Movement to abolish
Graham Smith, campaign manager for Republic, calling for the abolition of the monarchy, told The Independent the monarch is hardly “the harmless tourist attraction many people think” but is an unfairly rich organization that continues to be involved in politics, which he notes it has no right to be.
When the Queen, who just celebrated her 90th birthday, does die, Smith said it will be a chance to reflect and to have the citizenry given a choice on whether to have Prince Charles take the throne.
“It will be the first time most people have seen a change in the head of state,” he said. “I think that’s going to be a slightly odd, jarring experience for a lot of people. All of a sudden you’ve got this this other monarch who has been hoisted upon us and no debate about who it is going to be.
“For once, actually seeing hereditary power in practice,” Smith added. “You’ll actually see the inheritance of the throne taking place.”
BBC: Unbalanced coverage
On the group’s website there was a condemnation of the manner in which the BBC handled the coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s birthday. There was, Smith said on the group’s website, no balance whatever from the iconic media institution.
“The Queen’s birthday does not warrant this kind of coverage,” Smith wrote. “It is inappropriate to celebrate a political figure like this and the public just aren’t that excited about the royals. The BBC has a duty to report, not to celebrate the royals.
“That reporting must be fair, balanced and proportionate,” he added. “So far this week the BBC has failed completely on those measures (and)…making the royal family the main headline story is unacceptable.”
Smith said that the BBCs coverage suggested that the entire country was busy celebrating the Queen’s birthday for an entire week. He said the reality was that people were “simply getting on with their lives.”
There has been no response from the BBC, the government or Buckingham Palace to the Republic’s call to abolish the monarchy as the titular head of state.
