[Lemmy]

romanP romanP:

But the Queen has the final say on all of our laws. She doesn't exercise this power, but she has it.

Horseshit. The Queen has no say any longer. She's a figurehead. Even suggesting otherwise is cause for She has NO power whatsoever. None.

[Scape]

Yet when she speaks, the people still listen.

[Lemmy]

Just because they shut up, give her a mic and roll out the red carpet doesn't mean that they're listening to what she says.

[Proculation]

She's not leading anything. The leader is the PM. And he is not "supreme"

[Scape]

I suppose so but why then with the 65th anniversary of D-Day celebrations were announced and Queen was not on the list she was not the one that made a fuss yet she still ended up there. Now that may speak more to her as a person or perhaps the nation but she is an ambassador and one many admire if not on a public level at least on a personal one. I can't say the same level of respect will be there of Charles and Camila but the estate of the throne is still very much in place and even if it wasn't there we would end up reinventing in some form because it does serve as an administrative utility that functions even when the state can not/will not.

[Lemmy]

Yes, she is an ambassador and someone many admire. The same is true of Angelina Jolie, the Dalai Lama and the ghost of Mohandis Gandhi, each of whom have equal power to the Queen of England in terms of the governance of Canada.

[Scape]

No one visits ghosts and pop stars are seen as political flyweights, her position has clout and she wields it with a mastery culminated in decades of service to her country. Like it or not she does visit and political movers and industry leaders talk to her and her greatest power is that of an intermediary between parties who otherwise could not be seen working in concert and she give such communique validity. I know Bono has done a few concerts but do you think Putin has used him as a go between for South Ossetia?

[Lemmy]

I agree. She has position and standing. But that doesn't amount to any power to govern in Canada.

[Scape]

By means of comparison China doesn't hold any sway over North Korea in the six party talks in so far as they provide the majority of food and supplies to NK and speak on NK behalf with their veto on the security council. They could cut NK off and hang them to dry with sanctions but if NK collapses China ends up cleaning the mess and they know it. The Queen, on the other hand, could say she doesn't want an airport to be built in Quebec but rather in Ontario but if she was to do it Canada would immediately depose the monarchy outright for unwarranted meddling in our domestic affairs. In both instances it is soft power that both parties wield and in the long run that has more profound effects. The Queens power is still on the books but it's a break glass in times of emergency setup not something normally used such as to prorogue Parliament.