Co-leader of the Scottish Green Party Patrick Harvie is calling for the British monarchy to be abolished. He claims that the royal family is an ”outdated” and ”discredited” system and should be replaced by a democratically-elected head of state.
The call follows recent revelations about the royal family, which he claims are raising serious questions about the values within the monarchy.
The shocking allegations against the royal family
The royal family was recently the recipient of a number of allegations from Harry and Meghan during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Indeed, the couple claimed they faced a number of racial issues. They specifically recounted how a royal family member raised concerns over how dark their unborn son Archie’s skin tone might be.
Meghan Markle was also candid about her mental health issues. She confessed to the host she experienced suicidal thoughts and was denied mental health support by the royal family.
Following the schocking claims, Prince William addressed the allegations publicly. “We’re very much not a racist family”, he told Sky News.
Greens call for democratically-elected head of state
For Patrick Harvie, the issue underlines the need to abolish the monarchy.
In a statement, he said : “The revelations from the last few days, and other recent scandals, raise serious questions about the attitudes and values of the Royal Family and those around them.”
Ahead of the 2014 referendum, the Scottish Government’s white paper stated that even if the country voted to leave the UK, the Queen would remain Scotland’s monarch. However, Harvie has called for any plans for an independent Scotland to elect its own democratically-elected head of state.
According to the Greens, if the country voted for independence, the monarchy would be detrimental to the country. “The idea that any family has the right to such status based on hereditary titles and unearned wealth would hold Scotland back, and it’s not one that the Scottish Greens will ever support.“, said Harvie.
He added : “Their shooting and hunting estates can be put to better use serving the local communities and creating more jobs.
“As we look to the future that Scotland can have as a fairer, greener and independent country, it is clear that asking the people to choose a modern, democratically accountable head of state would be the best step forward.”
Response from the Scottish Conservative Party
The Scottish Conservatives, on the other hand, were appalled over the Green’s comments.
Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser accused Patrick Harvie of the “most pathetic type of politics”. He called his remarks on monarchy a “shameless bid to pander to republican voters who might be tempted to vote for his party”.
“Patrick Harvie would be best served by actually focusing on environmental matters for once rather than spending his time obsessing about getting rid of the Royal Family.” said Fraser as reported by The Herald.
Holyrood reported that a YOUGOV survey revealed 39% of Scots would like to see the monarchy scrapped. On the other hand, 54% of the Scottish population favoured keeping the monarchy.
There seems to be a substantial divide on whether monarchy should remain in Scotland. It is yet to be determined what this means for the Green party and their fight to abolish the monarchy.
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