I have a theory that your views on the monarchy depends on whether you see us belonging to it, or it belonging to us. A minority think of the royals as over-privileged, [...] Others (like me, obviously) think of the words used to describe the Queen (and being pledged by our new King) - duty, service, humility
My view on Queen Elizabeth II is of duty, service and humility. My view on "the monarchy" is that these traits are not hereditary, and whether the next monarch (or the one after that, or the one after that) happens to have them is a bit of a crap-shoot. Ending up with another Edward VIII only he doesn't abdicate and keeps his Nazi-sympathising arse on the throne for 36 years (or another Henry VIII or Richard III) is a terrifying prospect, and one I think we should try to stave off before it becomes a likely future.
We should try to go out on a high, as it were, before we get a man-child-in-waiting who would try to burn the whole house down if it looked like moves were being made to deny them that which they "deserved". Yes, the limits on the monarch's constitutional power mean that their ability to directly effect government might be limited, but we can't be entirely sure exactly how that would play out, and even without it the other resources a monarch could bring to bear (not just in terms of money, but also in terms of influence among the Honoured classes and other genuine "upper class" families/dynasties who exert real influence over many important UK industries) on the matter are extremely worrisome.
Finding someone with a sense of duty strong enough that they are willing to shut the system down voluntarily in an orderly fashion is an important goal for the country, I feel.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2022-09-16 10:22 pm (UTC)My view on Queen Elizabeth II is of duty, service and humility. My view on "the monarchy" is that these traits are not hereditary, and whether the next monarch (or the one after that, or the one after that) happens to have them is a bit of a crap-shoot. Ending up with another Edward VIII only he doesn't abdicate and keeps his Nazi-sympathising arse on the throne for 36 years (or another Henry VIII or Richard III) is a terrifying prospect, and one I think we should try to stave off before it becomes a likely future.
We should try to go out on a high, as it were, before we get a man-child-in-waiting who would try to burn the whole house down if it looked like moves were being made to deny them that which they "deserved". Yes, the limits on the monarch's constitutional power mean that their ability to directly effect government might be limited, but we can't be entirely sure exactly how that would play out, and even without it the other resources a monarch could bring to bear (not just in terms of money, but also in terms of influence among the Honoured classes and other genuine "upper class" families/dynasties who exert real influence over many important UK industries) on the matter are extremely worrisome.
Finding someone with a sense of duty strong enough that they are willing to shut the system down voluntarily in an orderly fashion is an important goal for the country, I feel.