Many years hence (the Windsors live long) they will be King
William and Queen Catherine, but fortunately will not have any
particular power over lesser mortals. Or will they? - it's an odd thing, the
institution of monarchy, in other European countries as well as
Britain. Half a millennium ago, when Kate's namesake lost her
head, a monarch's word was pretty close to law, though it began
to get trimmed in 1215 when his nobles agreed to go and kill
Muslims for John only on condition that he signed a charter
giving them the right to over-rule his laws. That's a right
inherited by US juries,
though the legal profession does its utmost to pretend otherwise. Today monarchs reign, but don't rule; and it's hard to
understand the subtle meaning of "reign." While it
includes being an icon in a sense similar to a wildly popular
movie or rock star, unfortunately it's not limited to that;
Elizabeth, today, does carry weight in London's corridors of
power, and in due course so will William. It's done partly by the
long tradition that the Top Pol holds a weekly chat with her and
hears her advice - which, since she's outlasted twelve
Prime Ministers in the UK itself, and 152 in the Commonwealth, is
not to be heard lightly. She probably knows more about governance
than anyone alive. Yet by the same long tradition (which is Britain's substitute
for a constitution, and treated with much more respect) the
monarch "must" not express a political opinion in
public, and of course is not allowed to vote. He or she is
"above" party politics, and so is monarch of all
the people. It's really a cunning arrangement; a very large majority
of everyone holds the monarch in awe,
reverence or at least respect, while the monarch sprinkles the
entire kleptocracy with his or her blessing and approval. Hence,
the institution of government itself, which deserves no more of it than
any other gang of organized torturers, extortioners, pirates and liars, is held
also in respect; so do its victims and subjects bow down before it willingly.
If you were planning to set yourself up as a tyrant
10A076
Morphed Monarchy
by Jim Davies, 11/17/2010
So Bill and Kate are engaged. How nice, good luck to them.
