King shouldn't speak
The Swedish King should just shush, at least according to political scientist Olof Ruin, who in an article in daily Aftonbladet criticized the monarch for expressing his views on the political climate in Greece. In an interview with Dagens Industri, King Carl XVI Gustaf reveals that he is highly critical of Giorgos Papandreou, the embattled Greek prime minister, and the idea about a referendum (the interview was done before that was pulled back). Ruin slaps the King on the fingers for opening his mouth in this matter: “He should not talk about a referendum as a means,” he says. “He entered a discussion whether a referendum is good or not, and by doing so he crossed a line.” The King’s role is constitutional and representative—nothing more than that.

Should Carl XVI Gustaf keep his thoughts to himself? Political scientist Olof Ruin thinks so, and the fact remains: The role of the Swedish monarch is nothing more than constitutional and representative.