READING, England – Graham Smith has plans for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend, but does not include enjoying the festivities or attending a neighborhood street party.
Instead, Mr Smith will host an international conference against the monarchy and explain why he believes Britain should get rid of its members of the royal family.
The Republican-led group has spent £ 40,000 (about $ 50,400) raised by supporters on billboards in cities across the country, urging the British to “make Elizabeth the last” monarch. It also marks the event with the sale of goods such as coffee cups and T-shirts with anti-royal slogans.
The great seven-year anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth is nothing to celebrate, thinks Mr. Smith, who was born and raised in Bristol, in the west of England, and then spent several years in Australia before returning home.
“I certainly don’t see her with any admiration,” he said, sipping coffee in the city of Reading, west London, where he now lives. “There is no success in what he has done.”
“Some people would be horrified if someone said that,” he said. “But it’s not a critique, it’s an observation: he was given the job for life when he was 25, and he still lives 70 years later, so he still has the job.”
This may seem like a minority view in a country that embarks on days of pomp and ceremony, where opinion polls show that about six out of 10 people support supporting the royal family; where Queen Elizabeth is widely respected; and where there is relentless, if not universally uncritical, coverage of the monarchy by broadcasters and newspapers.
But support for the royal family has declined in recent decades and is weaker among young people. So Mr. Smith believes that time is on his side.
Republic, founded in 1983, has about 5,000 subscribed members, plus 100,000 registered followers.
Since a brief 17th-century experiment with regicide and republicanism ended with the restoration of the royal family, the British monarchy has survived periods of unpopularity. Its role has evolved over the centuries; the queen is head of state and does her best to stay out of politics.
It remains a symbol of national unity at a time when the UK is under growing threat of breaking up and there is no consensus on what kind of system could replace the monarchy, an institution that even most politicians center left want to keep. .
But much of the reverence for the royal family is invested in Queen Elizabeth, giving Republicans hope that when her reign ends and the throne passes to Prince Charles, things may change.
“Support for the monarchy is waning,” Smith said. “If she can’t stop this from happening, then Charles won’t do it when he’s king.”
Part of that, Mr. thinks. Smith, is about changing social attitudes, as exemplified by the legalization of same-sex marriage, the growing discussion on issues such as mental health, and debates about the #MeToo movement, Black Lives Matter, and the legacy of slavery. .
In the midst of these changes, the royal family seems to be an unrepresentative symbol of modern Britain, raising questions about why the country’s next three heads of state are destined to be white men of the most privileged origins, thinks Mr. Smith.
They also hurt Britain, he said, suggesting that “if you speak in an elegant voice, you probably know what you’re doing, it looks like you’re right to be in the change.”
But perhaps the greatest risk to the royal family is growing indifference. In an opinion poll commissioned by Republic, a total of 54% of respondents said they were “not very” (29%) or “not at all” (25%) interested in the Platinum Jubilee, with only 11% he declared himself “much.” interested. ”
Although this week people will attend to see the royal ceremonies, more could take advantage of the holiday to go to the beach if the weather is good.
In Reading, where one of Republic’s billboards looks down on a busy street, and where she has survived an attempt to vandalize it, a pro-monarchy resident expressed her anger at Mr. Smith.
“I live in front and I don’t want to look out the window and see something offensive,” said Rosamund Moon, a retired special needs teacher. “Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but it is pathetic. I support the queen and what she has done for this country. “
Passing the billboard later, however, Vince Jones said he was not particularly interested in the jubilee and would not participate in the celebrations.
“I don’t see why there should be a royal family today, I don’t see the need for it,” Mr. Jones, also retired, added: “The current monarch is probably as good as you will be. Get it, but I’m not looking forward to the next one.”