Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton has called for the Queen to be the last monarch, criticised the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Pageant, saying it flies in the face of the current cost of living crisis and said that he's "embarrassed" by people trying for honours.
Barton took to Twitter to share his views with his 2.8 million followers today (Sunday, June 5). He said the current Queen should be the last to reign over the UK as its '2022'.
The Rovers ross already described the Queen and the monarchy as 'an absurd concept' in the run-up to the Platinum Jubilee. The last four days have seen a huge celebration in honour of the Queen's 70 years of service to her country, culminating today in a pageant past Buckingham Palace.
READ NEXT - Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton brands the Queen and the monarchy 'an absurd concept'
Mr Barton tweeted: "People are going hungry. People are struggling to make ends meet. They are scrambling around to find a way to live, a way to survive and we’re throwing a massive party? The Queen done a great service to her country. She should be the last to reign over us. It’s 2022."
In another tweet the former QPR, Manchester City and England midfielder said he'd seen too much "bootlicking and crawling about these last few days for an MBE/OBE or Knighthood is scary".
He continued: "Actually it’s embarrassing. Put your tongues away and live your lives. You’ll always be a clown to them. Just a clown with letters before or after your name."
In a sarcastic move, Barton changed his own Twitter name to Sir Joseph of Barton OBE/MBE. Barton, who is originally from Merseyside, is no stranger to giving his philosophical thoughts on everything from politics to Nietzsche, and even once appeared on BBC Question Time in 2014.
He also tweeted: "Surely, we know now what they didn’t then. Nobody is born any better than anyone else! The birth lottery some of these people have won, should end. Maybe years ago when the people were clearly less educated, you can pull it off. Do you not find it absurd in this day and age?"
He then tweeted: "Surely, we don’t think the Royals were sent from the Gods? Surely, nobody in their right minds believes that. What is being protected? A bloodline? A legacy? History? Can we not function without a Queen/King? History will laugh at us. With all our technology and science."
Barton's tweet about the monarchy and the Queen is not exactly out of character for a man who once appeared in a Morrissey video and was appointed an honorary associate of the National Secular Society after he said that if he were Prime Minister he would cut any public funding from religion and disestablish the Church of England from the UK state.
Barton is currently enjoying the post-season break after leading his Rovers team to promotion into League One, secured in the final minutes of the season with an astonishing 7-0 victory over Scunthorpe United
