Anti Royal Citizen Not Subject Leftist Abolish The Monarchy T-Shirt

Product Information

There was a small protest outside the Senedd but a larger one at the gates of Cardiff Castle, where Charles had a private audience with Drakeford. Queen Elizabeth II’s children were set to pay their respects at their mother’s coffin ahead of her state funeral at a Vigil of the Princes in Westminster Hall on Friday evening. Of course it's time the United Kingdom had an elected rather than an hereditary head of state. How else can we hope to become a modern meritocracy? Not only is it invidious for our constitution to be haunted by a vestige of the feudal system, it is an unnecessarily expensive and inefficient system of government. The feeblest justification for retaining the monarchy is the claim that tourism would suffer. Have tourists stopped going to Paris since the Bourbons were evicted from the Louvre? After the election, the Windsors could slip quietly into a dignified retirement. Unless, of course, the electorate really wants an hereditary ruler after all and a member of the Windsor family won a popular vote to be head of state. One idea we've looked at is a citizens' panel of around seven people who would be chosen in a random way like a jury. The main purpose of using this approach is to encourage people in a fast moving world to trust in their own capacity to do things, rather than authority figures to do it on their behalf. It sends a deeply democratic message that we can govern ourselves. We're not going down the route of having one individual- it's about collective leadership. The original democrats in the 17th century argued that Parliament should be subject to annual elections, so there is strong lineage to the idea of frequent turnover. The individuals are less important but the process is of interest. The Welsh language was very much front and centre at the service with the first minister, Mark Drakeford, reading from the first book of Kings in Welsh. Camilla wore a silver leek brooch given by the Queen.

I do believe in a republic. I am totally anti monarchy and wouldn't want any one of them elected. The whole idea of the monarchy just enforces the structure of class and obedience which I am very opposed to. Let's spend the money on a dialysis wing in a hospital rather than the royals. We are being led along a path which is totally negative, particularly for younger people in our society. I think they give out the wrong signal to society. We should encourage compassion, not deference. And who's challenged any of this? Their relatives scooped up what they could and kept hold of it. I think the whole idea of people who need so much money is psychologically flawed. They must be terribly insecure. She said: “In the 21st century in a democratic country, an unelected head of state has no place. It’s an antiquated system of class oppression and class inequalities, which is especially heinous at a time when inequalities are rising so fast.Under the Guardian's proposals, successive elections for a head of state would probably produce: first, a royal (out of residual loyalty); secondly, a senior politician (out of a desire for change); thirdly, someone like Clement Freud or Joanna Lumley (out of boredom and a desire for novelty). More to the point, why do we need a head of state? Can't we get by without some expensive display figure of nominal or vestigial authority? Why presume that more elections automatically produce more democracy (or greater interest in public processes)? If Costa Rica can lead the world in getting rid of its armed forces, how about Britain demonstrating how to prune a constitutional superstructure?

I do agree with abolishing the monarchy because you can't create a society where people are judged on their merits, when status and power depend on who your father was. It's as simple as that. I would be happy to remove all the mysticism and deference linked to monarchy, such as official birthdays and ladies-in-waiting. As for head of state, I'd vote for Lord Woolf the Lord Chief Justice because I'm a lawyer. As non-working members of the royal family, both Prince Andrew and Prince Harry have been permitted to wear uniforms for the solemn vigils at the King’s request. Many people this winter are going to pay their heating bills but we’re going to pay millions for a coronation, a funeral, changing stamps and Charles isn’t going to pay a penny in inheritance tax. I don’t think the Prince of Wales title should exist. If it did, it should belong to a Welsh person.” The position is inherited, which means that someone who is mad, bad or a complete waste of taxpayers' money can become queen or king. I think that brings the whole purpose of having a head of state into disrepute. People want a modernised model for the state, and, in general, don't like the huge sums of money that are spent on the royal family - especially the satellite members and distant relatives. The whole edifice supports a system of class privilege and leads to race and gender discrimination. The monarchy needs to be rationalised - there's a role for a sense of history and tradition but it needs to be proportionate. The best way of choosing a head of state is by election. It doesn't have to be a politician but someone who commands respect across politics. This could create a far healthier society. You need to get right to the root of what is wrong and the further you dig, the closer you come to the monarchy as being at the foundation of those things.With the current parliamentary system, where the Prime Minister's power is quite vast, it could be useful to have a head of state, as the guardian of the constitution. There is a clear function. You need to see it as a development in the British constitution from the hierarchical imperial model of the 17th century into something more modern with a balance of powers. We don't need a football manager or a retired politician. We need someone who can play that modern role as representative of the state and guardian of its constitution, but it's impossible to imagine that person until you have the function. If there is going to be head of state they should be elected but I'm not into a hierarchical system. People should be valued as human beings whoever they are and should be able to discipline themselves in co-operation with other people. Nelson Mandela is an incredible figurehead who got to where he was because he fought for justice and not for power. He believes in the value of humanity and not his own inflated ego. The world is governed by men who have been elected democratically and abuse power, so really the only way is to educate people to respect each other and human life. I'm famously anti royalist but I don't think the Queen ought to be beheaded any more; just put out to pasture would be a good idea in this day and age. They make no difference to us apart from the fact that we pay them tons of money to do very little apart from get the tourism vote. When I was in The Housemartins, we wanted to abolish them but they seem to do that themselves. I don't think they bring in enough revenue to warrant keeping them. It's money which could be spent on the National Health Service rather than lavish carriages or parades. And there definitely isn't the support or enthusiasm for the Golden Jubilee which was there was for the Silver Jubilee - there's been amazing apathy. As for head of state, I'd want Ken Livingstone. He's the only politician who can get anything done, he's charming and cares about people. He would make a great ambassador. He's the one to trust. I think we've got to grow up. The idea of selecting any public official on the basis of hereditary seems anachronistic. We ought to select through election. A head of state should recognise that their position is not prime minister number two and that their role is different from the political head. Mary Robinson and Nelson Mandela performed that function in a particularly good manner. Both captured the idea that they were performing a role that was different from head of government, but also had a capacity to inspire people, and that's important. The use of mystique that seems an essential foundation for the monarchy is based on a myth which we shouldn't have to rely on in an adult democracy.