GOODBYE KING CHARLES? Of 14 Commonwealth realms polled, 6 favor becoming a republic, and 8 favor keeping the monarchy. Such realms preserve the monarchy as symbolic head of state and a check on the state’s power. Of them, Belize is the most evenly split, with 48% for and 43% against the monarchy. However, two days before Charles’ coronation, Belize’s PM John Briceno spoke against the monarchy. Despite the poll, he said Belize would “quite likely” become a republic.
We thought the current People’s Constitutional Commission would settle such crucial long-term issues. Does this mean that, after all the PCC’s consultations, the PM would step in and decide issues himself? Surely the 17 governmental members on the 34-member PCC wouldn’t violate his wishes. So while half of the other nations polled favored the monarchy, local politics could turn them against it.
The poll adds, “Majorities in most countries agreed that the monarchy made them feel warmer towards the UK. But people in Canada (51%) and the Solomon islands (57%) said it made them feel less warm.” This polling of 11,251 people occurred in February and March of this year. The fact that it was conducted by Lord Ashcroft may have had some bearing on the results…
Power for the people?
Furthermore, the poll also asked, does “the King and the Royal Family care a lot about my country?” Those who said yes ranged from 36% in Canada to 72% in Tuvalu. Also, the people in half of the countries thought “the Royal Family did a better job of connecting with ordinary people than their own elected politicians.”
Why would people feel closer to a British monarch far away than to their own politicians? After all, “better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away” (Prov. 27:10). But local politicians can override the people’s constitutional processes, like the Belize PM is doing. So if politicians don’t show they’re using their power for the people, what can we do? We can use our constitutional links to the monarchy as a check on their power.
Photo: Department for Culture, Media and Sport, PDM-owner, via Wikimedia Commons
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