Head of State

[niteowl]

Could someone explain to me why we have a Head Of State? Other than we belong to the Commonwealth.

I just see the Governor General and Lieutenant Governors or any position of that matter as a waste of taxpayers money.

 

[threepeat]

Could someone explain to me why we have a Head Of State? Other than we belong to the Commonwealth.

I just see the Governor General and Lieutenant Governors or any position of that matter as a waste of taxpayers money.

I mostly agree with you, but just coming at it from the other side, it's not really any more of a waste than a company having a marketing department. A Head of State can grease the political wheels by kissing the right peoples' asses, leading to business opportunities, political deals, etc.

The role becomes more clear if you look at the U.S., because they are the superpower and the stakes are higher. Hilary is sent out whenever there is a relationship that needs repairing.

 

[oh3421]

Countries need a leader who is perceived to be ABOVE daily politics and accepted by all people. Government leaders cannot fulfill that role since they are partisan and "tainted" by the mudslinging of daily politics. Just think what left-wing Canadians think about Steven Harper, and how much they would respect him as their leader. Heads of States can fill the vacuum because they can be seen as a leader beyond politics.
Ironically the US is the only democracy I know that does not have a head of state position. The president's role is a highly partisan position, and Hilary works for the president, hence she is also partisan and not a head of state...

 

[MissingOne]

I like having an unelected head of state with strong power but limited to a very specific range of decisions. The Governor General has no influence over the legislation that governs our daily lives, but does have the ability to step in and make a decision when our elected leaders fail and we're faced with the issue of whether the government of the day still has the mandate to govern.

I prefer an unelected head of state because, if the person were elected, he or she would come to believe that he/she had a mandate from the people and would begin to interfere in day-to-day governance. Our unelected head of state knows full well that he or she has no such mandate.

I'm not so very keen on the Prime Minister being the one to appoint the Governor General. However, I don't know what a better alternative would be.

oh2421, the US does have a head of state. The President. The odditity about the US system is the lack of a position equivalent to that of Prime Minister, and the degree to which the President is involved in day-to-day governance.

 

[niteowl]

Does it have to be a GG to go around the world and kiss ass? What about the deputy PM?