Don’t you just love the New Statesman?

I see the New Statesman is up to its old tricks. This weeks issue, entitled Why Ma’am Must Go, fancies having a go at the monarchy. Hasn’t anyone told them that in this country republicanism is a fringe issue?

They can go on about running costs, political interference, hereditary privilege etc until they’re blue in the face and it will make little difference. Yet they continue onward, regarding those who support the monarchy as outdated weirdos who must be off their rocker.

The Monarchy as an institution has always been responsive to change, adapting with the times. Only this past week the HRH The Prince of Wales gave the annual Richard Dimbleby Lecture, entitled Facing the Future, in which he argued that our consumption of the Earth’s resources must be sustainable in order to avert environmental and economic disaster and safeguard the future of humanity – something many on the left would agree with. There is already a Royal YouTube Channel which has garnered over 2 million views and 27,469 subscribers since its launch in 2007. Now the monarchy is tweeting. On the day it went live (yesterday) @BritishMonarchy had over 4,000 followers from all over the world. I wonder how many will be following within the week.

Over at the NS they seem to be making the point that the monarchy has often been reviled. Now, people throughout history may not have liked individual monarchs but not - and here’s the crucial point - the institution itself. This is a subtle point I fear is lost on republicans, who seem to have a very narrow view of history or things in general. They confuse unpopularity with a specific member of the ‘The Firm’ with the unpopularity of the monarchy. Fundermentally People understand the value the monarchy has as an institution. Why do you think parliament restored the monarchy with Charles II after England’s flirtation with republicanism?

The idea, as all republicans hope, is that once Her Majesty is no longer around the popularity of the monarchy will disappear and fade into the sands of history. Fat chance. Okay, Prince Charles hasn’t exactly been Mr. Popular at times but when the time comes people are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Then there is Prince William, who will one day be king and is even more popular than his father.

I have a feeling the monarchy will continue well into the 21st Century…

Hattip: The Monarchist