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[Jopax]

Great Britain is officially not a democracy or republic, but a constitutional monarchy.

Care to guess what Canada, Australia and New Zealand are?

Holy crap... Canada doesn't have the Union Jack on their flag! What the fuck Canada? I thought you were one of the cool kids.

Canada misbehaved. Canada needed to be thaught a lesson. Canada needed to be punished.

[AlmightyOne]

I know, whats the point of wasting the taxpayer's money for the 'royal family'. I mean I just hate how people idolise them especially that prince William and his wife Kiki Wigglesworth or whatever her name is.

[Max White]

Canada misbehaved. Canada needed to be thaught a lesson. Canada needed to be punished.

That is the kinkiest thing that has ever happened involving Canada.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Holy crap... Canada doesn't have the Union Jack on their flag! What the fuck Canada? I thought you were one of the cool kids.

And the funny part is, Hawaii does have the Union Jack on it's flag.

Honestly out of every government type... Constitutional Monarchy is probably the most meaningless to the point where honestly I do not consider it a true form of government.

In the sense that "There is a monarchy but they have no power whatsoever and their constitution says they have no power and there is no reasonable situation where they would get their power back."

My suggestion? Just ignore the term "Constitutional Monarchy" altogether. I cannot imagine a more useless designation.

Constitutional Monarchy is not useless, and also not (only) what you are describing. Constitutional Monarchy refers to any government with a monarch that has legally limited powers and usually other political structures within the government. This doesn't mean "no power", it means "less power than Absolute Monarchy". What you are describing is just the modern UK.

It's hard to recognize this in the modern day since a lot of monarchs that didn't give up all their power kind of got....executed during the democratization of Europe, but it is a thing.

[Descan]

I know, whats the point of wasting the taxpayer's money for the 'royal family'. I mean I just hate how people idolise them especially that prince William and his wife Kiki Wigglesworth or whatever her name is.

Tourist money, basically. Brings in a lot of direct (people paying to see the queen or other royal things) and indirect (while there, they buy a hotdog. Or a jetski.) money, much more than what the royal family takes from the country.

Plus some other fiddly bits.

[Loud Whispers]

I know, whats the point of wasting the taxpayer's money for the 'royal family'. I mean I just hate how people idolise them especially that prince William and his wife Kiki Wigglesworth or whatever her name is.

The crown lands give us an annual income of £240,000,000. Notwithstanding media and tourist profits, they give us far more than we give them.

IT'S LIKE YOU'RE NOT EVEN TRYING

[AlmightyOne]

IT'S LIKE YOU'RE NOT EVEN TRYING

I'm not, I just hate the royalty, since they are more like celebs.
About what you said, can you please enlighten me so that I may alteast start liking them?

[Descan]

The way the crown lands deal works is that in exchange for a certain amount of money paid to the crown, the government of Britain is allowed to use the land and takes all the profit from it. Technically, the crown owns all of Britain, and every time the crown changes hands, the new monarch renews the rental agreement.

Of course, if the new monarch -doesn't- renew it, they'd be disposed. But whatever.

Here: This is a good explanation of the cost and profits of having the monarchy, and I think includes the crown lands part. It's only 5 minutes, and if the crown lands isn't in that video, it should be in a connected one.

[AlmightyOne]

This is a good explanation of the cost and profits of having the monarchy, and I think includes the crown lands part. It's only 5 minutes, and if the crown lands isn't in that video, it should be in a connected one

Watched it, hmmm learned a good deal but so to sum it up, They are basically celebs (since they garner those tourists)who generate wealth for the U.K(by selling their profits from their land) which come to think of it made me understand why atleast the people in UK should love them.

[Descan]

Yeah. They're basically there to look pretty, really. Don't really do anything. Except that they DO add a LOT to the economy of the U.K. just by existing, which otherwise wouldn't exist.

[10ebbor10]

Most monarchies are basically a living part of cultural heritage.

[kingfisher1112]

Most monarchies are basically a living part of cultural heritage.

This, basically.

[Loud Whispers]

IT'S LIKE YOU'RE NOT EVEN TRYING

I'm not, I just hate the royalty, since they are more like celebs.
About what you said, can you please enlighten me so that I may alteast start liking them?

Not celebs. Royalty. And what Descan said. Minus the part where they own all of Britain, they just own a lot.

Yeah. They're basically there to look pretty, really. Don't really do anything. Except that they DO add a LOT to the economy of the U.K. just by existing, which otherwise wouldn't exist.

They lead in spirit, sovereignty and image. They fight in war, build in peace and hold the commonwealth together.

Or a more cynical aspect:

Where in democracies the elected leader works for you
In an absolute monarchy the most important leader directs your work for you
In a constitutional monarchy the most important leader only exists to approve what the democratically elected officials decide for you

So they only ever do ceremonial or civil things [which then inherently become more important due to the belief invested in them].

They essentially generate importance merely by existing. Like money in people form.

[AlmightyOne]

They essentially generate importance merely by existing. Like money in people form.

But the thing that still bothers me is, How is it fair that they get all this luxury when they have done nothing to earn it.(other than the fact that they inherited it which is pretty lame in today's point of view.)True you have told me their use for the whole nation, but you can't ignore that fact.

[Loud Whispers]

They essentially generate importance merely by existing. Like money in people form.

But the thing that still bothers me is, How is it fair that they get all this luxury when they have done nothing to earn it.(other than the fact that they inherited it which is pretty lame in today's point of view.)True you have told me their use for the whole nation, but you can't ignore that fact.

Running charities, holding the commonwealth meetings, being a right laugh for the media, conducting an entire country's image, running the Church of England, helping stop the conflicts between Protestants and Catholics in Ireland, volunteering to fight or serve in every station possible; from support to command to front lines in every major conflict fought by Britain, fulfilling their state duties [something around over 2000 engagements across the world with other state leaders every year], representing the public, providing a sense of unity and stability, providing patronage to over 3000 charities, answering the letters of the public, recognizing the services of the armed services and the otherwise heroic...


If you ignored that, then you could say they have done nothing.

Hear that?

That was the sound of Queen Elizabeth II smacking some mad beats as her DJ alter ego, MC Jubilee