22 September

What do people think of the idea of becoming a Republic? I think history is often a good guide (as it was for the pandemic). Look at the Romans, the most famous Republic. They began as a monarchy, and then became a Republic motivated by hatred of Kings, which produced centuries of warfare and bloodshed. Then they became a monarchy again, at Pax Romana, with the Emperors. That produced centuries of peace and the Roman Empire as we mostly know it. My feeling is Republicanism's real weak spot is its lack of an international dimension - it's very provincial and 'national'. What the Romans discovered.