Coronation Chicken

[vinteuil]

As an elected head of state, David Attenborough...

It was his birthday yesterday. He is 97...

.

[Sir Velo]

It was his birthday yesterday. He is 97...

.

Mere spring chicken...

https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/men-could-live-to-140-as-human-lifespan-increases-say-scientists/

[french frank]

As an elected head of state, David Attenborough, or one of several similarly widely-known and motivated people would probably do the job of leading the kind of eco-socialist order many I think would be happy with, were it not for the awkward business of divesting the ruling class of its power and privileges.

But the constitution lays down that the head of state is the monarch. Were the constitution to be changed and the UK had an elected head of state, the monarch would have no role at all - as distinct from the ceremonial one it has at present. The constitutional monarchy would in practice be 'abolished' and the government could take possession of the Crown Estate, but not the personal possessions of the Royal Family. Ex-King Charles and his heirs would still be very wealthy, along with all the other very wealthy people, until a state kleptocracy seized their private wealth and strung them up from the lamp posts.

As it stood, the elected head of state could not, by virtue of having been elected, lead an 'eco-socialist' order without having stood on some sort of political platform in the first place (which was my question). Otherwise, would this benevolently socialist elected 'monarch' be more democratic than a non-political king?

[RichardB]

The questions remain: what sort of elected head do you want to see and more importantly what should their job be?

The second question begs a third (as I've said before): why does there need to be a head of state at all? Switzerland doesn't have one for example.

[vinteuil]

The second question begs a third (as I've said before): why does there need to be a head of state at all? Switzerland doesn't have one for example.

... whereas Andorra has two (the Bishop of Urgell and the President of France)

(on a perhaps related note - I have always liked the fact that the Spanish national anthem has no words... )


.

[french frank]

The second question begs a third (as I've said before): why does there need to be a head of state at all? Switzerland doesn't have one for example.

Do you mean why don't we have a 'collective head of state' made up of the elected members of a Federal Council of whom one is the President?

The Encyclopaedia Britannica says: "The role of the head of state is primarily representative, serving to symbolize the unity and integrity of the state at home and abroad." But if you feel the UK has no need to be represented in any official way like this, no need for a head of state. But since most major independent sovereign states do have a head of state, the question would be why would we think it better NOT have one, rather than why do we need one. One revolution at a time, I think.

[RichardB]

"The role of the head of state is primarily representative, serving to symbolize the unity and integrity of the state at home and abroad."

Although people like Trump, Johnson, Bolsonaro, Orban, Netanyahu and Berlusconi seem to symbolise precisely the opposite of that.

[Retune]

In some countries, one of the roles of the elected Head of State is to provide checks and balances against abuse of power by the Head of Government. The Monarch might in some rare circumstances perform this role in the UK, but their power to do so is limited - the Queen was obliged to sign off on Boris Johnson's unlawful prorogation of Parliament, for example. Do we need someone independent of Government with the political legitimacy to say 'No'? Perhaps there are some powers that are nominally in the hands of the King that should in practice be exercised by (e.g.) the Speaker?

[french frank]

Although people like Trump, Johnson, Bolsonaro, Orban, Netanyahu and Berlusconi seem to symbolise precisely the opposite of that.

And all 'elected', be it noted. Not sure of all their offices, but Johnson wasn't head of state. Not sure that any of them were/are 'ceremonial' heads of state.

[RichardB]

Johnson wasn't head of state

Indeed not, although he does seem to have thought of himself in those terms. As for "ceremonial" heads of state, well, if you were to scrap all the pointless ceremony they'd become somewhat superfluous, would they not.