> So, a republic does not have a monarch. The Netherlands does have a > monarch, therefore The Netherlands is not a republic. > > Q.E.D.
Uhhh..... I don't know how Dutch dictionaries work, but in English dictionary definitions are *OR* propositions, not *AND* propositions.
So, unless you are willing to say that compassion for sympathy = courage and fortitude in all cases, then I think that the Netherlands is a republic.
Now, let's see. Someone who has been living in The Netherlands for almost 36 years says that the country is not a republic. There are no government documents that say that the country is still a republic (it ceased to be a republic a long time ago). The Constitution does not even *mention* the word "republiek" (which it would if it were). The CIA World Factbook doesn't list The Netherlands as being a republic.
And then there is one guy in the US who says The Netherlands *is* a republic. Now, how likely is it that a Dutch government-employed national, the Dutch government, the Dutch Constitution and the CIA World Factbook all get it wrong and one guy from the other side of the world (who has rarely made an argument on this list that *didn't* get shot to barrels) is right? Indeed, the odds are overwhelmingly against him.
But hey, if you want to continue to delude yourself...
Jeroen "Political Observations" van Baardwijk
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