Why does Andrew Coyne hate our constitutional monarchy?

Andrew Coyne, closet republican or now full-on out-of-the-closet republican?

Andrew Coyne, republican 5th columnist?

With all due respect, many are either missing or deliberately ignoring the point: what odds Johnston would be GG if not for Mulroney Terms of Reference? If we're VERY generous, and assume he would still have had a chance, then all the worse, as his involvement and apparent recompense, diminishes the office of GG, which is supposed to be the Crown's apolitical rep!!!

People focus on personalities and forget about institutional implications. If you're a republican or anti-parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy, then I agree, a fine choice to subvert the institution from within.

But if you think we have a basically good system, dependent like all on good faith and good will, AND THE APPEARANCE OF SUCH, then a complete and utter shower. What next, some judge makes a judgment favourable to the govt and becomes next GG? The currently quiescent ethics commissioner becomes the GG after that? Etc..

Think people, for gods' sake. Johnston may be a fine chap etc., but having served/helped the govt as he did, so recently, absolutely the wrong choice for a position that is supposed to be above suspicion.

Of course one expected a "sound" Tory to be appointed. But there must be others, even other law professors, who could have been appointed without any clear appearance of pre-established bias. A quietly sound Tory was needed, not the guy who just a year ago helped the cons escape from a most dangerous swamp.

But no, on further thought, I revise my initial reaction. This was an excellent choice and I only hope Tom Flanagan, Barry Cooper, etc. are the next fine academics appointed as GG by Harper. Or as judges. Because heaven forbid anyone point out how this absolutely undermines the very crucial independence of the position.

All obviously partisan appointments to GG are bad, but the others at least hadn't rendered essential political services, uh, like, LAST YEAR!

Anyway, one happy result is Andrew Coyne is more francophile, French even, today than he was yesterday. Vive Robespierre! Vive la République!