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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Kirstie McCrum

'Make Elizabeth the last' anti-monarchy billboards spring up across UK

Billboards saying 'Make Elizabeth the last' have gone up around the country just weeks before her Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The public posters are courtesy of anti-monarchy group Republic.

The group's response to the Jubilee features images of Prince Andrew, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Cornwall, along with the hashtag '#AbolishTheMonarchy'. Republic says that recent polls showing support for the monarchy falling and a significant drop in the number of street parties from ten years ago,

Republic has currently crowdfunded more than £43,000 in support of its billboard campaign. So far, billboards have been erected in Reading, Manchester, Bournemouth, Birmingham, Dundee, Leeds, Glasgow, Newcastle and Bristol.

Speaking for Republic, Graham Smith said: "What the fanfare and TV coverage will gloss over is the fall in support for the royals over recent years. Yet as we approach the end of the Queen's reign the country needs to start talking about moving on and getting rid of the monarchy.

"The Queen is the monarchy for most people, she's the one who sustains support for the institution. The idea that we should all sit back and accept Charles as our head of state is going to be questioned by a lot of people.

"The monarchy is wrong in principle, wrong in practice and it's bad for British politics. Without the Queen protecting the royals, with more controversial and divisive men in charge of the monarchy change will be much easier to achieve.

"These billboards are part of a wider move to generate a bigger, louder public debate about the future of the monarchy. Recent polls now show more than 1 in 4 want the monarchy abolished, while support has dropped from 75% to 60%.

"Ten years ago around 10,000 street parties were registered for the jubilee, this time it's just 1700. The monarchy is increasingly out of touch and out of time. We need to prepare to move on and start electing our head of state."

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