“I’m not against any of them personally, I’m against the idea that people can be born to rule.” These words were said by a young Leeds student in a 1994 ITV News interview. This person then went on to call the British monarchy “disgraceful.”
Now, the person who made these claims wasn’t some budding socialist. In fact, these words came out of the mouth of Liz Truss, famous conservative and the new Prime Minister of Britain. This demonstrates that being against monarchical rule isn’t a partisan issue.
Moreover, I believe that young Truss was correct when making these statements. No one’s bloodline should determine whether or not they are fit to rule a country. Character, policies, and competence should be the qualities that define our leaders. Anything less is a failure. We should demand systems that empower us instead of keeping us down in the muck.
Ergo, I believe that Queen Elizabeth II should be the last British monarch.
Now, you might be a Lizzy fan that believes that her duties were entirely ceremonial. However, that’s just not true. In 2021, The Guardian outlined that over 1000 potential laws were scrutinised by both King Charles III and the late queen. They commented on rules relating to anything from food policy to pensions. These laws only came into effect after they were approved by either member of the royal family.
There’s a phrase describing this process called the King or Queen’s consent. “Queen’s consent is a longstanding convention and a requirement of the parliamentary process,” explained a spokesperson for Queen Elizabeth. “Consent is routinely sought by the government and agreed by the monarch as a matter of course.”
Related: Does the UK Need the Royal Family — What Happens If the British Monarchy Crumbles?
Related: Australia Might Become a Republic Following the Queen’s Death — Here’s What That Would Mean
Moreover, other people have wielded the power of the crown to undo the will of the people. Remember when our Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, was ousted in 1975? How he was unfairly dismissed by the Crown appointed Governor General of the time, John Kerr, and replaced with the Liberal party? Whelp, according to the BBC, Kerr didn’t even inform the Queen that he used this terrifying power until after the fact. He even wrote in a letter that it was “better for Her Majesty not to know.”
But I get it. Despite all these facts you might still stan Queen Elizabeth. In fact, this article may have further strengthened your resolve, but that’s human psychology for you. Nevertheless, do you really want King Charles III to be your new guy? Is he really worth millions of folks being more politically impoverished?
Give the Queen a royal funeral. Send her off to the sound of the solemn aristocrats. It’s truly the end of an era. But once her coffin hits the ground, let’s bury the concept of the monarchy with her.
Read more stories from The Latch and subscribe to our email newsletter.