“Republic”, the name speaks for itself. This movement, led by a man called Graham Smith, wants the abolition of the monarchy. They are campaigning for an elected and non-partisan head of state, that is to say who does not direct the action of the government, but who would be the guardian of the constitution and would prevent the possible slippages of politicians – who would be tempted to flout the rules.
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For them, the current monarchy is “undemocratic” and costing the British taxpayer too much money. With the advent of a republic, the members of the royal family would become citizens like the others. Apart from the “Republic” movement, there are also Republicans in the existing political parties: on the left wing of the Labor Party and some in the minority among the Conservatives.
It’s quite likely that the royals couldn’t afford Balmoral if they paid inheritance tax at the time of each succession. Their wealth is thanks largely to our generosity and their determination to pay as little back as possible.
— Graham Smith ️ (@GrahamSmith_) September 6, 2022
In public opinion, supporters of a republic are in the minority but not residual. According to a poll taken at the time of the Jubilee in June 2022, 25% of Britons said they favored a republic after Elizabeth’s reign. Among young people, 37% are pro-republic and 40% are against. In Scotland, tempted by independence, there are 36% of pro-republics and 45% against.
The idea of a republic may also begin to progress in certain countries of the Commonwealth, over which the Windsors reign. In the Caribbean, Barbados became a republic in 2021 and Queen Elizabeth therefore ceased to be its head of state. In Jamaica, the Prime Minister estimated in March that it was inevitable that his country would become a republic. The now King Charles III even told the Commonwealth states in June that they were free to leave the fold of the monarchy.
To return to the United Kingdom, the republic remains a distant prospect. Some point out, moreover, that this country is already a “republic that does not say its name”with a sovereign without political power, comparing it with the French Republic where the president is almost a monarch.