To be a Republican?

[TheRhubarb]

Sorry to be a miserable bitch but I really do hate all this Jubilee crap. I don't give a crap about the Royal family one way or the other. I'm very happy to let them exist the way they do so long as we don't have to treat them like some kind of minor gods. However that's just what everyone appears to be doing and I cannot turn on the TV, listen to the radio, buy a newspaper or even walk out of my front door without this Jubilee shite being shoved in my face.

Now even Mumsnet has bowed down to her Maj.

The country's gone to the dogs thanks to the Coalition, vulnerable people are more vulnerable than ever because of cuts, unemployment is high, kids can't afford to go to University, families are relying on food banks and yet we are supposed to forget the fact that our bank and bellies are empty to cheer on some millionairess who is so far removed from real life she might as well be a Martian.

I don't normally care that much to have an opinion about this but when people actually expect me to join in a rendition of God Save the Queen then the fine red mist descends.

It's turning me against the Royal family and making me wish we were Republicans. Anyone else or is it just me?

We're sour and bitter apparently Earthy !

Enjoy your civil partnership on Thursday, hope the sun shines for you .

''A committee of random citizens'' - very democratic !

Oh the corruption

Going to keep my bunting up for a few more days !

Sleepy of course it is democratic, since these are randomly selected from the citizen population. And these would be different every five years. Where is the corruption juries are formed in a similar way. Anyway, it is just a suggestion and can be tweaked to be any form of direct or indirect representation.

Any of these ideas would be more democratic than a hereditary monarchy, no?

But WHO randomly selects and on what criteria ?

Surely a head of state in a republic should be voted by the masses ?

So citizens selecting their head of state is less democratic than just an accident of birth is it sleepy?

No wonder our monarchy survives when the monarchists apply that kind of logic stupidity to the argument .

I would just have an open election, one person one vote, anyone can stand, etc. It really isn't tricky - highest number of votes wins, four year term, if you're popular you win another election, if you're not you go.

Something like this would work and is often held up as a model of a presidential system.

Sleepy, no necessarily. When there is a prime minister and a figurehead president, the president can be selected through proportional, indirect or direct representation.

The mechanics can be decided upon once we agree to abolish the hereditary monarchy as our head of state

X posted with Pirate

No Surprisly I am saying that in a republic , if there ever should be one in this country, then it should be voted by the masses not by a committee.

As someone else said one person one vote - I am not here to have an argument about the wrongs and rights of a monarch but interested how a republic would work and a head of state be elected .

If every time a supporter of the monarchy pops up and you trot out the lines that you do then no wonder republicans are ignored by the masses.

Sleepy, random selection means just that, people randomly selected from the voters list (weeding out non citizens). Like in a jury.

A list of 10 candidates who have excelled in arts, science, social work etc. could be put forward by a parliamentary committee representing all our elected members of parliament. And the citizens would select from within the list.

completely agree with you op

"If every time a supporter of the monarchy pops up and you trot out the lines that you do then no wonder republicans are ignored by the masses."

?????

Are we not allowed to challenge the lack of logic in an argument then?

I was unaware that monarchists were so fragile.

Sleepy, there is no one right way to do it, Ireland and Iceland elect one, India appoints one. The US system is not comparable because they don't have a prime minister.

I would say let's have some free flow thinking and set up a system that best achieves our objectives, and tweak it as necessary. There is nothing written in stone in how it has to be done.

There is not lack of logic - I am talking about a republic - was interesting to hear that the proposed head of state would be elected by a committee - seemed somewhat flawed for a republic (perhaps not logical for a republic ). However Flatbread has constructively replied to my comments.

I really enjoyed watching all the celebrations, loved spending time having a party with my family, thought seeing the Queen and Philip on the boat clearly freezing their bits off when they could have left everyone to it was lovely, and the spectacle in the Mall just made me proud to be British......anyway, each to their own and all that (wanders off to take down the bunting....)

Flatbread has one idea for how a republic would work - there are many methods that could be used. I personally think that a committee is flawed for many reasons and would have one person one vote.

I'm not sure how your comments above:

''A committee of random citizens'' - very democratic !

Oh the corruption"

are particularly constructive tbh. You automatically assumed that a committee of citizens would be corrupt whereas of course our monarchy isn't?

But clearly being constructive is very subjective.

Keep at it Surprisingly - you seem very wound up and out for an argument which I am not .

Whatever. I'm not "out for an argument" but think what you want to think. You argued with flatbread that a committee was undemocratic and corrupt yet you're a monarchist.

If you can't see that's illogical then I'm at a loss.

If we were to live in a republic then I think election by committee would be undemocratic - seeing that republicans feel that having a monarchy is undemocratic itself - a bit of flawed logic there I feel.

Off to re arrange my bunting - hope all republicans all had a good 4 day weekend

Different types of elected heads of states within a parliamentary republic. Note how many formerly had a monarch as head of state but have moved on. Surely we can do the same?

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_republic#section_3

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_republic#section_3

You cannot say republicans feel a monarchy is undemocratic. It IS undemocratic. .

You will see that in a number of these there is an indirect election, where parliament chooses the president.

A republican argument is that in a democracy the head of state is not a hereditary leader, but a short tenure one based on some form of public selection, which varies across countries.

If I said 'think ' you would say we don't 'think' we 'know' !