THE King’s coronation in May was the focus of the final Cabinet meeting of the year on Tuesday, whilst campaigners in Scotland met to discuss republican events across the UK.
Republicans also revealed plans of their campaign to put forward to the Scottish Parliament that all discussions with the monarch concerning laws should be made public.
Downing Street said Rishi Sunak chaired the meeting and described the coronation as a “unique moment for the country” alongside the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster’s description of the event which “will allow us to showcase the very best of the United Kingdom”.
In contrast, the Radical Independence Campaign, Our Republic, and Scottish Greens met on a panel this month discussing plans for their campaign in 2023 and an event on the May 6, the day of King Charles’ coronation. The meeting was recorded and published by Independence Live.
Activists are set to hold a demonstration at Calton Hill, with simultaneous events being planned in Northern Ireland and Wales.
Our Republic, who previously organised a “Rally for a Republic” on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2021 attended by around 100 people from across Scotland and from as far as Nottingham, hope to work alongside all republican groups in Scotland, as well as across all party lines.
Tristan Gray from Our Republic revealed plans of their upcoming campaign to increase public awareness of the power a monarch has by putting forward to the Scottish Parliament that all discussions with the monarch concerning laws should be made public.
The convener of Our Republic said: “One of our next moves is going to be bringing this issue to Parliament because we think we can win a kind of double whammy here on both the things we have been talking about.
"We can make people more aware of the powers that the monarchy has, and we can bring more soft republicans in the parliamentary groups out of the closet, so to speak, to speak about things that don’t necessarily bring down the monarchy but speak about transparency.”
“So, what we are looking to do in our next steps is put forward to Parliament that all the discussions about laws that have been had with the monarchy should be made public, all of the laws that have been modified based on discussion should be made public, and all discussions on these processes should be made public.”
Scotland consistently polls as having a majority opposed to a monarchy, contrasting with the UK-wide view. In the latest YouGov poll asking whether Britain should abolish the monarchy, 40% of Scots said yes.
The panel discussed ex-colonies of the British state that have discovered, or rediscovered, republicanism in recent decades such as Australia and Bermuda. Campaigners further discussed what their campaign would focus on and why now is the time to pursue a republican movement.
Greens MSP Maggie Chapman also argued that Queen Elizabeth was “a perfect candidate to be a blank canvas” of opinion and idea, and this allowed the public to often portray the vision of a kind, motherly figure, enshrining a positive image of the monarchy. Chapman said the campaign now has an opportunity to argue for a republic without making the public feel like “they are attacking their granny”.
Alan Armstrong from the Radical Independence Campaign pointed out that the Queen’s passing was an opportunity for the monarchy to use emotional appeal, rather than focus on economic arguments or personality politics.
The panel also considered the republican argument’s role in the wider Scottish independence campaign, the importance of laying out accurate alternatives for a monarchy such as a President like that of Ireland and using coalition building with the rest of the Commonwealth who have or are wishing to sever ties with the British Crown.
