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    "Constitutional Monarchy" Archived Message

    Posted by Gerard on February 21, 2019, 2:41 pm, in reply to "Republicanism 1688"

    A Republic does not have a monarch as it's head this was the formation of a "constitutional monarchy" that was supposed to be informed by legal precedent...the monarch swears an oath before God to uphold the principles of the Church of England too..although Elizabeth has given some of her powers away she still has a few! An apologist for monarchy? Strange anarchist you are!

    "Parliament may have the power to make the laws, but the Queen must sign off on a proposed bill before it officially goes into effect. She must give what’s known as “royal assent,” which means that she approves the proposed law (or doesn’t!). However, this power to reject laws is, to say the least, not something that comes into play very often. The last time a monarch didn’t grant royal assent was in 1708, when Queen Anne vetoed a measure that would’ve restored the Scottish militia."..

    "Most government officials in the United Kingdom are chosen through a vote, but the Queen can appoint Ministers to the Crown, including advisors and cabinet officials, herself. She most frequently chooses from the existing members of Parliament. This ability isn’t unique to the Queen, though; the Prime Minister has the power to appoint Ministers to the Crown as well."..

    "If she sees fit, Queen Elizabeth II can grant “royal pardon” to anyone convicted of a crime. This is another power, though, that she doesn’t use much nowadays. The original purpose of “royal pardon” was to provide exemption from the now-abolished death penalty. The practice of royal pardon is less common today, but the Queen did use it to grant a posthumous pardon to World War II codebreaker Alan Turing in 2013. It can also reduce prison sentences, which it recently did in 2001. Two inmates in a South Wales prison jumped into action to save a prison worker’s life after he was attacked by a wild boar. The monarch made the decision that their heroics had earned them a little time off their sentences."

    "Any citizen of the United Kingdom with a passport has that passport thanks to the Queen. The Queen herself doesn’t usually issue them directly, though; ministers will usually be the ones to issue passports, on her behalf. Every British passport is issued in her name. She also has the power to withdraw them, though, so whenever you’re traveling, don’t do anything the Queen wouldn’t do!"

    "Yes, the 92-year-old monarch is Commander-in-Chief of the United Kingdom’s entire military force! All British soldiers must swear an oath to her before officially joining the armed forces. With the power to command the army, though, comes the power to delegate that duty as well. The Queen can assign the position of Commander-in-Chief to another government official, most commonly the Prime Minister or the Secretary of State for Defence."*

    "Not only can the Queen declare war on other countries, she’s the only one in the United Kingdom with the power to do so. She doesn’t have absolute power by any means, though. This ability only applies in cases of “all-out warfare,” and Parliament, the Prime Minister, and the rest of the government would have to permit it. Queen Elizabeth II has never declared war throughout her entire reign; the last monarch to do so was King George VI, Elizabeth’s father, who declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939."*

    "The Queen can personally bestow honors on individuals who have proven themselves to be exemplary citizens of the United Kingdom. They may earn such distinctions through everything from charity work to artistic or scientific contributions. There is a whole host of potential honors, but the titles you’re probably most familiar with are “Sir” (Knight) and “Dame,” thanks to stars like Patrick Stewart, Elton John, and Maggie Smith." https://www.rd.com/culture/queen-elizabeth-governing-power/

    "The Queen previously wielded the power to dissolve Parliament and call a general election, but the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act put an end to that in 2011. Now a two-thirds vote in the commons is required to dissolve Parliament before a five-year fixed-term is up.*

    She does still play a part after an election, however, when she calls on the MP most able to form a government to do so.

    This caused some worry ahead of this year's General Election. It once looked as if the Conservatives might not have a majority (but would be the largest party) and would try to form a government. Meanwhile, it was feasible that Labour could form a majority, despite having fewer seats, by entering into a coalition with multiple other parties.

    In this situation, the Queen would have been stuck between a rock and a hard place. Every year, she opens Parliament with the Queen's speech, which lays out the government's plans. But to give David Cameron's speech would arguably be to tacitly endorse his government — while staying away would send the opposite message.

    At one point, The Times was told by sources that she planned to "stay away" if Cameron failed to secure enough MPs, but the Palace later had an about-face. "Royal sources confirmed she would lead proceedings, even if there was a risk the speech would be overthrown the following week because the Tories had failed to muster enough backing from smaller parties," The Times subsequently reported." https://www.businessinsider.com/weirdest-powers-queen-elizabeth-ii-british-sovereign-prerogative-swans-dolphins-2015-5?r=UK

    *italics mine..

    think of all the land they own too..Honestly K!

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