Abolish the Monarchy: Why we should and how we will

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This event will present an opportunity for you to hear more about what Republic is doing, how you can be involved and what happens next.

election to a democratically elected government, then none of them would be elected. More reason why an unelected Head of State, the monarch, is an affront to democracy – especially when such a person is Major events since Kate and William's wedding—births, jubilees and so on, right up until last year—have helped us enormously in terms of motivating people to come and join us and support us and getting us on the news and challenging the spin. Perhaps what is most encouraging about this book is Smith's arguments against the contention that most people want the monarchy to continue. The figures have come down over recent years so that even royalists admit it is close to half the country wanting to be rid of the institution. Their argument is the old classic 'now is not the time' when it comes to demands for a referendum. Wait until the consensus is much greater and don't make a fuss now, they argue, ignoring the fact that much of the change in opinion has come through the efforts of people like Graham Smith, campaigning for years. Smith counters this argument brilliantly in essence showing that there is a great difference between being actively in favour of something and passively being ok with it continuing. This is the crux of the matter: it is likely that those who truly want to keep the monarchy are actually now in the minority. That's a role that's actually quite valuable in times of crisis. In some circumstances a constitutional president is able to perform an independent role. You see this in parts of Europe.Graham Smith, CEO of the campaign organisation Republic, will be discussing his new book and sharing his vision and strategy for a future without a monarchy. History is for ever being made but is never lost. When we do take that step and become a republic, we will be making history all over again. It will be a moment witnessed by the world and never forgotten by this country. A republic is a legacy that we leave to future generations, something entirely achievable, profoundly democratic and that will make Britain a fairer and better place for all of us”. Graham said that is a ‘helpful’ situation for groups like Republic, adding: ‘If they don’t really care about the monarchy it means they’re not invested in it.

monarchy is by its very nature anti-democratic and not suited to a country which prides itself as a world leader in political rights and freedoms monarchy is “a corrupt and corrupting institution”. It is out of touch and out of time. It is Smith’s Labour might feel like the most natural home for the movement. But only one of its MPs, Clive Lewis, has publicly advocated republicanism since the Queen died. Even Clement Attlee, whose 1945 landslide election victory is generally seen as the high-water mark for British socialism, believed a constitutional monarchy was best. In fact, the topic has only even been officially debated once at the party’s national conference, in 1923, when republicans lost by a margin of 9:1.

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Graham Smith’s primary focus, then, is pointing out that the people of the UK do not have to accept the What might a British president’s job involve? Hazell says: “In any parliamentary system of government, a head of state classically summons and dissolves parliament, signs laws passed by parliament into law, goes on state visits to other countries, receives state visits by other heads of state, welcomes all incoming ambassadors, and has a meeting with all outgoing ambassadors. The head of state appoints lots of senior officials, the top judges, the top people in the armed forces, the top people in public services.” More surprising still, given that he leads a group called Republic, Smith appears to have little familiarity with the 2,500-year-old tradition of republican thought. Where are Plato, Machiavelli and Rousseau? Where are the Levellers, the Radical Whigs and the Founding Fathers? Thomas Paine does get a mention, though one is left with the suspicion that Smith’s acquaintance with him comes via The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations rather than Rights of Man, since he is invoked merely to make the point that the appearance of something being correct doesn’t make it so. Given the complications and controversies that followed 2016’s EU referendum – which delivered a simple “leave” command to the Government but offered no clues as to what kind of Brexit the public wanted – Hazell says a two-step vote would be best. “First, you would have a referendum on the principle of: do we want to become a republic? And if people say yes to that, then a second-stage referendum would be how do we want to choose the new head of state in our new republic?”

With Brexit, for example, we never reached the point where we were all desperate, angry Brexiteers – it didn’t happen because 52 per cent of us became Nigel Farages. It was driven by 25 to 30 per cent who persuaded enough people on the day of the referendum to get over the line. There doesn’t need to be this huge majority determined to get rid of it.”

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Graham Smith: There are three very simple reasons. The first one is a matter of principle. The [royal family] is fairly undemocratic and we're supposed to be a democratic society. It's not a principled institution we ought to be supporting in 2019. The result is a very timely work, though it is doubtful how relevant this book will remain outside of this year, let alone the coming decades. He explains that republicanism needs to jump over “three huge hurdles” to succeed. “Firstly, people feeling negative about the monarchy. Secondly, people being really concerned about it: do I want help to pay my bills and a decent NHS, or do I care about how the head of state is appointed? Finally, a political party that is in a position of power needs to gamble their political capital on changing it, rather than focusing on other things that affect people’s lives.” A point made by Graham Smith in the book is that staunch monarchists are not a target group for persuasion in Republic activities. So may be not the book for them to buy. Could also be said for the supporters of his point of view but it is effectively a donation in part if it goes unread.