Justice Katju-
It is reported that an egg was thrown recently on British King Charles the Third
I am not in favour of throwing eggs at anyone. But I am in favour of throwing out monarchies, which are outdated feudal institutions having no place in the modern world.
Why should the British taxpayer be burdened in these hard times for paying for the huge sums paid to members of the British royal family? Why should the public financially support these spongers and drones, who neither toil nor spin?
There are people like the British journalist Piers Morgan who seemingly support the British monarchy, but their views do not make sense to me. As it is, there is an economic crisis in UK, and I think the financial burden on the British public will, to some extent, be reduced by abolishing the Monarchy.
In England, the Tudor monarchs like Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, were absolute rulers. But after the struggle between King and Parliament in the 17th century and the glorious revolution of 1688, the principle of parliamentary supremacy was established in England.
At that time, England should have been declared a republic (in fact it had been so declared by Oliver Cromwell after the execution of Charles I in 1649, but in 1660 the monarchy was restored).
However, the British made the mistake of continuing with a monarchy even after 1688, with the result that they had to undergo a long turbulent and traumatic period thereafter, especially in the reign of the mad autocratic King George III (from 1760 to 1820).
I submit that since the principle of parliamentary supremacy has been accepted in England, there is now no need of a King or Queen at all. The monarchy should therefore be abolished, and UK be declared a republic.
Some important political figures in England have been republicans. For example, Tony Benn, David Skinner, and Jeremy Corbyn. Even the former PM Liz Truss was a strong advocate of republicanism, before becoming a conservative MP. Young people are more sceptical of the monarchy than elders.
While three out of four, i.e. 75% of the British people supported monarchy in February 2016, that figure has gone down to three out of five i.e. 60%, in November 2021.
The UK is undergoing an economic recession at present, and the abolition of the monarchy would, to some extent, reduce the plight of the British public. Not only will they not have to bear the huge burden of paying for the upkeep of the royal family (who, like drone bees, do no productive work) but also the huge assets of the British monarch can be confiscated (except the amounts earned by their own labor) and utilized for the welfare of the public.
The time of kings and queens has come to an end, and they should be confined to a pack of cards.
Justice Markandey Katju is a former judge of the Supreme Court of India
