Buckingham Palace

BRITAIN has one of the worst constitutions in the democratic world, pieced together over two centuries of snail-pace reform, reform which has left in place an undemocratic, anti-democratic, monarchy.

The Queen’s reign did a lot to dampen debate about the monarchy’s future. She was their heat-shield, deflecting criticism and cowing a lot of people into subservience. That’s all changed with the accession to the throne of King Charles.

It is no surprise that the accession council met so quickly after the Queen’s death, or that Charles has been touring the country since. There is a concerted effort to get everything done with as little room for debate or dissent as possible.

That a country that claims to value democracy and equality so highly might accept this process of high-speed royal succession is an affront to those same values.

Ironically, that very public accession meeting on the weekend has been a boon to republicans, as have the appalling arrests of protesters and passers-by who have had the temerity to question Charles’s accession to the throne.

Rather than leaving people to reflect on the Queen’s life and reign these events have pushed the debate about the future of the monarchy further up the agenda and helped advance the republican cause.

Graham Smith

The monarchy’s popularity is on the wane, with support falling sharply from 75 per cent to 60 per cent over the last five years. Support for abolition has gone from one in five to one in four.

A quarter of the country want this institution abolished, a fact you would never guess at if the BBC or ITV were your only sources of news this week. We are not a nation of mourners, we are a nation that has a lot of people mourning.

There’s a big difference, and while those who wish to mourn should be respected and given space to do so, the accession of a head of state without consent or legitimacy must be debated freely, fairly, and with the inclusion of voices from all sides.

King Charles is not going to turn that popularity around. He is a difficult, controversial, man who has already caused considerable anger, firstly by summarily dismissing his 100-strong staff and then by appointing his brother Andrew to the state council, to stand in for him when necessary.

But it really doesn’t matter who is on the throne now. The monarchy is wrong in principle, undermining our values and causing us to compromise on our commitment to democracy as we make intellectual space for hereditary power.

It is also wrong in practice, an institution that thrives on secrecy, that routinely abuses public money and public office for personal gain and from which Charles seeks to influence government policy without transparency or accountability.

And it is bad for British politics, with the Crown concentrating power in Downing Street while denying us an effective, independent head of state.

Watch the BBC this week and you might be forgiven for thinking we’re a nation of monarchists. We’re not yet a nation of republicans either, but increasingly we’re a nation asking questions about how much longer this farce can go on.

A resurgent republicanism is growing in profile and presence and will be demonstrating at the coronation. This will be just the start of a movement that will, in time, bring down the monarchy.

• Graham Smith is the Chief Executive Officer of Republic.