Arhtur:

I had no ida the subject would make anyone as bad-tempered as it seems to make you.
I thought the argument from the Independent had some merit, but it is clear she is overlooking a lot of dynamics -- sentimental and social -- that are less obvious. John's argument is interesting--if we had a Canus Ultimus who was not subject to the vagaries of politics, but who had only limited powers to influence rather than to decree, it would probably serve as a good flywheel against the brainless oscillations of our system, especially when it is as polarized a it has been since the advent of the Second Bush. It also serves as a damper on public perspectives if they get too wound up; despite turmoil in the streets, when the Queen speaks, most people listen. So perhaps it is a valuable adjunct to an otherwise republican form of government, if an expensive one.


A