A property of quantum group R matrices? Assume Q is a quantum Lie group which allows a R matrix (with the usual
quantum Yang-Baxter equation). 
Take the Jordan normal form J of R. Does a Q exist with offdiagonal J elements
(i.e. R has defective eigenvalues)? 
 A: I think a much stronger statement is true although I am missing some of the details.
The starting data is: $K$ is a commutative ring, $M$ is a $K$-linear braided monoidal category, and $V$ is an object of $M$.
Then for $n>0$ we have an algebra homomorphism from the group algebra of the $n$-string braid group $KB_n$ to $End(\otimes^n V)$. Then we can ask the general question: is the image of this homomorphism a semisimple algebra? There is a weaker version. For every object $W\in M$, $Hom(W,\otimes^n V)$ is a representation of $B_n$; then the question is: are all these representations completely reducible?
Now let $U$ be a Drinfeld-Jimbo quantised enveloping algebra over the field $K=\mathbb{Q}(q)$
and let $M$ be the category of finite dimensional representations. Then I propose that,
for any $V$ all the above questions are answered affirmatively.
The proof is an application of the following:
Define a *-algebra to be an algebra with an antiinvolution. Then I believe that a sub *-algebra of a semisimple *-algebra is semisimple.
Then to apply this to the problem in hand it remains to show that $End(\otimes^n V)$ is a semisimple *-algebra and that the image is a sub *-algebra.
Have I overlooked something?
A: What is meant by a Quantum Lie Group here?
If we are talking about the quantized enveloping algebras of complex semisimple lie algebras $U_q(\mathfrak{g})$ then it is a fact that the action of the universal $R$-matrix on the tensor product of finite dimensional representations is semisimple i.e. its Jordan form is diagonal
