‘No, monarchy does not save us from fascism’ – what are you, a monarchist or republican?
To misquote Winston Churchill, ‘democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others’.
The late prime minister was in fact quoting others and didn’t believe the above to be true, but it’s always a handy line for when the debate over monarchy v republic roars into action again, as it has been doing the past few days in our letters pages.
And while the UK is a democracy even with King Charles at the helm, opinion is divided over whether we should continue down the royal road.
Share your thoughts in the comments.
■ John C Kent in Fulham (MetroTalk, Fri) makes the ludicrous allusion that Britain becoming a republic would lead us down the path of communist China, Stalinist Russia or 30s Germany.
What about peaceful and productive present-day republics such as Finland, Switzerland, Slovenia, Senegal and South Korea?
For centuries, Europe was blighted by internecine wars driven by monarchical territorial rivalries at home and aristocratic mercantile ambitions abroad.
Our allegiance should be to the people and laws of this country, not to unelected, hereditary, fairy-tale kings and queens. Let’s grow up. Citizens, not subjects. Dr Peter Vlachos, University of Greenwich
■ John C Kent says those calling for an end to the monarchy ‘would do well to remember’ what happened to countries that became republics in recent history, and names Italy and Spain among those he says should act as a warning.
John may do well to remember himself. Fascist Italy was very much a monarchy, with Mussolini a mere head of government under Victor Emmanuel III.It was postwar democrats who made Italy a republic.
In Spain, Franco actually restored the monarchy, and without him or at least his movement, Spain might well have remained a republic to this day. Charles EL Gilman, Mitcham
■ As a history teacher, I don’t want to express a preference for any particular system. However, it’s important to acknowledge that although several countries, including China, Russia, Germany and Spain, became republics in the 20th century and experienced some of the worst tragedies in human history, Japan and Italy did not adopt republics but still faced significant hardships in their history. David Frencel, by email
■ People such as John C Kent love to imply that countries with monarchies are superior to republics. This is nonsense, of course.
Britain is not a full democracy. It has an unelected head of state, an unelected upper house of parliament, and a first-past-the-post voting system. All of these are undemocratic.
Considering the parlous state of Britain today, most European republics are thriving, unlike here. Greville, London
■ Veronyca Bates of Westbury (MetroTalk, Mon) raises the question about whether those who favour a monarchy over a republic would be happy to have had Andrew as king.
History relates that there have been unsatisfactory monarchs for many reasons from time to time but it has not unseated UK democracy.
Some regard Donald Trump and others Joe Biden to be bad US presidents for different reasons. Does that mean democracy is threatened in the US?
Whichever imperfect system people are used to seems to work well enough. Mike, Surrey
■ Col Blake in Ealing (MetroTalk, Fri) says ‘Boris Bashers’ are ‘politically motivated’. As is he. Every choice, action and statement is ultimately political, whether you’re aware of it or not, because politics concerns every detail of how we choose to live our lives.
Some may be happy to have a greedy, lazy, mendacious, self-entitled, amoral charlatan representing this country on the world stage and overseeing disastrous domestic socio-economic policies.
We snowflakes and ‘woke’ lefties, as Col so inventively labels us, would prefer someone who has a moral compass and a sense of social contract, who is worthy of respect, and who respects those he or she represents. Robert, by email
■ Col Blake in Ealing uses the phrase ‘unconventional man’ to describe former prime minster Boris Johnson. That’s an interesting euphemism for ‘inveterate liar’. Joyce Archibold, Newcastle
■ Most people broke lockdown rules so it’s OK for Boris Johnson to have done so, suggests Col Blake.
Well, we weren’t allowed to break the rules and visit dying loved ones in hospital because security would threaten to call the police. So, no, we couldn’t all break the rules.
My niece was one of the patients who sadly passed and security wouldn’t let any of us in and threatened us with calling the police. It’s one law for us and one for them. J, Manchester
Nitrous oxide ban no laughing matter
■ Minister Michael Gove is to ban the sale of laughing gas because of antisocial behaviour (Metro, Mon). Bang goes my source of free weights I use for fishing. Just add a swivel, colour them or weigh them with sand, if you wish. John Nightingale, Redbridge
Swimming pool is no place to breastfeed – and how ‘woke’ meaning was hijacked
■ Regarding Rachel McCarey, who says she was discriminated against after being ordered out of a leisure centre pool while breastfeeding her daughter in it (Metro, Mon). Why on earth would you do this in a pool?
The lifeguard was correct in asking her to get out of the pool or move to the side. If that child was sick – the possibility of that is highly likely – the pool would shut while they cleaned the mess, causing everyone to miss out. Susan, Colchester
■ James from Newcastle (MetroTalk, Mon) is asking readers of ‘right-wing persuasion’ to articulate what ‘woke’ means. I am such a person and I say it means ‘enlightened and mindful of injustice and discrimination’.
There is no argument with any of those, but the problem is it has been hijacked by those who use modern-day values to make judgments about people, events and literature from the past to have them removed.
Statues must be hidden from view, historic figures who held views that are not of today must not be discussed, and words of their time in literature must be removed and replaced with bland alternatives.
There are now calls for the works of Shakespeare to be rewritten. We can have modern interpretations of his work without the need to rewrite them, but the hijackers of woke refuse to accept that because it doesn’t fit their agenda. HG, Maidstone
■ Minister Michael Gove is to ban the sale of laughing gas because of antisocial behaviour (Metro, Mon). Bang goes my source of free weights I use for fishing. Just add a swivel, colour them or weigh them with sand, if you wish. John Nightingale, Redbridge
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