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Re: Royalty
On the subject of monarchy, I find the whole thing to be an absurd and vaguely embarrassing charade.
The only arguments I have heard in it's favour is something like "it brings in loads of tourist money" or something like that. Because presumably the Japs or Yanks wouldn't visit our fair isles if we didn't have a Queen. Which is why I always suggest a bloody pay-per-view execution to offset these costs.
In reality the only reason it seems to persist because of inertia. No-one can really be bothered to do anything about it.
And the fact that people are less than thrilled than making some politician "President". A curious argument since Tony Blair is basically our president. He attends international summits, he is the one who makes decision whether our nation goes to war (sadly), and he is certainly seen internationally as "our leader". The formal distinction seems irrelevent.
If it were up to me then obviously I would go for some ultimately dissolution of the state, empowering local councils or "Soviets" to take decisions at the grass roots. However, more realistically on this subject I would end the monarchy when our current Queen dies. Beyond that, there are various constitutional changes one could propose, but they are less drastic than some seem to imply. We would not need some gigantic US style Presidency institution to be created as far as I can see.
Anyway, hopefully things will change. I've not looked at any polls but I suspect the monarchy still enjoys the majorities support. However, this is bolstered by the opinions of a lot of older persons. Who, without wishing to be blunt, will die before too long. Combined with rising immigration ("non-whites" forecast to be the majority by 2100 according to one projection I read) who presumably who have a lot less affection/identity with the Crown. Eventually the institution will die, and hopefully I'll still be alive to see it.
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