Barbados’s long-drawn-out promise of a republic • Hacker News Board

Re: Barbados’s long-drawn-out promise of a republic

#11

Post by motohagiography » Sat, Nov 06, 2021, 4:47 AM UTC

Mountain_Skies wrote: post #4

Curious if when Queen Elizabeth passes away, if there will be a surge in republican interest in the various realms outside of the UK. For the vast majority of the population in those countries, she's the only monarch they've ever known. Once Charles, or perhaps William, takes over, that link to the past will have been severed.

This actually terrified me, as Britain being willing to give up the commonwealth when the Queen dies may mean serious contests for who gets to write new constitutions.

It's not so much a matter of removing the Queen as head of state as unsealing the document, so someone says while you are there, we need this, and we will fight you if we don't get it. You see how this escalates immediately, and all together within months of the Queen's death.

What are the odds of over 50 countries ever trying to rewrite their constitutions in a lifetime, and then again what are they to do that simultaneously ? Absurd, impossible odds, total black swan. Except if the Queen dies. I can only hope it will be mostly peaceful?

Re: Barbados’s long-drawn-out promise of a republic

#12

Post by skissane » Sat, Nov 06, 2021, 4:49 AM UTC

chmod600 wrote: post #10

Is the general wisdom that the executive function should be a separate co-equal branch of government (like the US), or controlled by the legislature (how I understand a parliamentary system)?

Contemporary general wisdom is that parliamentary systems (executive subordinated to the legislature) do better than presidential systems (executive and legislature are separate and co-equal branches of government)

https://theconversation.com/parliamentary-systems-do-better-...

It is worth pointing out though that you can have a parliamentary republic in which the President has very limited powers in practice and most of the real power belongs to the Prime Minister - for example, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta. Monarchy-vs-republic and presidential-vs-parliamentary are (at least partially) orthogonal

There is also the semi-presidential system used in France, and a number of other countries, in which control of the executive is shared between a directly elected President and a Prime Minister chosen by the legislature. Often, the Prime Minister has more power over domestic affairs while the President has more power over military and international affairs. Sometimes they can be from opposite parties which can cause difficulty. It is half way between the parliamentary and presidential system.

Re: Barbados’s long-drawn-out promise of a republic

#13

Post by dane-pgp » Sat, Nov 06, 2021, 5:08 AM UTC

ggm wrote: post #8

Mountain_Skies wrote: post #4

Curious if when Queen Elizabeth passes away, if there will be a surge in republican interest in the various realms outside of the UK. For the vast majority of the population in those countries, she's the only monarch they've ever known. Once Charles, or perhaps William, takes over, that link to the past will have been severed.

Australia voted no. Many assume this was older anglo Australians who revere the Queen and hope for a re vote when Charles accedes to the throne. He's a nong, and has much less visible support, and even active opposition. I personally suspect it's the dichotomy of directly elected president or a chamber elected symbolic president which functionally is what the governor general is. Basically the republican vote was spl…

> a symbolic minor depoliticised role is better to me

There would be no harm in directly electing such a person, and it would be good to prevent the government of the day using its majority to elect a president who just rubber-stamps whatever they want.

The advantage of having a directly elected president, is that they can act as a check and balance against a government which concentrates executive and legislative power into the hands of one party and effectively one person, the Prime Minister.

By limiting the president's powers to just vetoing legislation and resolving confidence/dismissal issues, these levers of power would be available for use, sparingly, and in a democratically accountable way. In return, parliament would have the ability to impeach the president or call a new presidential election. This would prevent the president from interfering unduly in the day-to-day running of the country.

Re: Barbados’s long-drawn-out promise of a republic

#14

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Nov 06, 2021, 5:09 AM UTC

sydthrowaway wrote: post #5

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #3

This is a continuation of the story began in 1945 of the unwinding one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire#Decolonisation_... > Between 1945 and 1965, the number of people under British rule outside the UK itself fell from 700 million to 5 million, 3 million of whom were in Hong Kong.

