The United Republic of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?

Question

Should the United Kingdom become a republic? What's your opinion and why? Also, please state whether or not you are British or live in the UK, because this helps to get a better understanding of how the people it would effect feel.

Answer 1

I'm British, a pensioner and my family have lived in the UK for over a thousand years. So you might expect me to be pro-monarchy. No way. I've traced my family way back, and thank goodness not a whiff of gentry. The Royals can pack their bags any time they like as far as I'm concerned. Roll on the Republic!

Answer 2

You're asking two questions in one : (1) Should the monarchy be replaced by a republic ? Yes, because if we support equality of opportunity, the monarchy is a job there's no equal opportunity for - in fact no opportunity at all if you have the wrong birth certificate. 'Non-royals need not apply'. (2) Should the republic comprise Great Britain and Northern Ireland ? No : as a devolutionist I prefer an English republic, a Scots republic, and a Welsh republic. Northern Ireland would also have to be an independent republic or (better) join the Irish republic. They couldn't remain in the UK because there wouldn't be one.

I am a British citizen living in Britain, and have a Welsh mother who had an Irish father. I had an English father. A fair mix excluding, I regret, only the Scots a tidy slab of whom seem to have the right republican, separatist ideas anway.

Answer 3

The UK should stay a monarchy, definately. (I'm English by the way).

Firstly, the monarchy is part of our culture and history. Britain was once, and to a much smaller extent still is, a great power, and us patriotic Brits like to be proud of that. The Monarchy is a link to the past, and us patriotic Brits are proud of having it. It's our heritage and it'd be a sad day if we ever got rid of that living history. Lets not burn it like the Cutty Sark.

I know a fair few people who object to the Royals on the grounds it's unfair and undemocratic that some people should get power on the basis of birth. No, it's not exactly what you'd call fair, but the Royals have very little political power nowadays (or, at least, they're never going to exercise it), the vast majority residing in our elected Parliament, and elected Prime Minister (although looking at who we've had as PM for the last decade isn't a great advert for democracy). Whether or not it's fair, chucking out the royals wouldn't improve anything for this reason, and the likelihood is with the ensuing overhaul of the Constitution, things would get a lot worse. Frankly I don't see why people object to keeping them as figureheads.

I also know a fair few people who object to the Royals getting loads of money off the taxpayers to subsidise their high standard of living, while many taxpayers are living in council houses and working every hour god sends. However, they are not payed by the Treasury to live it up, but to carry out their official duties. This cost was about £37 million last year, only about 62p per person in the UK.
Even so, the vast majority of the Queens money comes from her large land holdings and private investments.

To quote the royal site:

"Head of State expenditure is met from public funds in exchange for the surrender by The Queen of the revenue from the Crown Estate. In the financial year to 31 March 2006 the revenue surplus from the Crown Estate paid to the Treasury amounted to £190.8 million.

Head of State expenditure for 2005-06 was £37.4 million."

http://www.royal.gov.UK/output/Page4965.asp

As you can see the Queen pays the treasury far more than they pay her. The tourism the Royal family brings also amounts to a lot of extra money for the country. People would lose interest once the Queen and Beef eaters and changing of the guard were made a thing of the past.
The Queens fortune comes from investment and land holdings, not from the government, so taking away her power wouldn't mean she'd lose any of her money, and her children still wouldn't have to do a days work if they didn't want to. What's 'fairer' about that?

Seriously, becoming a republic would do no good, would rob us of a large part of our heritage and national pride, and probably cost a few quid.

Answer 4

Poorer people across the UK pay a lot of tax money, against their will, to fund these random strangers, while poorer people struggle. I think this is fundamentally flawed and unfair, and I also think that the weak attempt of an excuse to justify this unfair reality, that presidents of republics receive state-sponsored luxurious lifestyles, quite simply doesn t meet the mark. Also I read a response on here which asked "what would be the point of abolishing the monarchy?", as if having a monarchy is the default and normal. Changing to no longer taxing people and no longer funding the monarch is easy and free of cost, whereas consistently taxing people to fund them is hard work, so my question is "why bother renewing their entitlements?"! Bear in mind, this reality we live in includes the demonisation of "benefit scroungers". The only difference between a benefit scrounger and a royal is that the royals have been doing it for so long, and consume a heck of a lot more, enough to live, look and feel superior to everyone else, all while doing absolutely nothing to earn their keep. It s a drain on the economy. All that money (which yes is only a bit of money from each person s pocket, but a HECK of a lot of money when it s all in one big pile) could really improve the economy if just LEFT in the taxpayers pocket. If you re so supportive of the royalty, then pay them yourself, sponsor them. There we go. Let s privatise the royal family. Don t expect other people to pay for them! This is really one of the most backwards things you can have in a society. History is history. France has massive tourism (much bigger than the UK) and a big chunk of it goes towards checking out the royal palaces. The UK doesn t have to get rid of Buckingham palace, nor kill off the royals, nor do anything that would hinder tourism. Just stop making people pay for them out of their tax money. It s wrong. All of you who support the royal family here, you re immoral to believe and to have the opinion that I, and others, should have to pay for them too. I don t really buy in to this "it s your opinion, this is my opinion" nonsense, what s wrong is just wrong, and it s quite clear, you can t morally make poor struggling people pay for things that don t benefit them in return. The royalty can continue to exist, just not out of taxpayers money! Also, with the recent exposure of the royal family s nazi history and dodgy involvement with the UK establishment s pedophilia ring, I doubt the prestige and respect of the queen abroad is as strong now as it was 7 years ago when you all gave these responses. P.s. I m from Scotland.

Answer 5

In practice it already is a republic. "A republic is a form of government maintained by a state or country whose sovereignty is based on popular consent and whose governance is based on popular representation and control." While the queen is technically the head of state, she uses no powers and has no powers that cannot be removed or overridden by the popularly elected House of Commons. In addition, reforms continue to be enacted to replace the House of Lords with a popularly elected house.

Answer 6

whats NORTHERN IRELAND going to do if there is a REPUBLIC OF GREAT BRITAIN? and our QUEEN has to go somewhere else in the world to live? whose image are we going to paint on our wee gable walls? who are we going to be LOYAL to? what happens if we have to go to war with the REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, up what are we going to fight for if not OUR QUEEN? her son and daughter paid our wee city a visit recently, we all loved CAMILLA. if ever she wants to come and live in our wee town, BALLYMENA, she and her wee family will be made welcome, a good old BRITISH WELCOME, and we will all sing together, KNEES UP MOTHER BROWN, and, god save, OUR queen..

Answer 7

Get rid of the monarchy? (for all it's quirks and faults)
And provide a president?

I think it was John Major:
"If the answer is another politician, it's the wrong question."

Answer 8

We have a monarchy so were gonna stay a kingdom. Deal with it.