Time to open up the Palace

Gordon Brown has rather a lot on his plate at the moment, what with failed attempts to oust him as Labour leader and fending off calls for an immediate general election.  So I hope it hasn’t escaped his attention that he has only a few days left to accede to the decision of the Information [...]

Queen plays the poor card

At King’s Cross Station a dowdy, modestly dressed woman, her white hair covered by a head scarf, makes her way slowly down platform 11 towards the waiting train.  She reaches the first carriage door and climbs gingerly inside, the stiffness in her hips and knees betraying all of her 83 years.   She disappears from [...]

Republic Tuesday: our weekly online news round-up

Welcome to another of our regular weekly round-ups of news and opinion on matters of constitutional and electoral reform from across the web. Blowing our own trumpet: Our contribution to the POWER2010 website resulted in the issue of constitutional reform and a democratically elected head of state making it to “Idea of the day”.  The [...]

Update: Civil List payment, 2011-2020

This is the reply that I have now received to my email concerning the Civil List settlement for 2011-2020: Dear Mr Smedley, Thank you email regarding the next Civil List settlement and my reply to an enquiry from one of the members of Republic. The Civil List meets the central staff costs (about 75%) and [...]

Cut spending on royals, not on democracy

Voters in Suffolk Coastal could be among those most affected by government proposals to cut spending on elections.  According to a report in today’s Times, suggested cost-cutting plans outlined in a working paper drawn up by the Ministry of Justice include: closing thousands of polling stations; reducing voting hours; replacing polling cards with e-mails and [...]

Civil list payment, 2011-2020

To: Wendy Rendall, HM Treasury (wendy.rendall@hmtreasury.gsi.gov.uk) Dear Ms Rendall, I understand that you were recently asked by members of Republic, the campaign for an elected head of state, to comment on a press report [Guardian, 26th September] that informal talks were underway between the Treasury and Buckingham Palace to increase the civil list payment for [...]