SS15 wildlife watching: Stuff the jubilee!!!

If a self-entitled, over-privileged, mega-rich and unelected head of state with a grossly dysfunctional family who supposedly “rules” over us all thanks to an accident of birth is the "best of Britain", we really are lost as a nation.

As I have previously said in this blog, maybe I am not keeping up with what is going on in our own country and around the world but I still think that the real critical issues deserving and demanding our attention are:

A Covid-19 pandemic leaving millions dead

A climate emergency and biodiversity crisis

Ongoing wars and conflicts in Ukraine, Yemen, the Middle East and elsewhere

Human rights issues in China, Myanmar and elsewhere

The ongoing threat of extremist terrorism

Global poverty and inequality

The collapse of advanced global economies with low growth and rampant inflation and insufficient support to developing countries

Basically, we have existential threats to the very future of sustainable, peaceful, co-operative life on Earth but instead (yet again), we have another ridiculous royal circus dominating the media.

Talk about having your priorities wrong. The pathetic fawning deference and idolatry of the flag-waving monarchists and royalists and the obsessive and sensationalist right wing media reporting continues.

I have been a staunch Republican almost since I could spell the word “queen” .... sapere aude.

Perhaps someone can tell me why we need a royal family or what benefit ordinary people get from these people?

The monarchy is an outdated institution, built on feudalism and colonialism and tone deaf to the needs and demands of our modern times.

We live in the 21st century. The reform, modernisation and strengthening of all aspects of our democracy is long overdue. The abolition of an unelected head of state and all the other heavily taxpayer subsidised hangers-on would be a very good start (closely followed by a codified written constitution, reforms to make our electoral system proportionate and representative, abolition of the House of Lords and its replacement with an elected second chamber, reduction in the voting age to 16 years and the introduction of State funding of political parties to end the corrupt influence of vested interests).

Perhaps it is too much to hope that yet another royal circus marks the start of a nation questioning the anachronistic institutions and protocols it blindly accepts as parts of British life. We should be embarrassed and ashamed that we still have a monarchy and an unelected and undemocratic head of state in what is claimed to be a modern democracy.

The monarchy needs to be abolished and the monarch replaced with a democratic head of state elected by the people (we are people not “subjects”), a person not running the Government but someone representing the nation independently of our politicians. An elected, accountable and effective head of state. There have been, and still are, some excellent examples around the world.

When the Queen dies, let's elect a head of state. If the monarchists and royalists are so keen on Charles becoming head of state, they can urge him to run for President of the Republic of the United Kingdom (assuming of course that Scotland and Wales have not achieved independence and that Northern Ireland has not become part of a reunified Ireland). If it is his divine God-given birth right then he will win the popular vote won't he?

Of course, many of the monarchists and royalists want to skip a generation and see William as King. A hereditary monarchy skipping a generation because some people don't like the next in line? Try figuring that logic out!

What could we possibly do with all that money saved on not having an extended royal family and not having to pay these people to live a life of luxury and privilege? Just a suggestion but how about much needed investment in so many other parts of our society that would benefit normal people during these difficult and challenging times for so many.

I refuse to watch royal weddings, royal funerals or any royal event. They are a complete waste of my time. Life is too short to indulge all the attention heaped on such a dysfunctional and undeserving family.

And so to the jubilee …. I certainly won’t be watching any of the coverage but unfortunately, although not unexpectedly, I have woken up to massive wall-to-wall sycophantic and one-sided reporting on the 24 hour news media.

The jubilee is not a national celebration. It is a carefully stage-managed event to promote the monarchy and the royal brand.

The media should be stepping back and limiting itself to simply reporting on what is happening. It should be reflecting on public opinion and not trying to influence it.

Yet, if you watch TV, listen to the radio or read the papers, you would be forgiven for thinking the whole country is celebrating the jubilee. The media has said as much time and again in their reporting in recent weeks.

This is clearly untrue. The whole country is not celebrating the jubilee.

54% of British people are not interested in the jubilee according to a YouGov poll. The poll showed 54% were "not very" (29%) or "not at all" (25%) interested in the event with just 11% "very interested". A majority were not interested in all nations and regions and there was also a majority not interested in all age groups except the over-65s. The findings come despite widespread favourable coverage of the jubilee over the past few weeks.

Survey Report (yougov.com)

Furthermore, in another recent YouGov poll, it was shown that support for the monarchy has fallen sharply over the past 10 years from 75% to 60% while support for abolition of the monarchy has jumped to more than 1 in 4.

More than 1 in 4 (27%) British people now support abolishing the monarchy including 40% of those under 25. Support for retaining the monarchy stands at just 60%, well below the 70 to 75% previously reported from across the polling industry over the last ten years.

Survey Report (yougov.com)

Just 10 years ago, monarchists were consistently boasting that 75% of the population supported the royal family. The monarchy is now in a terminal decline and it is time that the country started to have a serious grown-up debate about the monarchy, what it is for, what it represents and what modern and democratic alternatives are on offer.

It is inevitable that sooner than most people might expect, a majority of people in this country will want the monarchy abolished and replaced by a democratic republic and a democratically elected head of state.