Guiscard wrote:Minister Masket wrote:Well the Queen can just declare war, like that (snaps fingers).
You really think that could ever happen? The queen really is a figure head.
A figure head with the power to veto any legislation she chooses, and to appoint a Prime-Minister at will, or to dissolve Parliament on a whim. Indeed a figure-head who does technically have the power to declare the nation as being 'at war' whenever she chooses (though she is devoid of the direct power to commit the armed forces, which I think is what you're saying in the post I've quoted).
Sure the royal perogatives haven't been exercised to contradict the will of a Parliament for nearly 50 years now, but the fact remains that the powers contained therein do theoretically exist should a monarch wish to use them.
Yes the Queen does act as a figurehead for the most part (I probably agree with what you're saying really), but it's well worht bearing in mind that there's no concrete rule that forces her to, only the weight of tradition and her individual respect for the democratic processes of the UK.
Queen at the moment acts just as a figurehead = yes
Queen at the moment is technically devoid of power to do anything other = no