A REPUBLICAN campaign group has insisted the SNP’s position on the monarchy must be debated at a future party conference after leadership candidates were pushed for answers in a TV debate.
Ash Regan, Kate Forbes and Humza Yousaf were all asked for their views on whether they’d like to see the monarchy continue in an independent Scotland during the STV debate on Tuesday.
While Regan and Yousaf both declared they were republicans and would like to see Scotland have an elected head of state at some stage, Forbes said she was “pretty relaxed” and would like to see an independent Scotland remain part of the Commonwealth.
Regan also claimed Scotland was in a “new circumstance” with Charles on the throne following the Queen’s death, and argued it could be time to take the issue to the SNP’s conference and discuss whether the party needs to refresh its stance.
Current SNP policy is to keep the monarchy in place if Scotland leaves the UK.
Tristan Gray, convener of Our Republic, said he would welcome a debate on whether the royals have a place in Scotland at SNP Conference.
He told The National: “Regan said she wants to bring it back to the SNP conference to debate which we think would be great.
“I think that’s something that would be hugely welcomed by Our Republic.
“We believe the time is now for starting to have the discussion about this topic because we know Charles is significantly less popular than the Queen was. We don’t think his coronation full of wealth and pomp is going to help during a cost of living crisis.
Today @_KateForbes, @AshReganSNP, and @HumzaYousaf were asked where they stand on the Monarchy. Forbes - "I'm pretty relaxed about it." Regan - "I'm a republican. Go back to conference and have a debate." Yousaf - "I'm a republican. We'd keep the Monarchy for a period of time." pic.twitter.com/Y5rRtqcoac
— Our Republic (@OurRepublicScot) March 7, 2023
“We’re really grateful to the SNP member who brought it up because it is important to know the perspective of the new first minister coming in because it’s not really a debate that’s happened at the top of the party so far.
“I think the three responses covered the basis of where the SNP is on the discussion. The general impression was it’s not an immediate pressing concern but at least two of the candidates felt it needed to be tackled at some point.
“Kate Forbes really didn’t care less either way on any of the questions asked about the monarchy and there’s definitely a tendency among some members towards that because they think it might alienate some independence supporters.”
All three candidates were asked if they would like to see the Stone of Destiny go to London for the coronation.
Forbes said she was “not very fussed” said there were “much more important issues”, while Yousaf said he was fine with it being used but would make sure “it came back up the road”.
Regan suggested having some of the coronation ceremony take place in Scotland.
Forbes at one stage also argued the monarchy did “not make a difference to most people’s lives” which Gray said he disagreed with, citing how Charles was criticised recently after meeting European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen after a new Brexit deal was agreed for Northern Ireland.
Many suggested the monarch had been drawn into political matters, but the UK Government rejected this notion.
Asked if he disagreed with Forbes’ comments, Gray said: “Absolutely. There is a clear impact on people’s lives from Charles actively putting himself into the middle of the political arena as we saw last week when he intervened on the Brexit negotiations on behalf of Rishi Sunak.
“In the past we’ve seen the monarchy’s impact has been to some extent to reinforce the status quo, we saw that with the independence referendum, but never has it been quite so blatant as a monarch actively intervening in negotiations on foreign affairs on behalf of the prime minister.
“Not only do we have that, where the monarchy intervenes in the best interests of the Conservative Party, but for their own interests too when they meddle with our laws to ensure they don’t have to abide by the same laws as everyone else.
“We also have the less direct impact of the monarchy, which is the underlying impact they have on what a society thinks is the right way society should work. The underlying belief that nepotism is okay, that the system of nods and handshakes between wealthy men is actually all right and proper.
“Why should people be able to criticise Boris Johnson for giving his father a knighthood when we know that’s exactly how the monarchy works as an institution and the monarchy is raised up as the pinnacle of our society?”
Our Republic has written to all three candidates asking for their thoughts on its petition which demands the abolition of any and all exemptions in Scottish law which have been made for the royal family.
It further calls for all details of instances where the monarchy has lobbied for changes in Scottish law to be made public, and for them to be reversed.
The petition was signed by more than 6000 people and became the most popular on Holyrood’s website by some distance.
So far, none of the candidates have responded to the group’s email.
Gray said: “We have contacted all three of them and asked if they would support the points that are made in our petition – to make the communication between the Scottish Parliament and the monarchy transparent, to remove exemptions to our laws that have been made for the benefit of the monarchy and its estates, and to ensure no further exemptions will be made in future.
“We think that’s all common sense stuff that even monarchists should support if they believe that the founding principle of how our country should work, that everyone is equal under law, should also apply to the monarchy.”
The petition is set to be discussed on March 22, a few days before the SNP leadership contest ends.
