Republicanism in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia : R : RE : REP : Republicanism in the United Kingdom
| The [Neutral point of view>neutrality] of this article is [NPOV disputedisputed]. Please see the discussion on the [United Kingdom which seeks to remove the British monarchy and replace it with a republic that has a head of state that is not inherited, most likely called a president. How to choose such a head of state is not agreed, with some favouring an elected president, while others would support an appointed figure head and others still support the idea of leaving the political system as it is with the absence of the monarch. There is however general agreement that the choice of what sort of republic Britain has should be left to the people. In Northern Ireland, the term "republican" is usually used in the sense of Irish republicanism. While also against monarchical forms of government, Irish republicans are against the presence of the British state in any form in Ireland. They advocate the creation of a united Irish Republic, as opposed to the existing Republic of Ireland, which does not include Northern Ireland. Similarly, there are republican members of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Scotland and Plaid Cymru in Wales, who advocate independence for those countries as republics. The SNP's official policy is that the British monarch would remain head of state in an independent Scotland, unless and until the people of Scotland were to decide otherwise. The countries which became the United Kingdom were briefly ruled as a republic in the 17th century under Oliver Cromwell. First England (including Wales) was declared to be the Commonwealth of England and then Scotland and Ireland were forced in to union with England by the army. Many of Cromwell's actions upon gaining power were decried by some commentators as "harsh, unwise, and tyrannical." He was often ruthless (though perhaps no more than was then expected) in putting down the mutinies which occurred within his own army towards the end of the war (prompted by Parliament's failure to pay the troops). Cromwell showed little sympathy for the Levellers, an egalitarian movement which had contributed greatly to Parliament's cause. The Leveller point of view had been strongly represented in the Putney Debates, held between the various factions of the Army in 1647, just prior to the King's escape. Cromwell and the Grandees were not prepared to countenance such a radical democracy. As events were to show, Cromwell could not engineer a stable oligarchic Parliamentary republic, either. Cromwell's absolute insistence upon religious freedom led to his encouraging Jews to return to England, 350 years after their banishment by Edward I. In 1657, Cromwell was offered the crown by a re-constituted Parliament, presenting him with a dilemma, since he had been 'instrumental' in abolishing the monarchy. After two months of deliberation, he rejected the offer. Instead, he was ceremonially re-installed as "Lord Protector" (with greater powers than had previously been granted him under this title). The office of Lord Protector was still not to become hereditary, though Cromwell was now able to nominate his own successor. Although the United Kingdom has since become a constitutional monarchy, there have been movements throughout the last few centuries whose aims were to remove the monarchy and establish a republican system. A notable period was the time in the late 18th century and early 19th century when many Radicals were openly republican. Most, but not all republicans support a fully elected second chamber, and a written constitution, and favour removing the remaining hereditary peers in the House of Lords and all forms of hereditary privilege. Objections to the monarchy are often based on what republicans believe is the anachronistic system of choosing a head of state by birth, rather than merit or election, which republicans view as being in conflict with democracy. The most recent movement is led by [Republic], the Campaign for an Elected Head of State.
SupportThe monarchy is largely popular in the UK, but a sizeable minority of the British public are opposed to it. Opinion polls in recent years have put support for an elected head of state at between 20 to 30 per cent, although the most recent MORI poll in 2006 showed support for a republic is declining, now standing at just 18 per cent [link].The campaign group 'Republic' has been taking manipulative advantage of royal events in recent years and has reported rises in support since the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, although polls suggest support for the monarchy has actually increased since the wedding. Websites are emerging such as British Republic and The Centre for Citizenship. After reaching a low point following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, support for the monarchy rebounded during the celebrations for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2002. However, the effect of the jubilee celebrations was diminished following the collapse of the Burrell case and allegations surrounding the household of the Prince of Wales. Support for republicanism was similarly high during the later years of Queen Victoria's reign, when she withdrew from public life following the death of her husband, Prince Albert, only to die after her Diamond Jubilee. The Fabian Society published a report in July 2003 giving a number of recommendations for reform of the monarchy, but they did not argue for its abolition. High-profile republicansAt present, none of the three major British political parties are officially republican. However, there are individual MPs who favour an abolition of the monarchy. Support for a republic is often considered to be more common on the centre-left, or far-left end of the British political spectrum than the right.Well-known contemporary republicans include Tony Benn, who in 1991 introduced a Commonwealth of Britain Bill in Parliament; Roy Hattersley; journalist and author Claire Rayner; author Benjamin Zephaniah; Norman Baker MP; and Michael Mansfield, QC. It is also believed a number of prominent politicians and journalists support the abolition of monarchy, although the extent to which their views are out of principle or based on political expediency is not known. ArgumentsRepublicans usually fall into one of two camps of thought, or perhaps both: those of theory, believing that a hereditary head of state is wrong in principle; and those who take a more practical view of criticising the current royal family, highlighting the supposed costs of the monarchy's maintenance, and taking a dislike to what are seen as unearned respect and deference to the monarchy being "not modern", although unearned respect is hardly ever applied to Queen Elizabeth II herself the same polls that suggested that republicanism was low in the United Kingdom also said that only 6% said that they did not want Elizabeth II to remain queen until her death. See alsoExternal links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating. |