But what is new is a public less tolerant and more critical of that behaviour and the family's loss of their trump card, the Queen. One of the stronger passages examines the prorogation affair of 2019 and the paralysis that overcame the queen as she struggled to reconcile her role of constitutional backstop with the expectation that the monarch do nothing to impede an elected government. I used to volunteer in Graham Smith’s organisation, so a lot of these arguments and how he tells them is very familiar. I don't think it is possible to assess the quality of the written word without addressing the subject matter but that may just be my limitations.

This puts our country down and ignores our great contributions to exploration, science, music, literature, sport among many other aspects to our culture. Monarchists, with a deep well of historical precedent and the benefit of the status quo to draw from, have answers to these questions. To give Smith the benefit of the doubt, it could be argued that the general public, at which this book is aimed, would quickly lose interest in a work clotted with centuries-old theories. Graham Smith makes very clear the type of British presidency he wants is one that is strictly defined in terms of powers and responsibilities, not a massive Executive/Imperial presidency like in France or the USA, never mind Russia.It’s a disarming opening, for sure, but – on the principle that you should always lead with your strongest suit – also an odd one, for, as Smith himself eventually says, questions of tourism are irrelevant to constitutional arrangements. Apart from tearing apart the concept of hereditary, unelected heads of state and aristocracy, Smith also shows us a wholly democratic Britain with concrete, productive proposals for what we could have if only we went for it!

I once asked an Indian friend of mine (India being a republic), if there were ever such concerns when India became independent and lost their principalities. Constitutional reformers who demand an elected upper house, or electoral reform, are often missing one of the main fault lines in our political system: founded on monarchy, we are still governed using the outdated toolkit of a monarchy, regardless of whether or not it is the King himself who wields power. The result is a very timely work, though it is doubtful how relevant this book will remain outside of this year, let alone the coming decades. At just over 200-page the shortest polemic which effectively dismisses all the arguments for the monarchy.This excellent guide made me want to engage in the Republican cause more, as the book is so hopeful and champions strengths of our country. Smith believes that monarchy’s failings are so self-evident that it is unnecessary to treat it seriously as a system of government.

He described a country of thousands of villages, where each village had it’s own unique belief systems, festivals and micro-cultures.He commented on the rather sad assertion put by Royalists that the British Monarchy cannot be abolished because it represents the best of our country. But it isn't that any of them did anything bad, per se - although Smith points out that at times they definitely did - it is that there is no moral, economic, political or even historical reason why we need to keep this corrupt institution in place. It is a great introduction to republican ideas and arguments for the undecided layman, but for those of us who are already convinced, I can say that I would like to see a far more equitable future than the tepid liberal democracy that Graham Smith envisions. The accession of King Charles has fundamentally changed the monarchy and the public’s relationship with it. Since it hauled the author of this book off to the cells hours before Charles III’s coronation, in full sight of the world’s media, the campaign group he heads, Republic, has almost doubled its membership.

It will be achieved, says Smith, by forcing the public to come to its senses about the chasm between its own values and those of the crown, perhaps by giving everyone a copy of this book. I am in favour of a republic, but I am not entirely convinced by his arguments for keeping the Westminster system of democracy. No self-respecting country should base it’s governing system on how many tourists it is likely to attract.He brings to his subject a wealth of knowledge, but also a wealth of experience in making effective arguments, challenging monarchists and winning people over to the cause. When The Enchanted Glass: Britain and its Monarchy was published 35 years ago and until very recently, the British monarchy seemed pretty unassailable. Even in my most evangelical of days as a teenager (I really must have been insufferable in my religious fervour) I could see that the belief the monarchy was somehow 'God-given' was simply not true. I've never found Graham Smith particularly likeable, but I decided to neatly set aside my personal feelings and political convictions to read his much hyped release. This is the crux of the matter: it is likely that those who truly want to keep the monarchy are actually now in the minority.