[dastx]

> without the checks and balances that would exist in a republic.

As we've seen in the past 4 years, these checks and balances in a republic like the US can be completely invalidated without the relevant laws in place. Things like senate majority leader having the final say on what gets debated, or how a criminal trial is conducted (e.g. during Trump's impeachment).

Neither our current system works properly, nor does the US system, and I'm willing to bet this two party system is the bigger issue rather than having a monarch whose power is mostly ceremonial.

I will say, I was unaware of the what was layed out in the guardian article. I'd be curious how much this had happened since 2013.