Agree that the house of lords, as currently set up, has no place in a meritocracy but a reconfigured monarchy can mutually coexist I think if the will is there to change a bit. By this I don't mean the king moving into a Council flat in Walsall, but rather the role of the monarchy needs redefining and moving more towards a marketing brand.

BUT, and its a big BUT, when one looks at the massive outpourings of public grief on the death of Elizabeth 2 and DumbDiana and te public joy at the coronation, one wonders if joe public would want that. The grievers were most definitely not just the privileged, but rather seemed to be across all strata of society. This makes me feel that the people are quite happy with the monarchy - and its just po faced liberal intellectuals that debate its abolition and want rid of the monarchy to suit their own narrow agenda. Those that these liberals purport to benefit from this change actually dont want it. Gawd bless her, lovely lady..... An odd conflict

Incidentally, those who support a meritocracy. What happens when a person who has worked had and meritted good wealth and fortune himself has a thick kid? Does the wealth generated by the meritter get confiscated as the offspring has no merit? How does that work and who defines the degree of merit.

Its easy to see a case for those with merit ascending within society but IM not sure how it would work when they are to go down a snake rather than up a ladder