charles should be the King....

[Justinian]

Moved to the Mudpit as this seems political in nature to me.

[the_mango55]

So has the Monarchy in England become kind of what Hollywood is in America, without the making movies part? The occasional sound byte and fuel for the tabloids? Do monarchs still have ANY real power?

[leeho730]

I swear my allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Ditto.

[First Crusader]

Though I'm American and don't fully understand the feelings here, I would guess that the monarchies are continued more out of tradition than out of usefullness. Excessive inbreeding has turned most of the English royal family (like Prince Charles) into a bunch of idiots (no offense Brits), so there's little worry about them trying to take over and reestablish the absolute monarchy.

[Adherbal]

I don't have much problems with them as in belgium they're mostly there to make fun of and for ceremonial & diplomatic actions. But when you see how much there people get from our tax money (couple of €100ks per month) that seriously ****** me off.

[The White Knight]

I don't have much problems with them as in Belgium they're mostly there to make fun of and for ceremonial & diplomatic actions. But when you see how much there people get from our tax money (couple of €100ks per month) that seriously ****** me off.

I agree. The idea that the king is 1.000.000 BEF richer when he wakes up is kind of mind blowing.
I wonder what they do with it?

Anyway, I think our king is very sympathetic, at least that's how I feel about it, always smiling, but a real smile, not a fake one. He's a very 'human' monarch.

So has the Monarchy in England become kind of what Hollywood is in America, without the making movies part? The occasional sound byte and fuel for the tabloids? Do monarchs still have ANY real power?

I believe the English royalty does have quite a lot of power. (In therms of possession, etc...)
For other monarchies they are mainly a symbol to represent nations at formal events.

[leeho730]

They are a useful political tool, especially for British Commonwealth countries.

Most democratic countries are in fact republic anyway.

Absolute monarchy is a wrong term; constitutional monarchy is the correct term.

[Masquerade]

The British monarchy has constitutional revelance and the monarch is the head of state.

[Torment]

The sooner we get rid of that :wub: of a queen of us, the better (and her louzy son). I don't like the fact my country is being represented by a bunch of snobs who never had to work for their money or do anything usefull at all. Away with the monarchy and away with all the last traces of aristocracy. Let them work for their money.

I'm Dutch btw.

[Libertine]

[rant]

As a patriotic englishman...........i hate the monarchy.

controversial i know.

I would rather sing "God save Martin Johnson" than "God save the Queen" in fact our national anthem sucks, why not have Jerusalem, or Rule Brittania? or Land of Hope and Glory?? and to people that think the monarchy is an inbred bunch of retards, that is not at all true...in the past 150 years only two British Monarchs or members of the royal familly have married another fammily member, and those familly members are so distantly related they might as well not be. The reason i hate the royals?? bunch of thieving German Bastards, and that i dont intend to offend any Germans.....i feel offended that we landed up with :wub: like Elizabeth on the throne..because they are totaly incapable of governing their way out of a wet paper bag.

Replace the Monarchy with.......nothing....its not needed, it eats up land. In Hereford, their is a great house that is owned by some familly or another, when the man of the house died it was reverted to the monarchy..and is now being given to some royal tosspot who thinks because he chose the right father he is better than us!! how is that fair?

Drop the monarchy, and keep parliament exactley the way it is, keep the house of lords but make sure there is no monarchy for them to succed.

Monarchs were useful during the days of Agincourt, Crecy, Poitiers, Wars of the Roses, and generally any time we decided we felt the need to exert superiority over the French...now it is the defunct remains of a once great country, Britain should look ahead and move forward, being proud of being the "Great" but not relying on history to make ourselves heard.

[/rant]

[Masquerade]

[rant]

As a patriotic englishman...........i hate the monarchy.

controversial i know.

It couldn't be less.