a great debate

I had the opportunity recently to be the guest of an organization sponsoring an online debate about Canada’s allegiance to the monarchy and whether it should stay. Two people from each side put forward their arguments. Interesting that before the debate, they polled us attendees,  indicating a tie: 34% in favour, 34% against and 32% not sure. I guess the “leavers” did a good job: post-debate, 58% in favour 26% against, 16% undecided.
Want my take in this issue? Sure you do…
The royal family’s days have come and gone. These people are victims of their own complacency and we have no need to respect them anymore. 400 years ago, amidst all their riches, they got tired of ruling (oh sob, sob) and outsourced their responsibility to what was then a first minister: a Prime Minister. Since then, they’ve simply devolved into a rubber stamp mechanism with no legitimate responsibility. Charles talks to plants and screws around on his wife. Andrew talks to kids and screws them. Enough said. After Queen Elizabeth retires or dies, that’s it: shut it down! (P.S. Did you know Queen Elizabeth has someone on staff whose sole job is to cut the beef for her that she’s served. What a gig!) Enough with this invalid travesty.
 
Oh, by the way, while we’re at it, might as well remind you of my opinion that it’s time to end the vice-regal situation in Canada as well. It costs us millions of dollars annually and the roles of the Governor-General and Lieutenants-Governor in this country have been reduced to being ceremonial at best. They used to represent the Queen or King in “the colonies”  but that’s no longer necessary. The millions of dollars devoted to simple ceremony could so much be better utilized for education and healthcare. Why didn’t GG Mary Simon just say “No” to Trudeau’s specious election call? Because the role has no teeth, that’s why, so she rubber-stamped it,  thereby wasting $600 million dollars. Begone all of this irrelevance!
Abd for those who argue about how much process will have to be evoked to make this happen, I can only say that I’m mindful of how the COVID vaccination was developed in record-quick time because people wanted it. Surely this can prevail here too. “If you want it, it will come.”

---