Sad days for all British people

[deleted]

Re: Barbados’s long-drawn-out promise of a republic

#15

Post by aww_dang » Sat, Nov 06, 2021, 5:14 AM UTC

labster wrote: post #6

sydthrowaway wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sad days for all British people

Don’t worry I’m sure Brexit will bring colonialism back

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/10/prince-william-clim...

>"Prince William Is Transforming Into a Climate Change Influencer"

So when they say "sustainable development" and not just plain development what does that mean in terms of cost of energy for the "developing" nations?

Not only will the climate agenda drive up costs, but it will establish centralized control for the issuance of carbon credits, the permission to consume energy. Get ready for higher costs and reduced access, because your betters know what's best.

So yeah, you're still being taxed from abroad, but at least it isn't the colonialism the pop culture historical revisionists have learned to hate so well. "Sustainable" development is advanced as a necessity not to save the souls of the savages, but to avoid the foretold apocalypse and save us all. Remember that when you're in the "developing" world buying an inverter system. It is for your own good that you don't have better electricity service.

Re: Barbados’s long-drawn-out promise of a republic

#16

Post by aww_dang » Sat, Nov 06, 2021, 5:16 AM UTC

[deleted] wrote: post #14

sydthrowaway wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sad days for all British people

[deleted]

What was the alternative to British colonial rule? A peaceful utopia? Was it exclusively bad or relatively better than suttee? Zimbabwe?

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-slavery/chronology-who-ba...

Re: Barbados’s long-drawn-out promise of a republic

#17

Post by Mikeb85 » Sat, Nov 06, 2021, 5:18 AM UTC

Mountain_Skies wrote: post #4

Curious if when Queen Elizabeth passes away, if there will be a surge in republican interest in the various realms outside of the UK. For the vast majority of the population in those countries, she's the only monarch they've ever known. Once Charles, or perhaps William, takes over, that link to the past will have been severed.

I (Canadian) would personally vote to be a republic. Symbolic or not, I think it's absurd that hereditary rule exists in any form in the current day and age.

Re: Barbados’s long-drawn-out promise of a republic

#18

Post by rnmwfQ3f » Sat, Nov 06, 2021, 5:28 AM UTC

Mikeb85 wrote: post #17

Mountain_Skies wrote: post #4

Curious if when Queen Elizabeth passes away, if there will be a surge in republican interest in the various realms outside of the UK. For the vast majority of the population in those countries, she's the only monarch they've ever known. Once Charles, or perhaps William, takes over, that link to the past will have been severed.

I (Canadian) would personally vote to be a republic. Symbolic or not, I think it's absurd that hereditary rule exists in any form in the current day and age.

Why is that absurd?

Re: Barbados’s long-drawn-out promise of a republic

#19

Post by muststopmyths » Sat, Nov 06, 2021, 5:33 AM UTC

motohagiography wrote: post #11

Mountain_Skies wrote: post #4

Curious if when Queen Elizabeth passes away, if there will be a surge in republican interest in the various realms outside of the UK. For the vast majority of the population in those countries, she's the only monarch they've ever known. Once Charles, or perhaps William, takes over, that link to the past will have been severed.

This actually terrified me, as Britain being willing to give up the commonwealth when the Queen dies may mean serious contests for who gets to write new constitutions. It's not so much a matter of removing the Queen as head of state as unsealing the document, so someone says while you are there, we need this, and we will fight you if we don't get it. You see how this escalates immediately, and all together within mon…

>What are the odds of over 50 countries ever trying to rewrite their constitutions in a lifetime,

Why would 50 countries be rewriting their constitutions ? Only 16 "realms" of the Commonwealth actually have the Queen as head of state.

Re: Barbados’s long-drawn-out promise of a republic

#20

Post by kortilla » Sat, Nov 06, 2021, 5:34 AM UTC

rnmwfQ3f wrote: post #18

Mikeb85 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I (Canadian) would personally vote to be a republic. Symbolic or not, I think it's absurd that hereditary rule exists in any form in the current day and age.

Why is that absurd?

Because it’s irrelevant.