How about we abolish the monarchy, and don't replace it with anything?

I said I was going to start blogging again, so here goes.
I also promised myself I wasn't going to write about the jubilee. Because while an anachronistic, unelected, hereditary head of state who provides no meanigful constitutional role or any function outside of the ceremonial is ripe for slagging off - it's just too easy to do.

What really got my goat about the whole jubilee thing was the way republican protesters were treated by the flag waving masses. People actually booed them. I mean, what? People were criticising people who think democracy is a good idea.

To be honest, I'm not actually for an elected head of state either. We should abolish the monarchy and not replace them with anything. Or maybe replace them with one of us, chosen at random. It could be like the lottery. "Trip to meet the new French president next week, get you tickets now and you could represent the country! Free meal and a night in Paris included"

And the biggest farce I've heard coming from the royalists so far. It was something like this - "If you hate the queen so much, why don't you go and live in North Korea". Yes, that makes sense. I think you'll find the flag waving, hysterical personality cult, crying in the streets, mass outpourings of grief when one of them dies, jubilation when another one gets married and the seeming immortality of the dear leader Elizabeth makes the Kim dynasty and the House of Windsor rather alike.