zlacker

>>xd+(OP)
Time to end on a high? Shall we just abandon this whole monarchy thing and time to flip over to a republic and leave the much revered queen as the last ever monarch of the UK?

Seems like Scotland is going to go independent, and if Scotland do Wales will only be a matter of time so may as well just can it now?

>>mattlo+N7
Yes! Let's push this as hard as possible. Monarchies are an affront to all Enlightenment ideals and belong in the history books.

>>david9+Z8
As much as I love Enlightenment principles, I've learned with age that Reason is not enough for human society to flourish. People need something that goes beyond reason, or even explicitly against reason, to find meaning in their own existence.

A constitutional monarchy is an unreasonable construct, but its perseverance is a symbol of continuity and certainty in an existence that is so often chaotic and uncertain. It provides reassurance to many, and mutes the worst excesses of political turmoil. As long as it really stays out of the fray (and that's sadly not always been the case, with Elizabeth II, and it's likely her son will be even worse), then I don't have a problem with it. Like religion, I don't need it, you don't need it, but many do - and they might as well have it.