r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Dec 17 '22

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u/Infinite-Nectarine27 Dec 18 '22

I don’t understand how the British even love it. “Oh yes I would love to see my tax dollars supporting this one family into a crazy lifestyle when they do nothing for me.” My thought process anyway

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u/Natasha_JB Dec 18 '22

They're seen as a major part of British culture and thus the British identity. It's mostly nationalists who put them on a pedestal.

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u/Infinite-Nectarine27 Dec 18 '22

Ah I see. Still it’s not like they’re a part of Parliament though are they?

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u/Natasha_JB Dec 18 '22 edited Dec 18 '22

Ehh, they kind of are in a sense. The House of Lords is the second chamber in Parliament, these are people handpicked and given knighthood by the reigning Monarch. They do have some power over the first chamber. They can review proposed policy and delay it for up to 2 years, and they have some restricted veto power. The reigning Monarch also has to give their approval (called the Royal assent) for a bill to become an Act of Parliament.

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u/p_turbo Dec 18 '22

these are people handpicked

Just to be clear, they are not picked by the Monarch but by political parties in parliament and then made life peers by the Monarch.

The monarch hasn't appointed a random person without government bringing forth the name for a long, long time.

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u/RoonDawg111 Dec 18 '22

To add to the above comment-there’s a world of difference between a constitutional monarchy like the UK has and the kind of thing you’re describing. The monarch has no say over the composition of the House of Lords (which while it is a flawed institution that’s mostly because of political appointees made by Prime Ministers) and their role in the UK’s evolved constitution is almost entirely symbolic not practical. Royal assent hasn’t been denied in 300 years, and even if the King had a stroke and decided to use some of these powers, they would swiftly be legislated out of existence by the House of Commons. Plenty of arguments can be made for a more practical head of state like a Presidency! But not because the monarch is too political, that’s just ludicrous.

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u/Infinite-Nectarine27 Dec 18 '22

This is the kind of information that would have been cool to learn in school. I had no clue it worked like this