BARONY

A Few Reasons to Be a Monarchist

A Partly Original and Incomplete List

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1. Governmental change is inevitable and will happen. A constitutional monarch is a barrier to a would-be dictator. 

 

2. The Prime Minister is elected. This puts all powers of the crown in the hands of the people. 

 

3. The monarch can replace the Prime Minister in the event of a crisis, which can help encourage accountability to public opinion prevent despotism and lame-duck candidate decisions which do not represent constituents, as is common in America. The monarch stays neutral in all regards except overwhelming public opinion, and provides an immediate potential threat to any PM who decides to become Mussolini. 

 

4. The monarchy is a built-in combatant of deep-state corruption. The monarch and incumbents can call civil servants to exercise, as Bagehot said, "the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn." An example of this is the military industrial complex in America-- which operates unseen with no accountability, no voter control, and which dictates to presidents and senators how things will be done. 

 

5. Royal influence in the media is positive. Anyone who whines about the unfair advantage the royal individuals have need only read the tabloids in America to see who will replace them if our Monarchy were taken away from us. 

 

6. The monarchy is a source of pride to the citizens, and provides a unifying source of cohesion. Politicians usually do what is best for their party, and their party alone, to the chagrin of the rest of the nation. A monarch can represent everyone through the most difficult times. 

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7. The monarchy is a non-partisan "brake" to prevent any bizarre political changes.

 

8. The monarchy earns very deep international respect, and the proud loyalty of Americans descended from British ancestors. Americans descended from any British ancestors have a love for their family history, and have an internal sense of belonging down to the very fibers of their DNA that they are "British" on the inside. Take away the monarchy and Americans look at ancestral lands like France and say, "meh." Britains may not always like to admit it but are very proud of their American colony and its English-speaking influence on the world stage. Likewise, most Americans may not always admit that they are anglophiles. Why do Americans like to read about Kim Kardashian? Its because we love her bountiful fanny. Why do Americans love to read about the Royal Family? Its because so many of us love the crown and everything it stands for, and the dignity it gives us for being a small part of such a system. We are proud to be the "cousins" of the UK, Ire, and all of the commonwealth united by the crown. Yes we are proud.

 

9. The Crown can give out titles, awards, and other dignities. The dignity of the award is only as valuable as the fons honoris, or source of its honor. Such awards recognize, in various ways, thousands of individuals and organisations of great merit. Titled individuals, all of whom have their honor due to the fons honoris, also give honor to tens of thousands of individuals and groups, bringing honor and dignity to all of the organizations that they serve. These individuals are all honored to associate with Sir Suchandso or Lady Whomever. The honors and awards of merit extend out several levels, bringing pride and dignity to tens of thousands of deserving individuals and organisations. Nations without monarch have no such system of honor. My American grandfather was decorated for bravery on Iwo Jima in World War II. While that is a special honour, it falls far short of being knighted.

 

10. American, commonwealth, and foreign tourists of all sorts love to see the Disney princesses. As much of a multi-billion pound enterprise as the Disney empire is, the English-speaking monarchy is the inspiration and embodiment of all of that romanticism. It is the real thing, and tourists flood into the UK because of it. France may have three times the tourists that the UK does, but twenty European college students who drive across the border to sleep in French hostels do not spend near as much as one visiting tourist who flies across the pond to visit the UK. In addition to that, tourists travel to France for the amazing food available at every corner rural cafe and to hear French bing spoken. Now I don't mean to burst your bubble, but nobody is going to travel to the UK for that. What does the UK have that no other major European nation has? That's right, a real Prince Charming, a real princess, and their very real castles, and the castles throughout their realm. Any UK castle is alive: part of a living fairy tail, imbued with the magic of history. America has castles but nobody cares about them, because without a monarchy castles are soulless and pointless, even objects of ridicule. The Palace of Versailles is open to the public year-round and it struggles to even generate enough tourist revenue to pay for its own maintenance. UK Monarchy is good for UK tourism.

