Listening to Nicola Sturgeon the other day on the subject of Scottish independence set me thinking again about the future of the monarchy. I was surprised to hear her say that, despite their aspiration for independence, the SNP would recommend that a sovereign Scotland would retain the British Crown. At first sight this seems impossible - to submit oneself to the head of state of a separate country while becoming independent oneself. But a little thought changed my mind and caused me to think about the future of the monarchy in a UK context.
The key issue concerns prerogative powers. As long as the Crown retains these arbitrary powers there can be no truly independent Scotland and there can be no British, codified, entrenched constitution. But what about (as I think Ms Sturgeon is suggesting) maintaining a monarchy without prerogative powers. We would, of course, have to replace them with a codified set of powers to be exercised by a combination of parliament and the prime minister, but at least we would free ourselves from the absurdity of the fiction that the Queen is on any political relevance. In this way we can have it all - a real, modern constitution, but without the complications of a political head of state (i.e. an elected president, who might be someone like Boris Johnson, God help us). Furthermore the 'mystery and majesty' of the monarchy would be retained, much to the advantage of the balance of payments as well as British prestige.
I am all for Scottish independnce if the Scots vote for it and if it means we can re-position the monarchy to the place where it belongs - firmly on the prow of the ship as merely a figurehead.
http://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/Colleges/Government---Politics.aspx?mRef=CNM01.
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