Article I of the Constitution of the United States Until quite recently, if you mentioned republicans in Britain most people would probably have assumed that you were referring to the Irish Republican Army. Indeed, in the context of Northern Ireland republicans who are not supporters of the IRA or Sinn Fein are referred to typically as "nationalists" rather than "republicans."
Discussion of abolition of the monarchy was taboo. The BBC would not give it air time. Some years ago a participant in a radio discussion programme was asked by the presenter to admit that his criticisms of the monarchy had not been seriously intended! The presenter could not believe that anyone could question the revered institution.
Republicanism is now receiving some attention, although it is still at the margins of public discussion despite the public self-shaming of the family in recent years. News media commentators do question whether the monarchy has a future, from time to time. Mostly, though, they come down on the side of a more modest, down-to-earth royal family.
Charter 88, the leading pressure group for constitutional change, does not call for a republic. Indeed, its founding director Anthony Barnett, evades the logic of his own arguments in This Time, in which he argues for a constitutional revolution. In that book he takes republicans to task for their views.
Nonetheless, the voices of republicanism are getting louder. Here's a rundown of some of them.
Britain's oldest specifically republican group, Republic, has been around for over 10 years. But its meetings, publications, film shows and competitions have left republicans with a strangely low profile. Never mind. The group is content for Liz Windsor to complete her "reign" before the republic is ushered in. Meanwhile it has offered to enrol anyone willing to pay £10 on a national register of citizens and issue them with a "signed certificate."
Republic once gave pride of place on its web site to some famous names among (Labour) members of parliament, writers, lawyers and academics as "sponsoring members" of its organisation. Remarkably one of them was an un-elected legislator-for-life, who calls himself a "Lord." His title ("Lord Dormand of Easington!") has also been displayed on the organisation's letterhead as a "patron" with no sense of shame or irony.
When in 1994 "Lord" Dormand hosted a dinner in the House of Lords and chaired a debate on the future of the monarchy, Republic's magazine declared the event "a milestone in the development of the republican movement in Britain." Mr Dormand's smiling face graced the front cover of the magazine, while in an interview the former Labour member of parliament declared that he could see no contradiction between being a "Lord" and being a republican. In his vision of a republic "Lord" Dormand envisaged a commission of about 6 which would recommend one person for appointment as president, which is not the policy of the organisation he sponsors.
A more likely patron of Republic is former member of parliament, Tony Benn. What is fascinating about this is that the Left wing legislator oddly can be seen as another instance of British attachment to aristocracy. Tony Benn is the son of a "Lord" (though his father was not an hereditary lord - he was appointed to the peerage) and was entitled to a seat in the House of Lords, as Lord Wedgwood Benn. However, he renounced his "peerage" out of admirable republican principle (though he did swear allegiance to her royal highness Liz Windsor in order to take his seat in the legislature).
Benn seems to be the most popular character on the Left of British politics. It cannot be proven but it does seem that the interest he arouses in so many British people is enhanced by his aristocratic trappings. With his pipe in one hand and a huge mug of tea in the other, the most familiar image of this socialist is undoubtedly similar to that of a rather eccentric lord.
Movement Against Monarchy.
M'AM is an anarchist organisation, which has called public demonstrations against the royal family and has a web site. It's advocacy of violence as a tool of politics makes it an enemy of democratic change, however.
Cymru Comment.
A Welsh web site with a republican leaning , run by a journalist in Cardiff, that attempts to compensate for a "media in Wales (that) is mostly owned, controlled and, increasingly, largely staffed from outside Wales. As a direct result, debate on subjects away from the English agenda for Wales seems increasingly stifled or difficult to conduct," it says.
Throneout
Throneout is a web site which claims to represent "the views of the growing proportion of British citizens who no longer want to bow and scrape to a bunch of barbaric genetic throwbacks who are the product of centuries of Germanic incest." The web site has a disrespectful and humorous take on the British royal family. Ideologically it says that it "represents republican views across the political spectrum."
South London Republican Forum
The South London Republican Forum say that they came into being in 1994 "with the aim of promoting Republicanism, acting as a forum for Republican opinion and contributing to the discussion on the shape of a future Republic in Britain. We see the abolition of the Monarchy and the establishment of a democratically elected Head of State as vital element of constitutional reform along with other measures such as reform/abolition of the House of Lords, electoral reform, and the establishment of a written constitution and Bill of Rights." Look more closely and you will see that their beliefs are "socialist, radical, green, and working class" and the objective "a workers' republic."
Republican Alliance
In their own words "an alliance of individuals of differing political persuasions who do not believe that the monarchy is a dead or irrelevant issue. We believe that the monarch still has power and influence and that this ought to be removed. We wish to study and present arguments for republicanism and constitutional reform.quot; They say they are "liberals, socialists, feminists, democrats, social democrats, liberal democrats, democratic socialists, conservatives, radicals, theists and atheists." Libertarians and "levellers" but not Tories, nor Fascists.
BritishRepublic
A forum for supporters of a British republic
Abolish The Monarchy
Marc Robinson, parliamentary candidate on a platform of abolishing the monarchy and other constitutional reform.
Our republicanism
International republicans
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