 

11. The Crown establishes long-term trends in mens clothing. Case in point: relaxed suits, the odd jacket, the dinner jacket,... mismatched pants and jackets,... mismatched anything... we can thank The Duke of Windsor for all of these. The Crown gives stuffy people the right to relax a little. Prince Harry grows a beard and toffs all over the world relax and grow beards too. Some whine that "Pageantry looks like funny costumes to foreigners." Maybe to some, but one can have constitutional monarchy with or without the regalia and pageantry. I wear my kilt and do indeed get the strangest looks from foreigners. They do look at me as if I were wearing a funny costume. Are the critics of the crown suggesting that if the Crown is destroyed that kilts and other funny regalia will go away too? If one questions whether or not fanciful costumes are appealing to foreigners, one only needs to visit Disneyland. Nobody goes on a vacation to see the mundane. We travel to see the exotic. Regalia, optional as it may be, is still a tourist draw. The fashion industry saw the "Kate effect" on brands that were worn, and The Duchess of Cambridge alone is credited with increasing the fashion industry by £152 million so far. £101 million is attributed to the "Charlotte Effect" £76 million to the "George Effect", et cetera. 

 

12. Monarchy is good for business and the economy in general. When HRH endorses a product, it becomes a standard that other businesses emulate. It becomes a brand that is imitated. Businesses are honored to wear the Royal charter. No federally chartered business in America is proud of their federal charter. Who gives a fig. But a royal charter or a royal endorsement is something of which to be proud. Tim Besley, who used to set the interest rates for the Bank of England, said that monarchy boosts annual average economic growth by 1.03% every year. The economic stagnation that so often follows institutional reforms does not appear in monarchies. Our Royal Family contributes over £1 billion to the economy, and over £500 million in tourism every year and growing. 

 

13. I read one critic of monarchy saying that "monarchy in the UK is a problem for the separation of church and state." I'm not even going to bother defending the Queen's efforts to proselytize her subjects. Sorry about that. Mandatory church attendance starting soon.

 

14. Republics are more expensive. The queen costs nothing to the public and contributes directly to the burden of paying for various public benefits. Monarchy is more cost-efficient than a presidency. American taxpayers and governmental cronies are still paying for the lifestyles and security of all living past presidents. 

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15. Monarchy reduces governmental corruption. A monarch must always be on good behaviour, as the looming threat of being overthrown hangs heavily overhead. Deep-state entrenched members of the "swamp" do not worry about being re-elected. You can read about the $16 million hammer and other follies of the US government and its corrupt practices. Scholars such as Petra Schleiter, Edward Morgan-Jones, Andreas Bergh, and Christian Bjørnskov have shown that constitutional monarchies are more likely to consult their people and are associated with lower crime and corruption. Seven of the world's top ten ranked transparent countries, according to Transparency International's corruption index, are constitutional monarchies.  

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16. Monarchs want to do what is right. Monarchs cannot be bought. They cannot gain more power and do not need the money. It is in their interest to be remembered in a good light, and to make their people happy, to protect their monarchy. Monarchs have been dethroned repetitively throughout history. I was honored in the past with a brevet of baronetcy by the late HRH King Kigili of Rwanda. He was forced out of Rwanda and today his kingdom is no more. Monarchs are more aware of this sort of thing than the average person, and they are always striving to increase their value wherever they can. Corruption would mean the end of their monarchy. 

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17. Monarchy can be a very practical way to distribute certain work and diplomatic responsibilities. The queen and other members of the Royal family perform certain diplomatic duties such as visiting factories and handing out awards, leaving the prime minister more time for administrative functions.

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18. When America became independent, it was not due to the monarchy-- but parliament. Dr. Eric Nelson with Harvard stated that many of the American founding fathers rebelled against parliament and not the crown. He even named his book "The Royalist Revolution," stating that it was an insurrection in favor of the power of the monarch. 

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19. Members of the royal family can turn the spotlight of public opinion towards important causes and issues. Exempli grati, Diana, Princess of Wales helped to change the public opinion on AIDS, and helped land mines to be banned internationally. Another, more dear to my own heart, was how Prince Charles has been vocal about endorsing alternative health care, good nutrition, and the importance of ensuring that the body is not overrun by toxins. Were it not for Gerson therapy, I might not even be alive today. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry are helping to remove the stigma upon people seeking help for mental health (Note: My wife would probably say that I need professional help more than most! - T). Overall, the causes that our monarchs champion are a benefit to us all and might not get attention otherwise.  

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In conclusion, the monarchy brings right more good to the realm than most people recognize. If a yank like me can appreciate this, then shame on any Britons who cannot see it. 

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Kind regards, 

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Taylor Forrester Moffitt of Halydean

The 15th Baron and Lord of Halydean

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