Queen Elizabeth and the U.K.?

It's just one of our eccentric little foibles.I think the reason we currently have a monarchy is because we quite like queenie. She's been with us for at least three generations and now has the status of 'national treasure.'She doesn't get involved with politics and she's a major tourism asset.But I'm a republican at heart - I don't like the idea of being a subject rather than a citizen and I hate the servility and genuflection in the antiquated class and grace and favour structures that lives behind it all.I suspect we'll be having a really good look at how much of royalty we wish to keep when she either pops her clogs or hands over the reigns.

I think most people regard him as a crank and really wouldn't want him on the throne. It will throw everything into the air if he looks as though he's going to succeed.(btw, when I say I'm a republican - I don't mean in the American sense )

The monarchy is an amazing throwback in a modern Western democracy, although benign, it still has tendrils into our secular institutions. For example, all judges swear allegiance to the queen and to uphold HER laws. If you get prosecuted it's by the Crown Prosecution Service and the case is you versus the Queen.(This does have the convenience of allowing the judiciary to be independent of government.)Parliament is opened by her and her permission is asked to form a government - ludicrously she is asked if we can go to war using her forces - and so on.It may be strange to those in the ex-colonies, but a lot of the commonwealth still see her as 'a good thing' - although some occasionally attempt a coup.We really need to sweep all this crap away - albeit it with dignity and in a nicely British way.Edited by Tangle, : No reason given.

Oh yes, lots of sharp pointy things and fire. Muskets have been used I believe, but that was on foreigners so would probably be deemed inapropriate. Some blood. And shouting, lots of shouting.Then you need to find a guy from Lewes, East Sussex, to write some fine words. Preferrably using the word freedom rather too much.

No, not at all. We're a democracy, the government's legitimacy comes from the people's vote. The monarchy is invisible in the process apart from its symbolic roles. (The queen is asked by the winning party to form a government and she formally opens parliament.)But it's all pomp and circumstance, it could disapear in a heartbeat and nothing would change to the legitimacy of the government (unless the government tried to do it without asking us first.)The fact is that most Brits admire and like the queen and enjoy all the ritual state occasions. For as long as the monarchy stay out of politics, I can't see much changing.

Because we made the institutions that make it matter - the judiciary, law (common and statute), Parliamentary Sovereignty, universal suffrage, separation of powers, a constitution (yes we do have one ). That'll be our constitution.Constitution of the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

Well if you want to go down that path, there is no authority except that which can taken and defended by force or by negotiation. Which is why every tin pot dictatorship has tight control of the armed forces and police.Happily, we, the British people, have a deal with Parliament on who's allowed to make our rules, collect our taxes and provide our services. One day that might well be Richard Branson, but before that could happen we need a vote - via Parliament.Queenie is indeed part of our constitution, but she no longer has the power or will to use any rights she has under it without Parliament, or in some cases I believe, just the government, first approving it.We have a constitutional monarch in name only, I kind of like it that way, it has some advantages, but we need to modernise it when she's gone.

The constitution is created by the governments (and monarchs) of previous times and amended by governments of modern times. These governments are elected by the people. If a government could be elected by popular vote on a manifesto of abolishing the monarchy, i would be abolished by popular will.

That's about it. It's a quaint and picturesque hangover from earlier times that reminds us of our heritage and provide some benefits by way of tourism and sense of history.Those of us who live in countries that have some actual history, quite enjoy the confusion it creates with foreigners that want things to be at least, well, tidier.But the system actually works quite well and there's no real pressure to change it. Yet.

He'd then be a Stately Homo of England I suppose.....

Try it yourself:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUuRXchGfS0