>
> This is a complex example, mostly because there are two different and overlapping authorities here: The monarch, for example, must invest a newly-elected Prime Minister with the powers and duties of that office, but does not have the right to refuse to invest them (well, it happened in the 1920's, causing a constitutional crisis, and that right was removed from the monarch).

...kind of takes all the fun out of the job, doesn't it?
>
> Essentially, the Queen is performing a service for the Members of Parliament, who (especially in this instance) have to be considered her superiors, as she does not actually hold *any* power (beyond the symbolic) over Parliament.
>

>
> winter"Hope that helps"mute

Wow, sure did, thanks. You were obviously paying attention during that "Parlimentary Procedures Including Nuances of Opening Ceremony" class you took. (and see? you thought you'd never use it--you just never know, do you?)

>
> * When you have a smiley at the end of a parenthical, should you close the parenthises after it or not? Doing so looks clumsy to me, but not doing so makes it difficult to tell if the parenthical has actually ended? Does anyone have any advice? Does anyone else care?

I don't like to because it makes them look like they have double chins :-))

koala"concedes that Queen/Parliment example did not illustrate her point"mom