Why the Monarchy Must Stay

Brooks-Baker, Harold, Newsweek

Winston churchill often described parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy as being imperfect--but the best that man had yet devised.

It is human nature to require a leader at the helm. In our century we have looked to our heads of state for this role. Apart from carrying out ceremonial duties, a head of state should foster the notion of political accountability, while remaining above politics. That, of course, can't be true in places where the head of state is an ex-politician -- or in America, where the head of state is the political leader. The British system of constitutional monarchy, like the more than half-dozen monarchies still in existence in Europe, aptly shows why a monarch is a more successful figurehead than a president.

"In Great Britain …

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Publication information: Article title: Why the Monarchy Must Stay. Contributors: Brooks-Baker, Harold - Author. Magazine title: Newsweek. Volume: 127. Issue: 11 Publication date: March 11, 1996. Page number: 39. © 2009 Newsweek, Inc. All rights reserved. Any reuse, distribution or alteration without express written permission of Newsweek is prohibited. For permission: www.newsweek.com. COPYRIGHT 1996 Gale Group.

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