Tony Benn on the monarchy from 2004:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/...archy.politics

We claim that this country is a democracy. But the Queen always refers to Britain as a constitutional monarchy because, technically, she summons and dissolves parliament, and approves the composition of her majesty's government, each of whom has the oath of a privy councillor administered to them, requiring them to defend the Queen "against all foreign princes, persons, prelates, states or potentates". Every MP has to swear an oath of allegiance and the royal assent is required before any bill becomes an act of parliament.

All peerages are created by the crown, as are archbishops and bishops, and each new bishop has to declare in his homage "that your majesty is the only supreme governor of this your realm spiritual, ecclesiastical things as well as temporal".

In practice the Queen has no power: bishops do not believe their homage; MPs owe their allegiance to their constituencies; their party and their conscience and privy councillors, who are subsequently made commissioners in Brussels, then swear another contradictory oath pledging themselves not "to seek or to take instructions from any government".

The prime minister is the real beneficiary of all this nonsense since he is the one who exercises these crown powers of patronage, war-making and treaty-making that allow him to behave like a dictator.

Every prime minister is confident that his party, in parliament, would never challenge him, because of his power of patronage and because MPs know that any such challenge might cost them seats in an election; so the Queen and the prime minister have a common interest in maintaining the status quo.

But apart from this political power system, the existence of a monarchy which doles out peerages, bishoprics and a full range of honours effectively preserves a feudal class system which keeps everyone in their place.


Bring on the republic!