An American Queen of Sweden?

[MagicManICT]

How many nations are 500 years old?* People and cultures certainly have that long of a history, but nations? Most of Europe has been divided and redivided, conquered and reconquered so many times that most of those cultures are bastards and cross-mingled. Same goes for the rest of the world, too. It's just a fact of human history.

*The short list I can think of: Portugal, UK, Japan. Japan stays there only because of the unified change from an Empire to the current democratic-republic government without a need of a government overthrow. Even the UK isn't without its rebellions and government overthrows in the last 500 years.

Anyway, I don't blame him for not wanting to give up US citizenship, especially with what his career is. Who'd want to go do things like diplomacy when diplomacy is for the weak and poor?

[jorb]

Madeleine is not the heir apparent by a longshot.

[Judaism]

Isn't it bizarre in this day and age that the concept of Royalty still exists?

Here in the Netherlands most people like the monarchy and we also have a special day to celeberate it.

Our royal house is great for our economy altough it cost us around 150 million euro's a year we still have a huge benefit around 5 billion.

America is a fresh country with less history compared to most European countries and could only image of a royal house, U JELLY Cleayt !

[Claeyt]

Madeleine is not the heir apparent by a longshot.

She's 4th I thought. After looking it up I didn't know about the personal trainer's kid.

[Pjotr84]

Here in the Netherlands most people like the monarchy and we also have a special day to celeberate it.

Our royal house is great for our economy altough it cost us around 150 million euro's a year we still have a huge benefit around 5 billion.

I'm guessing you're basing the 5 billion off of certain newspaper articles that have been published in the last few years. This monarchy bonus was based on a "monarchy dummy variable", as it was called in the 2007 report by the university of Tilburg. This variable was part of a model that included world bank data on, among others, quality of law (enforcement), stability and democratic representation. One of the researchers, a prof. Van Dalen, admits the results are questionable at best, since it's hard to tell where exactly the benefits came from. In quoting someon who's said it before him, Van Dalen says: "it's best not to let daylight shine on the magic too much, as it might make the monarchy bonus disappear".

Also, I'd like to be able to elect the head of state for the country I live in and not basically sell it for questionable economic benefits.

[RuneNL]

Also, I'd like to be able to elect the head of state for the country I live in and not basically sell it for questionable economic benefits.

What? And have a spectacle like in the U.S.? Politicians are being lobbied left and right and are doing a piss poor job. Too busy with how they can reach the EU's **** best (cutting spending in areas that are bad for the country). Only dealing with populistic problems ignoring the causes... How about our dikes being ignored while being in a bad shape.

I like the idea that we have someone in the country that can pull a killswitch on ludicrous politician endevours.


Yes; I don't trust politicians. Last thing we need is them having more power and waste more money on silly propagandizing campaigns.

[Nimmeth]

I like reading all of these Expert Opinions based on facts from 9gag pictures

[Pjotr84]

Being able to elect your head of state doesn't mean we're going to have a "spectacle". Being able to elect more people in political functions will only increase the degree to which Holland is a democracy. It strikes me as weird that a lot of people don't see a problem in not being able to elect their mayors, senators or the head of state. No matter what kind of democracy a country is, lobbying will always be there.

And sure, focussing on image rather than the message during the elections may become a bigger problem than it is already, but the solution certainly isn't to tie political functions to being born into a certain family.

[RuneNL]

Being able to elect your head of state doesn't mean we're going to have a "spectacle". Being able to elect more people in political functions will only increase the degree to which Holland is a democracy. It strikes me as weird that a lot of people don't see a problem in not being able to elect their mayors, senators or the head of state. No matter what kind of democracy a country is, lobbying will always be there.

And sure, focussing on image rather than the message during the elections may become a bigger problem than it is already, but the solution certainly isn't to tie political functions to being born into a certain family.

Being able to elect a mayor would be better as current. And I agree with what you on this regard. Especially the last bit :p.

I however would not have the monarch be replaced by a single president.

I like reading all of these Expert Opinions based on facts from 9gag pictures

I like reading these one sentence "expert" assumptions from bottom barrel 4chan crowd

Care to add some substance to your expert assumptions Nimmeth?
Or is this you "freedom fighting" against Pjotr because they are being mean to your oh so glorious leader?

[Judaism]

I agree on the mayor part also, we do have some indirect influence but still.

Most of our system is brilliant compared to America with their district system, there was a good reason we changed that in 1917.