Letter to EADT – Public Interest vs Prince’s Interest

13 March 2010 To The Editor, East Anglian Daily Times Dear Mr Hunt There has been a lot of talk over the past year about “cleaning-up” politics. The government has promised more transparency with its Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill. The Bill contains an amendment to the Freedom of Information Act: at present, we may [...]

Republic Tuesday: a year of royal articles

For some extra reading over the holiday break, here’s a personal selection of articles about monarchy and the royal family from 2009: Peter Preston: “The trouble with Harry” (Guardian, 11 January 2009) The prince is in another fine mess, but his problems aren’t entirely of his own making Joan Smith: “Manufacturing the myth of monarchy” [...]

What’s the point of the monarchy?

Today we’re throwing open the debate about the monarchy to the floor: What is the monarchy for? What purpose does the monarchy serve? Does Britain really need a monarchy in the 21st century? Wouldn’t Britain be served equally well by an elected head of state? What’s the point of the monarchy? Whether your sympathies are [...]

BBC 5 Live debate about the monarchy: a transcript

The 17th November 2009 edition of the Richard Bacon Show on BBC Radio 5 Live was broadcast in a week in which there were reports that Labour candidate for Havering Council Peter White had posted comments on the Facebook page of Conservative MP Andrew Rodinsell, accusing the Queen of being a “parasite” and “vermin”. In [...]

CBC documentary will not be kind to the royal family

Will Prince Charles,  the controversial successor to Queen Elizabeth II, spell the end of Britain’s thousand-year monarchy?  Most people seem to think so, according to John Curtin’s documentary “After Elizabeth II” which is being screened this evening by Canadian broadcaster CBC.  If the preview clip is anything to go by, the royal family will find [...]

We all agree: we cannot gamble away our future

The campaign for a democratic alternative to the monarchy is, by its very nature, always going to be adversarial.  So any chance to establish some common ground with those more accepting of an hereditary head of state is always welcome. BBC Northampton conducted a phone-in discussion recently on the future of the royal family.  Comments [...]

BBC Northamptonshire phone-in on the monarchy – a transcript

On 28th October BBC Northamptonshire broadcast a phone-in programme, hosted by Stuart Linnell, discussing the pros and cons of the monarchy. The programme went out between 13:00 and 14:00.   As well as calls, text messages and emails from the public, the programme featured contributions from a number of experts, including Michael Ellis (lawyer and [...]