The art of governing without governing

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The contribution that the Crown can make to the political system is not dictated by rules

The parliamentary monarchy is a game of appearances; a political system that behaves “in disguise”, as Walter Bagehot, the greatest apologist of the British parliamentary monarchy, noted. The Queen appears as the author of acts that others do: appoint the Prime Minister, approve the laws and decrees or the judgments of the courts, which are dictated in her name. The queen, the king, “queens, but do not reign.”

However, the royal function is not unimportant in a polity that strives for deep-rooted legitimacy in society. Insofar as it is part of the solemn or venerable part of the Constitution, its function is to help the “efficient” parts of the Constitution, which determine the actual functioning of the political system (Bagehot ‘dixit’), gain authority . A function in which the liturgy plays an important role. In this sense, some believe that monarchies contribute more than presidents in purely parliamentary republics, such as Germany.

But the contribution that the Crown can make to the political system is not dictated by the force of the rules, but to achieve this requires the confluence of a series of circumstances, including the image of its behavior by the person who wears the crown. plays a role. transcendental role…

Isabel II has had to deal with very complex situations, the management of which exceeded its functions. And in the United Kingdom, positions contrary to the monarchy have not been insignificant. It has been successive British governments, with their parliamentary majorities, that have politically defined the country’s path during their reigns.

But the Queen has contributed to the consolidation of the constitutional system through, many times, gestures full of enormous symbolism. At the same time, this contributed to the legitimization of the monarchy. This explains the increasing acceptance the institution has achieved in the UK from her accession to her death, despite scandals and crises. And this is what Leonard, the endearing Cambridge taxi driver, gave me in disbelief when, in the midst of the Diamond Jubilee, in 2012, I showed him my skepticism about the Queen’s role in the British constitutional system, and told me it hurt me. : ” You’re wrong. The Queen is a very very important person.

Source: La Verdad

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