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1、2015TEXT1※KingJuanCarlosofSpainonceinsisted“kingsdon’tabdicate,theydieintheirsleep.”ButembarrassingscandalsandthepopularityoftherepublicansleftintherecentEuro-electionshaveforcedhimtoeathiswordsandstanddown.So,doestheSpanishcrisissuggestthatmonarchyisseein
2、gitslastdays?DoesthatmeanthewritingisonthewallforallEuropeanroyals,withtheirmagnificentuniformsandmajesticlifestyles?※TheSpanishcaseprovidesargumentsbothforandagainstmonarchy.Whenpublicopinionisparticularlypolarized,asitwasfollowingtheendoftheFranceregime,
3、monarchscanriseabove“mere”politiesand“embody”aspiritofnationalunity.※Itisthisapparenttranscendenceofpolitiesthatexplainsmonarchy’scontinuingpopularityasheadsofstate.Andso,theMiddleEastexpected,Europeisthemostmonarch-infestedregionintheworld,with10kingdoms(
4、notcountingVaticanCityandAndorra).ButunliketheirabsolutistcounterpartsintheGulfandAsia,mostroyalfamilieshavesurvivedbecausetheyallowvoterstoavoidthedifficultsearchforanon-controversialbutrespectedpublicfigure.※Evenso,kingsandqueensundoubtedlyhaveadownside.
5、Symbolicofnationalunityastheyclaimtobe,theirveryhistory-andsometimesthewaytheybehavetoday-embodiesoutdatedandindefensibleprivilegesandinequalities.AtatimewhenThomasPikettyandothereconomistsarewarmingofrisinginequalityandtheincreasingpowerofinheritedwealth,
6、itisbizarrethatwealthyaristocraticfamiliesshouldstillbethesymbolicheartofmoderndemocraticstates.※Themostsuccessfulmonarchiesstrivetoabandonorhidetheiroldaristocraticways.Princesandprincesseshaveday-jobsandridebicycles,nothorses(orhelicopters).Evenso,thesea
7、rewealthyfamilieswhopartywiththeinternational1%,andmediaintrusivenessmakesitincreasinglydifficulttomaintaintherightimage.※WhileEurope’smonarchieswillnodoubtbesmartenoughtosurviveforsometimetocome,itistheBritishroyalswhohavemosttofearfromtheSpanishexample.※
8、ItisonlytheQueenwhohaspreservedthemonarchy’sreputationwithherratherordinary(ifwell-heeled)grannystyle.ThedangerwillcomewithCharles,whohasbothanexpensivetasteoflifestyleandaprettyhierarchicalviewoftheworld.Heh
