The case for a republic

Britain deserves the best. That means the best democracy we can create, a democracy that genuinely puts you, us, in charge. Our children should be inspired to believe they can achieve anything they want and our democracy should encourage that sense of aspiration. We should all be encouraged to take responsibility for our own political affairs, and our democracy should embody that responsibility.

The monarchy does none of these things. It embodies a spirit of deference and dependence on others. It robs us of aspiration, telling us that even the wisest and most talented commoner is no match for even the most unpleasant and immoral royal. Crucially though, the monarchy is the heart of the British constitution and as such it denies us the best democracy we could have. It keeps from us the power to rule ourselves, it crushes the democratic spirit in order to justify its own existence.

Power and politics / princes and palaces

Our case for a republic comes in two forms. There is the issue of power and politics, how the monarchy is the centre of our constitution and what it means for our democracy. And there is the issue of princes and palaces, the accountability of the tax-funded royal household, what a hereditary head of state means for Britain and the problems with leaving such an important office to chance. Both these sides of the debate raise serious questions about Britain and our constitution. For both issues republicanism provides powerful and persuasive answers.

Democracy v Heredity

Our constitution is fundamentally undemocratic. Sure, it has some features of a democracy - for example we are permitted to elect just under half of our parliament - but at its core British politics concentrates unaccountable and unlimited power in the hands of a few, at the top.

Some people will tell you that the monarchy is little more than a harmless decoration, a novelty left over from our past. It isn't. It is the basis and the heart of our constitution. This is why the abolition of the monarchy is the most important of all possible political reforms. By abolishing the monarchy we will need a new constitution. This reform will provide a unique opportunity to deal with many of the problems in our current political system.

We will also then address the issue of the monarchy itself, the question of what a hereditary head of state says about Britain, the way we leave the important choice of head of state to chance and how lacking in accountability and transparency the royal household really is.

The choice is ours

We have a choice. We can leave things as they are and face the prospect of a politically active and unaccountable King Charles residing in a wasteful palace. We can continue to tolerate nepotism, corruption and abuse of privilege at the heart of our constitution, we can continue to tell our children they can never be good enough to be our head of state... or we can opt for the change this country needs.

Britain deserves the best, and it's in your power to give it the best. This is our country, these decisions are ours to make. Do you want your children and grandchildren to still be living with the monarchy in 100 years time? Or will we together make the decision to bring an end to the monarchy and give Britain the democracy it deserves?

Some will tell you that this is all too difficult, that we should accept the monarchy as fact and just look to smaller, more achievable reforms. We don't believe in surrendering to those who benefit the most from our undemocratic constitution. We mustn't abandon our responsibility to improve our country for future generations.

This is our country and our democracy. If a reform is important - and this is the most important reform of all - then is it worth fighting for. We believe it is a fight that can be won, and won soon, with your help.