Reply #13: me with you [View All]

[iverglas]

Back when I was a girl guide, I used to pledge allegiance "to god mmf, the queen mmf and my country", but I think these days I'd strike out that second "mmf" and go with the original.

In our present state of evolution, we human beings generally still want/need some ultimate authority for stuff. In political terms, there has to be some final arbiter -- and constitutions don't arbitrate things all by themselves.

Having as one's final arbitrator a boring woman with a bit too much money and some tedious relations, but no effective power whatsoever, who hardly ever even comes to visit, and just getting on with business, really does work extraordinarily well hereabouts. The lunatics really do run the asylum. ;)

I'm sure there are much better systems than constitutional monarchies somewhere in the universe, but none has been devised here on earth yet. Look at the perennial top countries in that UNDP "best places to live" list:

(quick reference) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index

1. Norway
2. Sweden
3. Australia
4. Canada
5. Netherlands
6. Belgium
7. Iceland
8. United States
9. Japan
10. Ireland

The top 6 are all constitutional monarchies, as is Japan, basically. Seven out of the top ten (and Ireland evolved as part of one). Back when Canada was on top, it was 8 out of 10 (before Ireland bumped the mother monarchy off the list):
http://www.monarchist.ca/cmn/unsurvey.htm
Not a bad track record.