The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

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That's what everyone thinks. The Queen still has a right and duty to express her views on government matters, but yes I do admit she doesn't make the final decisions.

However, the Queen still holds the power to get rid of the Prime Minister, so really, she still has more power than the Prime Minister, even when the Prime Minister makes most of the decisions.
 
The same thing applies with the Governor General (representative of the Queen) here in Australia, even though the G-G is appointed by the Parliament, the G-G can kick out the PM if times call for it. =P

But anyway, sort of half-glanced at Day 1's processions, an absolute ball it was from the news =P
 
Toblet said:
However, the Queen still holds the power to get rid of the Prime Minister, so really, she still has more power than the Prime Minister, even when the Prime Minister makes most of the decisions.
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Uh, the Parliament still has to make a vote in order for the PM to be kicked out permanently.
 
No, actually not. The Queen has the potential to do whatever she wants. Having power is one thing, but using the power is another. If she used the power, the public would probably be outraged and she could be kicked out the monarchy.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_powers_do_Britain%27s_Royal_Family_have

She can use any of the Royal Prerogatives at will. She IS the most powerful person in the UK, but chooses not to act upon some of the Prerogatives. Eg. She still issues honors and appoints Prime ministers, but she doesn't Close Parliament because the public would be furious.
 
Toblet said:
No, actually not. The Queen has the potential to do whatever she wants. Having power is one thing, but using the power is another. If she used the power, the public would probably be outraged and she could be kicked out the monarchy.
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Britain's Government Site said:
Most of the powers once exercised by the monarch have now been devolved (transferred) to ministers. In certain circumstances, however, the monarch retains the power to exercise personal discretion over issues such as appointing the prime minister and dissolving Parliament, even though these powers may never be used in practice, or may only be exercised symbolically.
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You can trace this back to the Glorious Revolution when the country officially established itself as a constitutional monarchy and when the modern Parliament was created to limit the powers of such monarchs.

The Queen performs a range of important duties, such as summoning and dissolving Parliament and giving royal assent to legislation passed by the UK Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales or the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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Doesn't seem like a lot of duties to me.

In international affairs, the Queen (as head of state) has the power to declare war and make peace, to recognise foreign states, to conclude treaties and to take over or give up territory.
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Here, she is sort of Commander-in-Chief.

Nothing else even states what kinds of other duties she can perform. The truth is, your government is governed by the Parliament and the Monarchs are merely figureheads who have very limited power. Same thing with the United States, even. Obama has even more power than Elizabeth II, but still, Congress and the division of our political parties prevent him from doing any major decision alone.

She can use any of the Royal Prerogatives at will. She IS the most powerful person in the UK, but chooses not to act upon some of the Prerogatives. Eg. She still issues honors and appoints Prime ministers, but she doesn't Close Parliament because the public would be furious.
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Okay, but the public wouldn't oust her out. That's what the PARLIAMENT is there for.
 
even though these powers may never be used in practice, or may only be exercised symbolically
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The Queen can still use the power whenever she wishes. Parliament was created to limit the power of Monarchy's, but it doesn't prove that parliament has more power than she Queen. She still has the power to dissolve it. You can limit someone's power, but it doesn't mean they don't have the most power.

Doesn't seem like a lot of duties to me
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Did you read the 'Such as' part? They are only examples of the Queens duties.

Here, she is sort of Commander-in-Chief.

Nothing else even states what kinds of other duties she can perform. The truth is, your government is governed by the Parliament and the Monarchs are merely figureheads who have very limited power. Same thing with the United States, even. Obama has even more power than Elizabeth II, but still, Congress and the division of our political parties prevent him from doing any major decision alone.
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Just because all of her duties aren't stated in the government site, doesn't mean their not true. I don't see anywhere in the government site that say's she can issue Honors, and yet she does have the power to give Honors to people. She continues to do it to this day. She can issue ALL of these Royal Prerogatives:
1) Closing Parliament
2) Appointing the Prime Minister
3) Dismissing the Prime Minister
4) Vetoing a Law
5) Declaring War/Peace
6) Issuing a Pardon
7) Issuing Honors

Quote from Britain's Government Site
however, the monarch retains the power to exercise personal discretion over issues such as appointing the prime minister and dissolving Parliament
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Yes our government is currently ruled by Parliament, but at the end of the day, the Queen still has the power to eliminate them and the Prime Minister. It even says it in the government site. This proves she is the most powerful person in the UK.
Okay, but the public wouldn't oust her out. That's what the PARLIAMENT is there for.
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She can dissolve Parliament whenever she wants. The public ARE the ONLY people who can oust her. However her position as Queen is safe, as long as the public continue to support her. (And they do support her).
 
How can the people, under a constitutional monarchy, oust out a Monarch? The only way I can see that happening is by massive revolution. The people have very little power to act in the affairs of that kind of government. And even if the Queen was afraid of the public's reaction to if she fired the PM and disposed the Parliament, then how come they have stayed? You guys clearly hate Cameron and so does a lot of BBC Polls state that people don't find him a stable leader, so how come he hasn't been ousted out yet? It's all politics by the Parliament.
 
A massive revolution would be the only way to bring down the monarchy, but I don't see that happening in our lifetime. The reasons why the Queen wouldn't force out David Cameron is because although many dislike him, people generally dislike all politicians. David Cameron still has many supporters and I bet the Queen likes him too. I think the only reasons why the Queen would force out the PM would be if he intended for a massacre or something else that is very extreme. The Queen could be seen as a lifeline; if the British public made a mistake in electing the wrong person, she has the power to remove him/her to save the UK from a potential disaster.
 
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