MONARCHIES V REPUBLICS IN EUROPE

As an article written by a monarchist, this will clearly be biased in favour of monarchies over republics. I am also mindful of the recent scandal regarding King Juan Carlos of Spain and his elephant hunting in Africa. Nevertheless, this year I cannot help but notice that, so far (King Juan Carlos aside) 2012 seems to be shaping up as a year of strength for monarchy and weakness for republicanism in Europe. In Europe, the Danish have celebrated 40 years of service from their Queen Margrethe II, whilst Britain and the Commonwealth have celebrated the 60 year Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Such celebrations have brought great happiness, optimism and community spirit in times of difficulty. In contrast, this year the presidents of Germany, Hungary and Romania have been compelled to stand down as their respective country's leaders due to various scandals. Germany's Christian Wulff resigned after a scandal relating to loans; Hungary's Pal Schmitt stepped down after a plagiarism scandal relating to his degree; and Romania's Traian Basescu has also been suspended due to disputes over his use of power. When talking to some Europeans from republics (and other republicans in general) about why they tend to disregard monarchy, they tend to say two things: monarchy is expensive and monarchy is outdated. As I said in my last article, monarchies have the potential to earn more money than they cost, and governments can control spending on the monarchy depending on the health of state finances. Meanwhile, saying something is "outdated" is hardly a good reason: just because something is newer doesn't mean it is better. Moreover, whilst on the surface it would seem better to have as many offices elected as possible, in reality this only really seems necessary in terms of the upper house of the legislature and the head of government in terms of shaping policy and laws, but elsewhere can lead to electoral fatigue and populism. Appointed officials tend to have more experience and practical knowledge, hence their appointment, whilst the advantages of a hereditary constitutional monarch were highlighted in my last article. Consider the advantages to monarchy highlighted in this article and my last, and the dignity and optimism associated with constitutional monarchies contrasts markedly with the instability and embarrassment caused by the aforementioned presidents this year. Whilst Europe experiences hard times, it relies on its leaders more than ever to provide moral leadership, support and optimism- something which the age-old monarchies seem to be achieving more effectively than their presidential counterparts in Europe.