Official: Prince Philip is Dead, 9th April 2021

[littlebabyjesus]

Elections

Who decides when elections are to be held?

If your answer involves some kind of constitution, then the next question is: how is it ensured that the provisions of the constitution are followed?

 

[Pickman's model]

So how is the government legitimised? What is the mechanism?

paul daniels or another of his ilk pulls legitimacy out of a top hat at the london palladium

 

[Aladdin]

Could the royals be recycled?

 

[Orang Utan]

Who decides when elections are to be held?

If your answer involves some kind of constitution, then the next question is: how is it ensured that the provisions of the constitution are followed?

I dunno why you’re asking me

 

[Aladdin]

paul daniels or another of his ilk pulls legitimacy out of a top hat at the london palladium

Poor Paul is dead.

 

[Pickman's model]

Who decides when elections are to be held?

If your answer involves some kind of constitution, then the next question is: how is it ensured that the provisions of the constitution are followed?

no, the next question is 'how is the constitution arrived at?'

perhaps you might be enlightened by a look at the french or the russian revolutions. but even if urban lasts a thousand years yet shall they say 'this was littlebabyjesus's unfinest hour'

 

[Pickman's model]

Poor Paul is dead.

he might be persuaded to tread the boards again for this great trick

 

[Pickman's model]

Could the royals be recycled?

no, they're straight to landfill

 

[tim]

True, but Charles I was succeeded by Oliver Cromwell and his bunch of joyless, religious zealots, who were even more unpopular than the monarchy. If we get rid of this lot we need to replace them with something much more fun.

Some of them managed to have fun.

 

[Argonia]

Come on, Orang Utan. You need somebody to wave at crowds and shake hands with people.

 

[Pickman's model]

Come on, Orang Utan. You need somebody to wave at crowds and shake hands with people.

louis xvi on his way to the guillotine

 

[tim]

Poor Paul is dead.

Dead, but as Mrs Merton pointed out, not poor

 

[RedRedRose]

Something something Henry VIII ...something

Post-Diana and Dodi the royals were put under more scrutiny than normal and I remember commentators highlighting their inability to deal with other Christians, let alone other faiths.

The groundwork for some changes was already being paved in that time.

 

[cyril_smear]

Still widely popular in the UK. I hardly know anyone (not including urbanites) who support my belief that we should chop off all their heads and turn buck house into a homeless shelter asap.

you'll do the chopping personally will you?

 

[cyril_smear]

Who decides when elections are to be held?

If your answer involves some kind of constitution, then the next question is: how is it ensured that the provisions of the constitution are followed?

The UK doesn't have a constitution.

 

[Orang Utan]

Come on, Orang Utan. You need somebody to wave at crowds and shake hands with people.

We have celebrities for that

 

[Steel Icarus]

In what crazy reality would one of the "young ones" refuse the throne? From day one they're readied for it.

 

[brogdale]

In what crazy reality would one of the "young ones" refuse the throne? From day one they're readied for it.

 

[Orang Utan]

The UK doesn't have a constitution.

It sort of does, just not in one single document

 

[brogdale]

It sort of does, just not in one single document

Yep, uncodified.

 

[tim]

Come on, Orang Utan. You need somebody to wave at crowds and shake hands with people.

 

[souljacker]

you'll do the chopping personally will you?

What's the pay like?

 

[JimW]

Switzerland has a federal council rather than a head of state, remember looking it up when this argument came up before.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Switzerland has a federal council rather than a head of state, remember looking it up when this argument came up before.

Kind of. That's certainly a different model, sharing head of state responsibilities, but even then the council has a president.

 

[JimW]

Kind of. That's certainly a different model, but even then the council has a president.

Only know about it off an Internet search but I believe that makes me an expert... looks like they rotate the post on seniority so is quite different.
ETA: Off here The Federal Council

 

[moochedit]

Woman: No one lives there.
Arthur: Then who is your lord?
Woman: We don't have a lord!
Arthur: (spurised) What??
Man: I told you! We're an anarcho-syndicalist commune! We're taking
turns to act as a sort of executive-officer-for-the-week--
Arthur: (uninterested) Yes...
Man: But all the decisions of that officer 'ave to be ratified at a
special bi-weekly meeting--
Arthur: (perturbed) Yes I see!
Man: By a simple majority, in the case of purely internal affairs--
Arthur: (mad) Be quiet!
Man: But by a two-thirds majority, in the case of more major--
Arthur: (very angry) BE QUIET! I order you to be quiet!

 

[Aladdin]

In what crazy reality would one of the "young ones" refuse the throne? From day one they're readied for it.

Is there not precedent for a royal refusing and / or abdicating?

Surely they could take a leaf out of pope Benedict's book?

 

[PR1Berske]

There's certainly precedent of a restless, partying Prince with a wider world view than his immediate surroundings would permit marrying an American divorcee. As Twain didn't quite put it, history doesn't repeat though it does echo.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

What's the pay like?

£2 per tail.

 

[tim]

Kind of. That's certainly a different model, sharing head of state responsibilities, but even then the council has a president.

A rotating one

The Republic of San Marino has, since 1243 had two Captain-Regents who serve six-month terms which means they have four heads-of-state every year, and, as a consequence have more former heads of state than the rest of Europe combined. The total population is about 30,00 so if you really want to be head of state, you'll probably make it sooner or later

List of captains regent of San Marino


They had a Communist government for most of the 1950's until the USA and their Italian lackeys organised a coup d'etat.