Quote of the Month

Writes Ms. Helen Rittelmeyer over at her weblog The Cigarette Smoking Blog:

Liechtenstein’s monarchy is one of the jewels of Mitteleuropean government, right up there with the canton system of Switzerland. And with the highest per capita GDP in Europe, it’s not as if Liechtenstein’s democracy movement has any concrete objection to the hereditary monarch apart from his being a hereditary monarch. If the supporters of this referendum have no better argument than a general faith in democracy, then speaking as a citizen of a democracy, I would advise them to reconsider.

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Some Thoughts on Democracy at Month's End

Over at LewRockwell.com, Mr. Frank Karsten writes:

Democracy tends to be equated by many people with prosperity, equality, fairness, togetherness and liberty. There is no evidence for any of this. Democracy rests on three main principles: you have the right to vote, you have the right to run for office, and the majority rules. That’s it. Nowhere is it written for instance that democracy guarantees the right to free speech, a right that many people link with democracy. Nor is there any reason why democracy should lead to prosperity.

Over at his Mail on Sunday blog (although he has apparently not recently written on Sundays), Mr. Peter Hitchens writes:

Mr McCartney is much more outdated than the Monarchy. I don’t just mean that anyone listening today to the works of The Beatles must be puzzled and embarrassed that such trivial stuff plunged millions of teenage girls into shrieking hysteria.

I mean that his political views are much the same as those of a student revolutionary of half a century ago, or of a BBC executive (much the same thing). During the past 40 years or so, republics haven’t exactly distinguished themselves, have they?

Apartheid South Africa was a republic. East Germany was a republic. Iran and Iraq are republics. North Korea is a republic. Republican America searched through more than 200 million citizens for a President and came up with . . . George W. Bush.

Over at Taki's Magazine, Prof. Paul Gottfried writes:

My now deceased polyglot friend Eric [sic] von Kuehnelt-Leddihn was fond of telling a story about his conversation with a Spanish fisherman near Bilbao, whom he asked (probably in Basque) what he thought about the government. The fisherman answered laconically: “Franco worries about the government; I just fish.” The point of this narrative was not to show what a good guy El Caudillo was. It was to indicate how a traditional authoritarian regime proceeded to act once it had settled scores with the revolutionary left. It was interested in order, not in creating a new democratic or socialist man/woman or in opening hitherto undiscovered paths to sensitivity.

Professor Gottfried concludes:

Outside the circles of reactionaries among whom I travel, I have yet to run into people who oppose democracy or equality or who question this ideological consensus. Those who don’t belong to this consensus should not blame politicians. They should indict democracy itself.

American Anti-Monarchist Myth and Rhetorics

Writes The Mad Monarchist:

In a recent interview with Univision U.S. President Obama (again) informed the public that America is not a monarchy and that he is not a king. You'd think the oldest major republic in the world would not have to be constantly reminded of that fact. In this case it was the President making excuses for failing to deliver on a campaign promise to "reform immigration" during his first year in office (Univision is the main Spanish-language American media outlet). Again, he equated monarchy with tyranny but the excuse doesn't hold water Mr. President. In your first year in office your party had control of the entire government; the House, the Senate and the Presidency so, king or not, you could do pretty much whatever you pleased. In fact, in such a position, the President actually had far, far more power than all but a handful of the actual monarchs left in the world. However, if there is one thing the Republicans seem to agree with President Obama on (and it may be the only thing at this point) it is that monarchy is bad. Senator Rick Santorum (again) criticized Obama by comparing him to King George III (a terrible insult to the late king), Mitt Romney has done the same (poor King George) and Ron Paul never passes up an opportunity to pour scorn on the late Shah of Iran (while acting like the current regime is a bunch of innocent victims). So, perhaps we can at least take some small comfort in the fact that both major parties in the U.S. in spite of all the time that has passed since 1776 are still haunted by memories of monarchy. If this lot is so against it, it's bound to be a good thing right?

Royal World also weighs in on the issue.

Lords on Strike?

Some peers in the British upper chamber threaten to go on some sort of strike against the promised upcoming constitutional reforms. So the Daily Mail reports. There are some quite fierce democratist comments on the article.

We didn't see much real opposition to Mr. Blair's reforms, from what I recall. Are we seeing now the beginning of an opposition we haven't seen the likes of since 1911?

