Monarchy or Republic?

 

A different kind of republican

I had my long-overdue weekly chat with BB today. He was happy with most of my roughs, but this one has got to go (at least in this form). Australia has a strong republican movement and they have nothing to do with George Bush. Their aim is to remove the power of the English monarchy over Australia. Fair enough, really. But in the US, this would only be read as being about the Republican party and that kind of ruins the joke.

I’m in two minds about whether the monarchy is a good thing in England. I greatly admire the queen and think she is a good figurehead (almost like a national mayor) , but I don’t feel my allegiance  lies with her. I like how Prince Charles is outspoken and raises awareness and fosters debate about important issues like organic farming, town planning and nanotechnology, but I’m not sure I’d want him to have any real power. And the monarchy is expensive. But so are old castles, museums and other historical preserves. 

Also, quite frankly, I worry about the democratic process. It is too slow to respond to urgent problems like climate change. Perhaps we do need a benevolent dictatorship for a while…