Do you think the Commonwealth is on its way out?

[KenDodd]

Thinking about Barbados talking about removing the Queen as HofS. I think other countries may follow. If lots follow it might then throw into question the whole purpose of the Commonwealth and the fact that the UK is head of the Commonwealth, especially in the light of the BLM movement and our colonial past.

I don't really know much about the Commonwealth or Common Realm or what it does (if anything). I think some of those countries individuals have a final right of appeal in legal cases to the Law Lords?

Anyway, I put this in aibu just to enable voting to see what others think.

Yabu- No way will the Commonwealth end
Yanbu - The end is nige

For what it's worth, I think lots of countries might remove the Queen as their HofS (especially after she dies) and any legal oversight the UK has, don't think they will leave the Commonwealth altogether though.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-54174794

Nigh not nige!

Plenty of countries are in the commonwealth without having the Queen as head of state. These countries are often closer to each other than to the U.K.

I have lived in and visited a number of commonwealth countries and was surprised how many love it, and even celebrate commonwealth day. We Brits are mostly (rightly) ashamed of our colonial past and link the two. For some other countries it is a shared heritage and not an embarrassment.

(Willing to be corrected if others have more experience of negative views in commonwealth countries.)

Oh I quite liked the idea that The End Is Nige... the doorbell rings, it's that sensible chap Nigel from down the road and its curtains for us all

The Commonwealth is actually expanding.

Mozambique (former Portugese colony), Cameroon (former French colony) and Rwanda (former Belgian Colony) have joined in the last thirty years. Suriname, Burundi and South Sudan have applied to join, and Zimbabwe has re-applied after being kicked out 18 years ago.

The only country to permanently leave the commonwealth is Ireland.

What peakotter said.

Also: "the UK is head of the Commonwealth"

The UK isn't! The Queen is. Personally. The Commonwealth has recently designated Prince Charles as the successor head of the Commonwealth – again, him personally.

There's an extremely unfortunate tendency for people in the UK to think of the Commonwealth (if we think of it at all), as just a new name for the British Empire.

It's not. It's a club of independent countries, many republics, which have some things in common and find it useful to work together. If the UK dropped out altogether I'm not sure we'd be missed. Well, OK, we'd be missed a bit, because we're one of the bloc's big hitters, which can sometimes be useful to the others.

But the Commonwealth wouldn't cease to exist if the UK dropped out.

I remember 20 years ago the Commonwealth being very much involved in the land issues in Zimbabwe. Now we don't hear anything at all. The truth is that the linchpin of the Commonwealth is UK, and the UK has neglected it.

I'm in NZ, which historically was very closely aligned with the Commonwealth. We don't hear anything about it here either. It's entirely unimportant to government policy here.

I remember noticing the UK voice on things internationally going very quiet after 2010, and I suspect this isn't coincidence.

No.

Didn't Nelson Mandela rejoin SA to the Commonwealth?

For what it's worth, I think lots of countries might remove the Queen as their HofS (especially after she dies)

They’ll have a hell of a job keeping her as head of state after she dies.

Didn't Nelson Mandela rejoin SA to the Commonwealth?

Yep, 1994. One of the first things newly democratic SA did.

@StillCoughingandLaughing

For what it's worth, I think lots of countries might remove the Queen as their HofS (especially after she dies)

They’ll have a hell of a job keeping her as head of state after she dies.

... 😂😂

@StillCoughingandLaughing

For what it's worth, I think lots of countries might remove the Queen as their HofS (especially after she dies)

They’ll have a hell of a job keeping her as head of state after she dies.

OK, that and the End of Nige have finished me off.

I've been valiantly trying to post, all serious and proper-like, but I'll wake the neighbours if I laugh any more tonight.

I hope not. It is one of the few organisations that spans geographical boundaries (unlike, say, the EU or NATO or NAFTA) there are members from Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe, the Americas, it has an apolitical head and exists purely to bring people closer.
One day, not in my lifetime, there will be a world parliament charged with looking after the interests of the entire planet. Bodies like the Commonwealth will no doubt be precursors. It would be sad to see such institutions die.

End is Nige.

Silently wheezing so much I can't type straight.

The Queen is only head of state of 14 countries in addition to the UK. 33 members of the Commonwealth are republics, and five have their own monarch.
She’s head of the Commonwealth in a personal capacity but the UK has equal status to every other country (although it’s obviously one of the richer members!). It’s an affiliation of countries with greatly similar aims and outlooks, most of which were once part of the British Empire, but some of which weren’t.

I suspect that UK Governments would have lost interest in the Commonwealth many years ago were it not for the Queen, who has been a passionate supporter of the organisation. I suspect also that she knows this full well and it was behind her push to get Charles named as the next head.

Oh I quite liked the idea that The End Is Nige... the doorbell rings, it's that sensible chap Nigel from down the road and its curtains for us all

Laughing a lot at this 😂😂

OP did you bother to do any research on the Commonwealth before posting?

I think it's inevitable that as humanity progresses, the notion of accepting a head of state based on nothing more than accident of birth will become more and more outlandish. I think proliferation of republicanism is inevitable, and while nations will likely continue to coalesce into collective groups, I think fewer and fewer will do so while still soldiering on with totally unelected Heads of State. In the last 300 years or so, the trend has been very firmly for nations to move away from autocratic forms of government, and towards ever greater democratic participation and representation. That will continue, and it will sweep away hereditary dynasties with it.

The only country to permanently leave the commonwealth is Ireland.

Yes and I remember seeing the idea of us rejoining being floated a few years back. Like fuck we will - think there'd be protests in the streets. I'll lead them

It's rather unfortunate that many in the UK are embarrassed by the Commonwealth, in general the other nations of the commonwealth aren't. And many of them are overall very positive about the Queen.

I live in a Commonwealth country myself, and actually I would say that there is a feeling among some that the loosening of some of the ties that we had with the UK has been negative, for example many people even in my grandparents generation would go and live and work in the UK for a time, and vice versa.

Maybe in a hundred years or so, but I am not sure how easy it is to actually do but for some of the larger countries would it be worth the effort? with regards to time and money and people actually carrying either way?

Are the Commonwealth Games still a thing?

@Boscoismyspiritanimal

Are the Commonwealth Games still a thing?

Yes but I thought the countries just used it as practice to beat USA, Russia and China

I have to agree with above, the UK isn't the head, the Royal family are. Bob from Grimsby has no say in world logistics. Furthermore. I do find it baffling we live in 2020 yet we still have a monarchy how behind are we? I could understand her importance during the current shit show government but logically why do we have a present monarchy they literally do nothing apart from greet people.

@Cecelori

I have to agree with above, the UK isn't the head, the Royal family are. Bob from Grimsby has no say in world logistics. Furthermore. I do find it baffling we live in 2020 yet we still have a monarchy how behind are we? I could understand her importance during the current shit show government but logically why do we have a present monarchy they literally do nothing apart from greet people.

They monarch doesn't only greet people, it's actually a fairly busy job, and there are occasions, rare but significant, where the monarch or her representative has to make a significant decision - like proroguing the House under questionable circumstances which has come up in the UK, Canada, and I believe something similar in Australia.