republicans, over here!

[arghpleasestop]

OK, it's been 24 hours now.

Can I say it yet?

Long live the king - any king! - you must be joking. How on earth can it be the 21st century and there is still a hereditary monarchy of 'special people with the right blood' who wear crowns, live in palaces and play a formal role in politics?

I can see from other threads that others feel upset and are following it all closely. This thread is not to deny those feelings and for sure Queen E worked hard shaking hands for a long time - but to say, WTF, bring on the republic please.

@CHIRIBAYA
100%. I wish we had a like button

BBC which is meant to be impartial has made no representation of republicanism

Not overtly perhaps, but though I'm normally the very last to defend the BBC they've mentioned that "not everyone's a monarchist" frequently during the coverage.
Even the footage of Charles himself has included some murmurings about what sort of king he'll make in light of his past behaviours

TBH I expected worse and believe they've made a reasonable job in the circumstances - but then they've had long enough to practise

'I’m disappointed that the Queen’s passing seems to have ignited a love of royalty rather than a debate about monarchy'.

It's early days. All the arguments against the monarchy haven't gone away...the undermining of democratic processes, the immense privilege that fatally undermines any claim they make to be 'in touch' with the public. Wait until the Queen's will is kept secret (as her husband's was) because they know just how embarrassing it would be for details of her vast wealth to be made public. It will get worse the more the cost of living crisis hits.

TBH I can understand how easily people are being sucked in at the moment....I even feel it myself. Although I am no monarchist I do think the Queen earned respect, and she is being mourned by many of the public right now. It is also inevitable that we empathise with the individuals at the centre of this; many of us have also been bereaved.

But the fact is that they will have planned for a long time how to manage the Queen's passing to secure maximum sympathy from the public; operation 'London Bridge' has been very carefully stage managed with the aim of suckering us all in.

To quote George Orwell from the essay The lion and the unicorn...

England is perhaps the only great country whose intellectuals are ashamed of their own nationality. In left-wing circles it is always felt that there is something slightly disgraceful in being an Englishman and that it is a duty to snigger at every English institution, from horse racing to suet puddings. It is a strange fact, but it is unquestionably true that almost any English intellectual would feel more ashamed of standing to attention during “God save the King” than of stealing from a poor box.

That's inevitable in the time immediately following her death. Even Republic.org are aware of this and have suspended their discussion for the present.

In the years leading up to this event support had already dwindled and there were growing questions being asked, not just about the system per se, but the reprehensible behaviour of some of its so-called custodians. It's inevitable that these questions will be paused whilst some people in the country bask in the rosy glow of nostalgia, indulge in performative grieving, and immerse themselves in a world we all know in reality is gone.

After the dust has settled and people have become used to Elizabeth no longer being here - and a certain allure of a glamorous, past world will likely die with her - I then suspect some serious questions will be asked about the future of the UK constitution.

3-5 years of Charles III and we'll see how people feel then. There's little reason to suspect the loyalty and respect his mother commanded, largely because of her longevity, will extend to her successors.

We shall see.

It is a strange fact, but it is unquestionably true that almost any English intellectual would feel more ashamed of standing to attention during “God save the King” than of stealing from a poor box

Don't believe in God nor do I think we should have a King.

But can you imagine being the one person sitting down when the National Anthem is being played?

You're only seeing the crowds on TV. You aren't seeing or hearing from people who don't care or who are apathetic towards it.

It's been interesting to watch the Proclamation. A bit old fashioned but interesting.

One media outlet claimed that a large crowd was walking to Buckingham Palace . Perhaps they've corrected that.

They weren't .
They were marching for Chris Kaba

A woman has been arrested for holding a pro republic sign outside st Giles cathedral.

Why has that woman been arrested?

Is it treason?🤨

Her sign wasnt pro anything. She held a sign saying “fuck imperialism, abolish monarchy”

Are Republic claiming responsibility for her? Because she could be pro-facism or pro-anarchy or pro-theocracy or pro-dictatorship or pro-oligarchy for all we know from her sign. Being anti-monarchy doesn’t automatically make you pro-republic.

I'm not sure how they would 'claim responsibility' for her

They were tweeting about arrests - a man in Oxford too was arrested who said ' not my king ' at the proclamation

Her sign wasnt pro anything. She held a sign saying “fuck imperialism, abolish monarch

Freedom of speech....I am sure the DM are supporting her case.

He was released when he queried the grounds for his arrest .

I'm not sure if he's been told yet
He's called Symon Hill

I think it's fairly obvious what her sign was getting at. No need to clutch at straws here and claim she was preaching pro-fascism.

I'm not sure if I should have named him but it on his public Twitter account

I do wonder if #notmyking will be trending on Twitter on the day of the Coronation?

#citizennotsubject

Yea, it read “fuck imperialism, abolish monarchy”

But it’s not necessarily pro-Republic because many of the biggest imperialists and empires were built by republics…so 🤷‍♀️ or were you not aware of this fact?

I didn’t claim she was preaching pro-fascism, please dont make shit up to suit your narrative.

The U.K. doesn’t have freedom of speech (like it used to). Thought you knew that.

I thought that's the big thing at the moment. People allowed to say things that may offend others....unless that only applies to some people?

What are you on about? Freedom of speech laws differ by country. The U.K. Parliament has in recent years curtailed freedom of speech quite a bit. The law applies to everyone, it’s just not as free as it once was.

Wait until the Queen's will is kept secret

Yep.

And we already know whatever Charles cops will be free of IHT in line with all monarch to monarch bequests.

Haven't you read the Daily Mail or heard the speeches by Tory MPs who get very upset and outraged that people get cancelled for saying things that are offensive?

Here is a guide
www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/20150318_foe_legal_framework_guidance_revised_final.pdf

Yes, but 75% of what the DM and politicians say is a pack of lies. Just like the NHS Brexit Bus….
So I tend to use better sources to inform myself.

Still too soon and it isn't happening anytime soon anyway and who are all these republic leaders that do so well that you want to folilow