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Republic Magazine | Issue 3 2010
1. Republic saw a massive surge of new supporters sign
up to our website and Facebook page in the week
following the announcement of the wedding of William
Wales and Kate Middleton.
The palace is clearly gearing up to use the event as a PR
exercise but polls and newspaper sales suggest the people
aren’t that interested. That gives us an opportunity to push
our case for reform as the wedding provokes renewed
debate about the monarchy. It will also be a welcome dress
rehearsal for the jubilee in 2012.
We have launched a wedding mug and new pin badge
to mark the occasion and plans are being developed for
activities and events catering for those who are bored with
wedding news. In January Graham Smith will be meeting
with our friends and counterparts in Sweden to learn about
what they did when faced with a major royal wedding
earlier this year.
Republic has been busy getting on the airwaves
and in the papers, trying to break through the waves of
sycophantic coverage. The BBC were inundated with com-
plaints over their coverage of the announcement, to which
they responded on their
Newswatch programme.
In response to the
increased activity we
have been taking on
new volunteers and
have launched a new
urgent appeal (more
about that in this magazine).
We have also been advertising
to recruit a new administration
officer to deal with the increased
membership.
T H E V O I C E O F T H E R E P U B L I C A N M O V E M E N T
2010 • Issue 3 • FREE
Wedding plans prompt
surge of new supporters
for Republic
Page 2
Republican round up
Page 3
Trained from birth?
Page 5
Sad news from republic
Page 7
An urgent appeal
2. Church of England denies
Bishop free speech
The Bishop of Willesden was
suspended recently after
posting comments about
the royal wedding on his
Facebook page. While the
comments appeared to many
to be a little crass Republic
defended his right to speak
out against the hype around
the wedding and to voice his
frustration about the celebrity
culture surrounding the royals.
Republic said in response:
“The key question is this:
if the comments had been
made about the Rooneys or
the Beckhams would anyone
have taken notice? We cannot
start treating the Windsors
as quasi-religious figures
who cannot be blasphemed
against.”
People want choice
Republic responded to polls
showing a clear majority
favouring William over
Charles as the next monarch
by pointing out that support
for the hereditary principle is
collapsing under a clamour
for choice. Of course the
logical conclusion of giving
people a choice is that the
line up of candidates must
extend well beyond the
Windsor family.
Republic on the Alan
Titchmarsh Show
Republic’s Graham Smith has
been on the Alan Titchmarsh
Show twice in recent months,
firstly to discuss Prince
Charles’s political lobbying
and then again to debate
the implications of the royal
wedding. Unsurprisingly the
audience and other guests
were stacked in favour of the
monarchy, but Graham was
able to get our points across
and promote Republic to a
large ITV audience.
New royal finance deal to
be challenged
The government has
announced plans to replace
the civil list with a new
‘sovereign support grant’
equal to 15% of revenue
from the Crown Estates.
As the Crown Estates is
property of the nation, not
the royal family, we see no
justification for this. Republic
will be challenging the new
plans and calling for proper
budgeting to be done for
future royal funding so we
can properly scrutinise how
the royals spend taxpayers’
money.
Palace demand
poverty grant
Freedom of information
documents revealed recently
that Buckingham palace
requested money from a
government grant set up to
alleviate poverty. Graham
Smith told reporters: “This
sense of entitlement speaks
volumes about the attitudes
of the Windsors and their
household. For them it’s all
about take, take, take. This
is an outrage. Once again
we need a full disclosure
of royal finances and the
management of the palaces.”
REPUBLICANROUNDUP
2
CONTACT REPUBLIC
REPUBLIC HAS A NEW
ADDRESS AND NEW
PHONE NUMBER
Republic Campaign
Suite 14040
145-157 St John Street
London EC1V 4PY
T: 020 7608 5742
(Don’t worry, we’re phasing out
our two PO Boxes, so if you’ve
sent anything to either one
we’ll still get it).
Republic relies on the financial
support of republicans like you.
Every donation, no matter how
small, will make a huge difference.
Donate online at www.republic.org.uk/donate
or call 020 7608 5742
3. By Republic’s Campaign Manager Graham Smith
The whole argument is of course completely
daft – the royals get no such training, and what
they do requires no training. To suggest that
anyone can learn to be an astronaut or fighter
pilot, a physicist or brain
surgeon, or an engineer or
school teacher during their
adult life, but ‘being a royal’
needs a lifetime of training
from birth is quite obviously
a silly notion. Yet it is one we
hear quite often, perhaps
proving the old adage
that the monarchy makes
otherwise intelligent people
say some very silly things.
The argument also begs
the question about the rights
of the Windsors and why they
believe they can deny their
children the right to choose
their own destiny and career
path. It also falls down on its
own merits – if training from
birth is needed why does that
mean it must be hereditary?
Surely infants from across the country can be
assessed according to parentage, genes, health
etc and a handful can be chosen for the training.
Of course that’s also a stupid idea, but no more so
than the notion that royals are ‘trained from birth’.
Whatever the weaknesses of this particular
argument, it has now been fatally undermined by
the introduction of Kate Middleton to the family.
She is what the media love to rather offensively
call ‘a commoner’, her background has not been
one of royal ‘training’ and she has not been
prepared for royal duties
all her life – yet the
monarchists expect her
to be Queen. Camilla is
a starker example, as she
had no idea she would
have the chance to marry
Charles until much later
in life. So we could have
two Queens in succes-
sion without this crucial
training to fall back on
when the job gets really
tough.
I’m struggling to take
this line of argument
seriously, but let’s not hear
anymore nonsense about
‘training from birth’, any
competent adult can be
head of state, and the
British people are quite
capable of choosing among the candidates. The
only ‘training’ people need is the experience and
challenges of normal life – something the Windsors
rarely see.