The Britannic Diamond Jubilee

Her Britannic Majesty visited King's Lynn Town Hall on Accession Day this year:

And Prof. David Flint was on Australian TV earlier this month:

William Byrd's O Lord, Make Thy Servant (via The Pittsford Perennialist):

Zimmermann Telegram

95 years ago today, the Persona Non Grata of this weblog learned of the Zimmermann Telegram.

Infanta Dona Maria Adelaide, RIP

Her Royal Highness Infanta Dona Maria Adelaide of Portugal passed from this world yesterday at age 100 – in her 101^st year.

Her Royal Highness was the last surviving royal born into a European royal family before the Great War, a war turned by the 28^th POTUS into a war to “make the world safe for democracy,” a concept in which progressives in Europe, especially Britain and France, of course were not innocent either – nor other progressives in those United States.

Requiescat in pace!



Elsewhere: Royal World, Radical Royalist, The Mad Monarchist

Act on Legal Tender

One and a half centuries ago today, the Legal Tender Act was passed.

A Right to Hedonism?

Over at Enter Stage Right, Ms. Lisa Fabrizio reflects on bodily pleasure as a right.

Stefan Zweig in Petropolis

70 years ago, Stefan Zweig, author of Die Welt von Gestern, passed from this world.


There seems to be some uncertainty as to whether his death occurred on February 22 or 23.

More on His Majesty's Birthday

Elsewhere: Trond Norén Isaksen

Happy Birthday, King Harald!

Today marks the 75^th birthday of His Majesty King Harald V of Norway.

Happy Birthday, Your Majesty!

May you have many more years, and may some regal powers be restored during those years!

More on Presidents' Day

LewRockwell.com reruns in writing an almost 16 year old speech by its Editor-in-Chief. Mr. Rockwell writes:

Teachers used to tell school kids that anyone can be president. This is like saying anyone can go to Hell. It's not an inspiration; it's a threat.

I might add the difference in the threats. The latter is a threat to the one who might go there. The former is a threat to everyone else.

Mr. Rockwell continues:

The presidency is presumed to be the embodiment of Rousseau's general will, with far more power than any monarch or head of state in pre-modern societies.

And even further:

When there is a low ebb in the accumulation of power, it is seen as the fault of the individual and not the office. Thus the so-called postage-stamp presidents between Lincoln and Wilson are to be faulted for not following the glorious example set by Abe. They had a vast reservoir of power, but were mysteriously reluctant to use it. Fortunately that situation was resolved, by Wilson especially, and we moved onward and upward into the light of the present day. And every one of these books ends with the same conclusion: the US presidency has served us well.

And even more:

Less well known is how Wilson revived Lincoln's dictatorial predilections, and added to them an even more millennial cast. Moreover, this was his intention before he was elected. In 1908, while still president of Princeton, he wrote a small book entitled the President of the United States. It was a paean to the imperial presidency, and might as well have been the bible of every president who followed him. He went beyond Lincoln, who praised the exercise of power. Wilson longed for a Presidential Messiah to deliver the human race.

Hail to the Chief?

Today is Presidents' Day in those United States.

The nation that is commonly perceived as the prime rejector of the monarchical order has a day to celebrate its presidents.

In the nation's rejection of the monarchical order lies a rejection of personal rule. Yet that same nation celebrates its presidents to no unconsiderable extent.

The very same nation also has a presidential office exceeding in power most – if not all – monarchs of old.

American Public Education

Here are some of the results:

H/T: Le Fleur de Lys too

Hungary Again

Over at the weblog of fellow monarchist Andrew Cusack, Mr. Alexander Shaw and Mr. Cusack report on Hungarian responses to inquiries of the European Commission.

And there's a video:

Happy Birthday, Your Serene Highness!

Best wishes to His Serene Highness Hans-Adam II, Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein, on his 67^th birthday!

Recently, the Norwegian daily newspaper Aftenposten ran a story on Liechtenstein and Norwegian foreign policy, the main points apparently being:

• a tax haven having a right of veto over Norwegian foreign policy.
• Liechtenstein having strong democratic shortcomings.

