Queen Elizabeth in a Royal Carriage

Campaigners are planning a rally for a republican Scotland to coincide with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The rally, coordinated by republican group Our Republic, will take place on Calton Hill in Edinburgh at 3pm on June 4.

The rally comes after a new opinion poll found that only a minority of Scots support the retention of the monarchy.  The same poll found that one in three Scots believe the end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign to be the right time for the abolition of the monarchy.

Attendees at the rally will hear from speakers from a range of political backgrounds demanding a republican Scotland.

Convenor of Our Republic Tristan Gray said the monarchy is a ‘corruptive influence’ on Scottish society. Gray said,

All power in Scotland should be founded on democratic principles. The monarchy is a corruptive influence on our society and culture, creating the impression that unaccountable power, being above the law, is a natural state for people with enough wealth and with the right families.

We want to offer an alternative vision of Scotland. A modern, forward thinking republic with a written constitution. Over the last five years, we have seen how undemocratic Britain has become. From proroguing parliament, political norms abandoned by the government, and high profile members of the royal family entitled to their status in line to rule our country being indicted in criminality. None of these things should be possible in a modern country.

There is cross-party support for the principle that it is the right of people of Scotland to choose the governance that best represents them and remove that which they no longer consider just. A principle set out by the Claim of Right, signed by members of multiple political parties and community representatives from churches to trade unions. As the Monarchy loses majority support of the Scottish public it is time to reconsider whether their status is the will of the people of Scotland. It is time to re-open the debate and decide whether the successor to Elizabeth Windsor ought to be a man entitled by birth right or someone decided by and accountable to all of us.

Our Republic points to declining support for the monarchy in the Commonwealth as evidence that Scotland should follow suit. Barbados removed the Queen as head of state in November 2021. Other countries including the Bahamas, Jamaica and Grenada.

Our Republic is a Scottish cross-party group campaigning for a republic.

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Image credit: Michael Garnett – Creative Commons