[This article was originally posted on the Republic
website at www.republic.org.uk/comment]
‘Commoner’ Kate
means end to ‘trained
from birth’ claim
3For more news from Republic go to www.republic.org.uk
One of the side effects of the Wales/Middleton wedding is that monarchists
can no longer carp on about the importance of someone being ‘trained’
from birth, because, if they get their way, they’ll have Queen Kate in a few
years time, someone who certainly had no royal upbringing as a child.
4. Is the royal wedding
driving you to drink?
Get Republic’s royal wedding
memorabilia while stocks last
Go to www.republic.org.uk/shop to
see our range of Republic and royal
wedding merchandise. All profits
go to help the republican cause.
5. It was with great sadness that we had to break
the news recently that John Campbell, who
served as our Chair for six years until June this
year, died in October following a brief battle
with cancer.
John made an enormous impact on Republic,
chairing our board through a crucial period of
growth and change. With his wife, Suzanne, John
attended virtually every meeting during his time as
Chair, making the journey each time from Cardiff
to London. As well as serving as Chair John would
regularly join Suzanne in speaking at schools
and universities, championing our cause with a
heartfelt passion. His commitment and enthusiasm
were inspiring, not only to those of us who worked
closely with him on the board but also to any
who witnessed the engaging and forthright lead
given by him at the many Republic AGMs and
Conferences held during his chairmanship.
At this year’s AGM former Chair Stephen
Haseler and Campaign Manager Graham Smith
paid tribute to John’s character and commitment.
Stephen spoke of his deeply held sense of
republicanism and his democratic spirit, which
came through in the way he chaired meetings and
dealt with members and directors. Graham Smith
said: “I know one of the most common questions
or challenges John would have faced when
debating the monarchy in schools and universities
was “well who would we have as president? Who
could replace the queen?” Well I know the answer
to that: had John lived to see his dream of a British
republic realised I would have been proud and
honoured to vote John Campbell for president.
He was a great guy, a good friend and a valuable
leader – the right man at the right time, he did us
proud and we will miss him greatly.”
John Campbell remembered
at Republic meeting
5Read what we’ve got to say at www.republic.org.uk/blog
John Campbell Lecture
The Board has agreed to launch a new
Annual John Campbell Lecture in honour of
John’s huge contribution to the cause. The
first lecture will take place sometime during
the spring or summer of 2011.
Republic is planning a series of demonstrations outside Buckingham
palace over the coming weeks and months. If you want to be involved
get in touch with Graham Smith on 07747 608 770 or email him at:
graham@republic.org.uk
Demonstrating our
case for a republic
6. The 2010 AGM was held on 13th November. The meeting heard
reports on the campaign and a presentation on our Freedom of
Information work. Former political adviser Paul Richards and Republic
volunteer William Summers talked about how FOI rules work in
relation to the monarchy and about our efforts to get released
information about royal security and Prince Charles’s lobbying.
Later on members broke into groups to discuss a variety of issues
to do with the campaign, from talking at schools to working with the
media. Ideas that were reported back to the main meeting will be fed
into our strategy review currently underway.
The day ended with a talk from Helena Tolvhed (pictured)
from the Swedish republican
association, who talked
about their experiences
in the run up to the
Swedish royal wedding
in June this year.
6
The AGM saw a number of directors stand down and new directors
elected for the first time. At the board’s first meeting new officers
were also elected: Emily Robinson (pictured) is now Executive
Chair, Jen Gingell is Vice Chair and Tim Sharp is Treasurer.
Among those standing down were long serving directors Cyril
Meadows, Joe Coten and Charles Brooker. Former Chair Gareth
Robson has also stood down since the AGM. Suzanne Campbell, who
served as Treasurer for the past eighteen months, stepped down too.
In recognition of her commitment to the cause the Board has awarded
Suzanne Life Membership of Republic.
Six new directors were elected to the board: Jen Gingell, Paula
Feehan, Peter Jenkins, Arthur Parry, Ben Bishop and Jayde Bradley.
The new directors bring a wealth of experience from commercial and
campaigning sectors.
Further details about the new board and staff can be found at
www.republic.org.uk/staff
All change at the top
Emily Robinson, Republic’s new
Executive Chair
Helena, Tolvhed from the Swedish
republican association
2010 Annual General Meeting
Are you signed up to
Republic’s email list?
If not you could be
missing out on important
updates, invitations
and campaign actions.
Sign up at www.republic.org.uk or
contact us with your email address.
7. Our allies in Common Cause, the Australian,
Canadian and New Zealand republican
movements have also been busy with wedding
news. Recent polls have put Australian public
opinion firmly back in favour of ditching the
monarchy. In New Zealand the wedding has
sparked off renewed debate on the issue.
For more information regarding Common
Cause please go to: www.republic.org.uk
The Common Cause members are:
The Republican Movement of Aotearoa
New Zealand
www.republic.org.nz
Autralian Republic
www.republic.org.au
Citizens for a Canadian Republic
www.canadian-republic.ca
7Help us create a democratic Britain by making a donation at www.republic.org.uk/donate
A Common Cause for republicans
As we gear up for a busy eighteen months of campaigning
we are launching a series of major appeals, starting with
an urgent call for a £15,000 injection of funding.
WE NEED YOUR HELP, NOW MORE THAN EVER
With the palace spending millions on PR we have our work cut out fighting
for change, but it’s a fight we can win with the right resources. We urgently
need the staff and resources to help us respond effectively in the media,
deal with the growing numbers of new members, organise a series of
events throughout the year and raise the profile of Republic to new heights.
Donations can be sent by cheque to the usual address
or made online at www.republic.org.uk/urgentappeal
An Urgent Appeal
