tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669776494971280696.post4351631798063723551..comments2023-07-29T11:25:16.066-07:00Comments on Irish Monarchist: A question for the Counter RevolutionistsServant of the Chiefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17018786429076784275noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669776494971280696.post-23532085715539339122009-08-13T19:23:57.855-07:002009-08-13T19:23:57.855-07:00Well, as an Australian Tory (and being in a countr...Well, as an Australian Tory (and being in a country with abundant open space, if you're inclined to own an estate the size of a small country), I'm not too sure myself.<br /><br />I mean, in old times (if Wikipedia is to be believed), a gentleman had to be financially independent in order to be considered a part of high society. To that extent, any capitalist could be a gentleman and thus mingle with the aristocracy.<br /><br />You've also got to accept that society has well and truly changed - we're no longer an agrarian economy. We're industrial or post-industrial economies, and to that extent, the new aristocracy must reflect that.<br /><br />So, perhaps it might be better to consider one's aristocratic status to be simply based on financial independence, not on how much land they own. I mean, playing the stockmarket is a very good way to make money, and many people do invest in shares (if you have enough, you can live off the dividends, much like living off the rent payed by a landlord's tenants).<br /><br />Of course, you'd also have to expect that they would own their own home (be it an inner city townhouse or a stately mansion), and pass it down through the generations (which is something that has become exceedingly unfashionable).<br /><br />As for determining movement into the aristocracy, I'd prefer it not be based off wealth, but rather an acknowledgement of their contribution to society (since a hereditary title is essentially a way of saying that such capacity to contribute to society runs in the blood - very unfashionable when society is... equal, as you get here in the Land Down Under).Liam Wellshttp://lawwreview.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com