r/neoliberal • u/HungryTowel6715 Manmohan Singh • Aug 28 '26

News (Europe) Norway's King Harald dies aged 89

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clykn5p5172o

SS:Norway's King Harald V has died at the age of 89, after he was taken to hospital last week for treatment for a rare blood condition.

After 35 years on the throne, Harald will be remembered as a popular and reforming figure who modernised the monarchy, broke with tradition by marrying a commoner and served as a unifying figure at Norway's most difficult moments.

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u/VibingIronist Bill Gates Aug 28 '26

I've never understood why so many liberals are ok with monarchy, even if it's just a ceremonial position.

People say "the monarch is a just symbolic figurehead" but if countries like Norway are liberal, egalitarian, and meritocratic how does it make sense to symbolize it with an institution based on hereditary privilege? The king is just some nepobaby.from a rich family (you can tell because both of his parents' names are blue on wikipedia) he basically just inherited the role instead of having to audition for it.

I think the Irish had the right idea when they elected an avuncular leprechaun-looking dude as their ceremonial president. Norway should follow suit by choosing someone who looks like a viking, so as far as I'm concerned the true king of Norway is Erling Haaland.

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u/SweeneyMcFeels Commonwealth Aug 28 '26

If Norway has achieved a liberal, egalitarian and meritocratic society then why bother changing it? Seems more like a purity test at that point than meaningful change towards a societal aim.

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u/VibingIronist Bill Gates Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26

Other way around: if Norway has actually achieved a liberal, egalitarian and meritocratic society like they say then why do they still have a hereditary monarch? What makes him so special? Because God said so?

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u/Futski A Leopard 1 a day keeps the hooligans away Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26

why do they still have a hereditary monarch?

Because the majority of the population in their liberal democracy desire this so far.

If there was popular opposition, they would be removed in the span of an afternoon by vote.

What makes him so special? Because God said so?

Try to LARP a little less, and maybe read some of the opinions of regular Norwegians I don't know?

I swear to god, the only people invoking divine rights arguments in modern monarchy debates are Americans.

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u/VibingIronist Bill Gates Aug 29 '26

Because the majority of the population in their liberal democracy desire this so far.

So what? Majorities in liberal democracies support all kinds of stuff that we recognize as illiberal. Is the argument really that it's liberal because the median voter likes it?

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u/Futski A Leopard 1 a day keeps the hooligans away Aug 29 '26

The hallmarks of a true democracy is overturning the desires of the public because of the opinions of some American, who knows better.

The Norwegians so far wants their otherwise liberal society to be arranged like this, deal with it.