This blogger would add:

• A tax haven having a right of veto over a tax tyranny couldn't be all that bad? Perhaps this should be expanded to other policy areas as well?
• While there certainly could be problems with systems that have democratic shortcomings, Liechtenstein's system is overall not one of them. Too much democracy is a problem in Europe. The media should be better at challenging the democratism of our time.

League Draft

93 years ago today, a draft covenant for the League of Nations was presented by the bête noire of this weblog.

Florence Green, RIP

Earlier this month, the last known surviving veteran of the Great War, a female non-combat veteran, Florence Green, passed from this world, 15 days short of 111 years old.

R.I.P.

Julian Lincoln Simon

80 years ago today, Julian Lincoln Simon, author of The Ultimate Resource, was born.

Crown Prince Vittorio Emanuele at 75

Radical Royalist celebrates the 75^th birthday of Crown Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Italy. This weblog joins the celebration.

Happy Birthday, Your Royal Highness!

Viva il Re d'Italia!


Update: Elsewhere: The Mad Monarchist

Middle Kingdom Abdication at 100

A century ago today, the Emperor of China was forced to abdicate.

Ferguson and Rogers on What's Ahead

Prof. Niall Ferguson:

Mr. Jim Rogers:

Moreover, 13 U.S. are considering gold and silver instead of U.S. dollars. So CNN reports.

The Myth of the Rational Voter

Prof. Bryan Caplan and Mr. Stefan Molyneux discuss the former's book The Myth of the Rational Voter:

H/T: Kalim Kassam

Gouverneur Morris at 260

A quarter of a millennium and ten years ago today (January 31 in the Julian calendar), Gouverneur Morris was born.

Vanished Kingdoms

Over at Alternative Right, Mr. Derek Turner reviews Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-forgotten Europe by Norman Davies.

So does Mr. Trond Norén Isaksen over at his blog.

Regicide of Charles I

As this weblog projects old events onto the Gregorian calendar, we today mark 363 years since the regicide of Charles I.

Elsewhere: The Mad Monarchist, Rafal Heydel-Mankoo: Reflections of a Young Fogey

Mascot at 138

138 years ago today, the icon – or the mascot if you will – of this weblog was born.

Lt.-Col. Strutt was the British officer who was sent on a mission under the personal initiative of His Britannic Majesty George V to command the protection of the Austro-Hungarian Imperial-Royal Family in its internal exile. The Lt.-Col. scared almost the living daylights out of Dr. Karl Renner, Chancellor of the “Republic of Austria,” so the Imperial-Royal Family could leave without any abdication.

Lt.-Col. Strutt became Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire shortly after this mission.

Please feel free to browse.

A Norwegian Royal Museum?

Over at his weblog, Norwegian royalty and monarchy historian Trond Norén Isaksen makes the case for a Norwegian royal museum.

Diamond Jubilee

Three score or five dozen years ago today, Her Britannic Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne while at Treetops, Kenya.

The Monarchist pays tribute:

Happy Diamond Jubilee! Happy Accession Day! God save the Queen!

Previously: Britannic Accession, To the Throne in a Tree

Elsewhere: The Monarchist, The Mad Monarchist, Royal World, Rafal Heydel-Mankoo: Reflections of a Young Fogey, Radical Royalist (twice), Trond Norén Isaksen, The Daily Telegraph

The Traditionalism of the Prince of Wales

Over at The American Conservative, Rod Dreher reflects on the traditionalism of the Prince of Wales.


H/T: Royal World

Judicial Infamy 75

Three quarters of a century ago today, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt announced his plan to pack the SCOTUS.

The Alternative Right

Over at AltRight Radio, Mr. Richard Spencer and Mr. Keith Preston talk about the alternative right.

Obama and the Archbishop

Over at The American Conservative, Mr. Patrick J. Buchanan ponders un-Catholic medical measures being forced upon the Catholic Church by the powers by the Potomac.

U.S. Breaks with German Empire

Five years short of a century ago today, those United States broke diplomatic relations with Imperial Germany.

A Little Inflation?

Dr. Thomas E. Woods, Jr. explains why we do not need a little inflation:

H/T: Lew Rockwell's Political Theatre

Lisbon 104 Years Ago

Eight baker's dozen years ago today, His Most Faithful Majesty Carlos I of Portugal and the Prince Royal were assassinated.

Viva o Rei!