Why is Labour afraid of supporting a Republic?

On Monday morning, the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, finally abdicated the throne after a 39 yearlong reign. This decision most likely came as a result of his continuing health problems and a long-running corruption scandal. Despite all of this, Juan Carlos was optimistic about the future as he told the Spanish public in his television address that “a new generation must be at the forefront [of Spain]… younger people with new energies”. By doing so, he was arguably preparing the stage for his son, Felipe, who’s set to take the throne. Felipe echoed his father’s sentiments, when he said this moment saw “a new era of hope”.

But it seems that not everyone in Spain would agree. Although Juan Carlos will rightly be commended for leading Spain back to democracy after the dictatorship of General Franco,  recent protests have seen Spanish citizens calling for a referendum on the future of the monarchy. The succession of Felipe as King of Spain, then, has raised the question over Spanish democracy and the legitimacy of the monarchy as an institution.

With such debates going on in Spain can we really ignore the fact that these same questions apply to the United Kingdom and our own monarchy? And if we can’t this prompts the question: why is the Labour Party afraid of supporting a Republic?

Our party has rightly stood on the platform of equal rights and equality for everyone – this should also apply to our Head of State. The monarchy receive many special treatments that ordinary people don’t. For instance, MPs have to swear allegiance to the Queen before they can take their seat and if they wish to join the Privy Council, they have to bend before the Queen. The Labour Party shouldn’t support a system that cares more about swearing allegiance to the Queen, rather than swearing allegiance to MPs’ constituents.

What’s more, our party has taken bold stances over inherited powers by rightly advocating the removal hereditary peerages in the House of Lords. If supporting this change in the House of Lords was the right thing, then why is advocating the removal of an unelected, hereditary Head of State a step too far? The monarchy is a system based on privilege, which directly contradicts what the founders of the Labour Party envisaged for the country where they said everyone should be treated equally.

If we call for a Republic this could be the beginning of building a new type of democracy where our Head of State is not an unelected bastion of  privilege.

There are, of course, many important issues that the Labour Party should be fighting for. Namely, addressing the cost-of-living crisis, saving the NHS from privatisation, building a new green economy and making sure the market works for people. But building a new type of democracy should be an important part of their vision for change, creating a system where people can trust our politicians and democractic process again. Britain needs a democracy where we actually decide who governs us.

Labour, let’s not be scared any more. Let’s be brave and let’s be radical like we used to be and let’s begin the progress of building a new type of democracy for our country by advocating a Britain in which our Head of State is elected, not born, into power.