Opponents of the monarchical constitutional regime remain a minority in the United Kingdom, but the death of the untouchable Elizabeth II, in September 2022, resulted in the arrival to the throne of an older and less popular sovereign, which gave them greater visibility.
The anti-monarchist movement that wants a head of state
He Republic movementwho fights so that there is an elected head of state, He believes that last year he turned a corner, attracting many supporters to his organization, something unimaginable two years ago. ANDThe group rejects the idea that this momentum will be interrupted by the announcement, at the beginning of February, of the 75-year-old sovereign’s cancer, the nature of which is unknown, although the disease could, in theory, curb that momentum.
“Obviously, we are sensitive to the fact that he has cancer, but the problem is the institution,” he said. Graham Smith, President of Republic, to the AFP. “It’s an issue that goes beyond people,” he adds.
For Graham Smith, The “excessive” media coverage given to the news only reinforces their arguments to the population. Smith also believes that all news related to the royal family, whether births, deaths, marriages or coronations, favors anti-monarchists, since they put the royals in the foreground and the British like less and less what they see.
The campaign since the death of Elizabeth II
Without having a great echo for a long time, The Republicans launched an important campaign since the death of Elizabeth II. The repression of their demonstration during the coronation of Carlos III, last May, caused them to receive support.
Graham Smith and five other activists They were arrested before their demonstration, prompting heavy criticism of London police, whom Republic took to court. The group claims to have experienced “massive” growth, and proof of this, in his words, is the collection of 600,000 pounds ($754,000) in 2023, more than double that of 2022 and almost six times more than in 2021.
“For years, royalists have repeated that the people support royalty, but this is clearly no longer the case,” says Graham Smith.
The anti-monarchist polls
The group’s leader cites two surveys recent showing that Less than half of Britons support the monarchyalthough this system is still preferred over an elected head of state.
“There are positive aspects for the royal family”says Gideon Skinner, director of policy research at the Ipsos institute in the United Kingdom.
“People generally think that King Charles is doing better than expected (…) and the Prince and Princess of Wales (heir William and his wife Catherine) remain very popular,” he adds. Skinner emphasizes, However the younger ones feel disconnected from royalty and are clearly more favorable to a republic.
The numbers that the survey gives
According to a survey conducted by Ipsos in September, almost a quarter of people between 18 and 34 years old declare themselves in favor of an elected head of statecompared to 15% of those over 55.
For Graham Smith, this trend is accentuated by the scandals of recent years, such as the accusations of sexual assault against Prince Andrew, the king’s brother, which he denies.
Smith also notes concern over cost of monarchy with opulent coronation last year during a period of high inflation.
Source: Ambito
