I will ensure that this post says what I want it to say.
Ok, firstly King Constantine was a young and inexperienced king. He took over with little knowledge of the job that awaited him. Add an overbearing, although loving mother and it doesn't seem any easier for him.
I would have taken a different course of action but that may have turned out even worse, it's easy to look back with 20-20 vision and knowledge of all sides and agendas.
The people are divided. Those who were deeply and direcly affected by the regime & aren't aware of the facts (will we ever know all of the facts?) are against the monarchy. Those who see the King as being a victim of circumstances sympathize with him and therefore, obviously don't blame him for the actions of the Colonel's.
I was raised to believe that the monarchy abandoned Greece, that obviously infuences the way I feel about this issue. I must admit that sympathy is coming to me a little more easily as I grow older and as I'm forced to make difficult decisions of my own, although not of the same scale, of course.
The King had a young family, a widowed mother, and his homeland was in chaos, he must have feared for their safety as much as any normal father/husband/son would.
Yes, he did stage a counter-coup which failed, in hindsight he organized the counter-coup as well as he could have considering his lack of skills and experience in politics. That he tried at all should also be remembered, also that he used all of the resources available to him.
The motives of this counter-coup still confuse me though.
I don't approve of the actions taken to strip the King of his citizenship, but the property is another matter - there is still debate of what was private and what was state owned property and land. The European Courts dealt with this and the Greek government settled their end of the case. I think it should be left at that until further facts are discovered.
Yes, the King is the current head of the Glucksburg Greek RF, and if the Gluckburgs ever regain the monarchy is Greece then King Constantine would have first divs on the throne.
If the people want another family for their RF then the Glucksburgs are out by the will of the people. I know some will disagree with my opinion of who decides what family should run a country, but the Glucksburgs (led by George I) were elected to reign over Greece, and the decision could be made by the people this time and vote for or against their having a monarch (and whch family) once and for all.
To be honest I think that the Greek government would never allow a new referendum for this issue because it may destabilize their own jobs. If the facts and sympathy were factored in, the people who love the monarchy may just swing the vote in their favor and the monarchy may be restored, leaving the President and most of the Republican politicians out in the cold.
They wouldn't allow this to happen.
So, that's incompetence, inexperience, citizenship and property rights out of the way.
My problem would be that if the monarchy was restored we would have the same King as Head of State that left in the first place.
The King's actions in relation to the coup d'etat will always be in question - not just by me but the media, politicians, citizens, ect. I think that in this case (and it must be a case by case basis) we can give the family and in effect, King Constantine, a second chance at reigning over Greece.
Today's world is unstable, but it is less unstable than it used to be. The people of Greece have more independence than they previously had and they know how to keep and use that power.
They would no allow King Constantine to overstep his bounds and put Greece in any danger, even if it would be unintentionally on the King's part.
He must have learnt something after all this time, he must have gained the maturity and wisdom one needs to be a monarch in any era, not just these days.
In today's world a constitutional monarchy has little more than ceremonial power anyway, the King's signature must be on official dicuments, ect, and of course, when royalty speaks, people tend to listen.
The family would have a certain amount of power - not militarily, but something more damaging if used correctly - the media through their fame. I can't remember who said it, but this reminds me of a saying - the pen is mightier than the sword.
I think the King and his family (because of their socialite lives, if not in spite of them) would know how to use this power afforded them without jeopardizing Greece in doing so.
I believe that my opinion was very much influenced by my family's experience during the dictatorship and they are very forceful in expressing those opinions, so it's hardly any wonder that I have strong opinions too.
Studying international law, I'm studying both the current and past governments - now that includes absolute monarchies, democracy, dictatorshp, communism, and constitutional moarchies.
My opinions are changing the more I study and the more I break free of the ideas instilled during my childhood in favor of the facts as we now know them.
Even though my opinion counts for little, I must say that forgiveness, second chances and moving on doesn't mean the past mistakes - real or imagined - are forgotten, just that they are dealt with in order to focus on the future of the people and of the nation.
I, after studying the facts, must say that while I wouldn't be throwing a party and be full of joy at the occassion, I would no longer be oppsed to the restoration of the Glucksburgs as the Greek Royal Family. There must be conditions made that power given to the King is not any more than is granted to any othe reigning European monarchs and a democratic constitutional monarchy being needed and expected goes without saying.
My previous posts on this subject today were purely out of misguided anger, resentment and whatever else you want to call it that should have been directed at those who are the cause of these feelings, not those who are the closest and easiest targets for my rebellion. In a way being angry with the Greek RF is like being anfry with my family, since the RF is a constant source of argument in my family.
I'm sorry for sounding like I was crazy, but I'm sure we've all had moments of tremendous disruption and pressure in our lives and therefore, we deserve some room to make mistakes and be allowed to move on. Even though my post is about larger more wide-ranging events, understanding my moment of weakness is much like needing to understand the weaknesses of the young King of Greece.
I hope this post is a return to my usual style and that my previous posts will be disregarded as being said in a moment of confusion - rather like in the heat of an argument.