Abolish The Monarchy : Why we should and how we will
Graham Smith

The 2020s should be the decade when we finally get to decide who we have as our elected head of state. The accession of King Charles has fundamentally changed the monarchy and the public’s relationship with it. Charles is controversial, outspoken and far less popular than his mother ever was. Prince Andrew remains a person of interest in a criminal investigation. And Harry and Meghan continue to show that monarchy isn't just bad for Britain, it's bad for the royals too.

The country needs an honest, grown-up debate about the monarchy. We need to stop and ask ourselves: Can't we just choose our next head of state?

Abolish The Monarchy renews and informs the debate, eviscerating the nonsensical claims of the royalists and setting the tone for a full-throated challenge to the monarchy. The book also sets out a clear blueprint, not just of what kind of republic we should aspire to be – something that is often lacking in other republican texts – but also of the road to that republic. How we get there and where we end up are crucial issues that must be addressed if we’re to get people away from the dead-end debates about tourism, celebrity and warring royal houses.

Polls are showing young people wanting an elected head of state, support for the monarchy in Scotland has fallen below fifty per cent and Commonwealth countries are lining up to ditch the Crown. There is a growing appetite for answers to the questions that are raised when people turn away from the monarchy: what’s the alternative, how do I talk about this issue with other people, what are the facts I need to know about the monarchy, and can we really get rid of it?

Despite the scandal, the outrage and falling support, MPs and the wider establishment have turned a blind eye to this issue, just as they try to avoid other questions of wider constitutional reform. As the country faces a growing number of crises we’re heading for a crisis of confidence in our constitution, our head of state and the whole political system. This only adds urgency to the need for wider political reform, beyond the limited tinkering proposed by proponents of electoral reform or an elected upper house.

The monarchy is on collision course with modern British values. It is wrong in principle, wrong in practice and is bad for British politics. Instinctively the public know this. Abolish The Monarchy will help turn that instinct into conviction, and equip people with the arguments they need to amplify that call for a British republic.