[b:Abolish the Monarchy: Why we should and how we will|98181344|Abolish the Monarchy Why we should and how we will|Graham Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680595186l/98181344._SY75_.jpg|121962691] does exactly what it says on the tin: delivers an invigorating polemic on why the British monarchy can and should be done away with. It covers the same topic as [b:The Enchanted Glass: Britain and its Monarchy|3167165|The Enchanted Glass Britain and its Monarchy|Tom Nairn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349036852l/3167165._SY75_.jpg|3199046] but with an utterly different tone and style. While Nairn's book is dense, academic, and fatalistic (still great though), Smith's is accessible, journalistic, and optimistic. I think it oversimplifies a bit for effect, especially when discussing constitutional reform, but is nonetheless a very good read.

I disagree with the persistence of monarchies and can only recall caring remotely about anyone in the British royal family when Princess Diana died in 1997, because I was a child and it was a moment of complete national hysteria. These days I take some pride in being considered the most anti-monarchy person one of my friends knows. Thus many of the pro-monarchy arguments mentioned sounded very familiar from discussions I've had, e.g. 'a Queen is better than a Trump', 'the monarchy isn't ideal but we're stuck with it now', and 'they represent tradition and stability'. Smith deals with these well. Although the material in [b:Abolish the Monarchy: Why we should and how we will|98181344|Abolish the Monarchy Why we should and how we will|Graham Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680595186l/98181344._SY75_.jpg|121962691] was largely familiar, seeing it all together set out systematically proved suitably enraging. The events of the last couple of years are examined in particular detail, as they've really exposed the weaknesses of the British royal family both as an institution and as individuals. On the constitutional paradox of the monarchy:

At the start of June 2022, we could see the Queen very publicly celebrating the jubilee. Yet just four weeks later, as the constitution, at the centre of which lies the Crown, was in crisis [because Boris Johnson's government ministers had nearly all resigned yet he still clung on as PM], the Queen had vanished. Not a word from the palace. No reassuring comment or useful clarification of the constitutional position offered. One moment we see the monarch, and are told of her great virtues, the next she is nowhere to be seen, as we're told that under no circumstances can the Queen be 'dragged into' doing her job.
[...]
Rather than the monarchy defending the constitution and, by implication, the British people, it has been the responsbility of subjects to defend the monarch not from injustice or tyranny, but from embarrassment. In the UK, embarrassment is, it seems, a central principle of our constitution.

That's an astute point. I also appreciated the emphasis on the monarchy acting as a block to any genuine constitutional reform:

The Crown, a source of real power, protected from serious scrutiny by the monarchy, a family and institution steeped in mythology and itself guarded by deference, is key to the failures of Britain's constitution. Constitutional reformers who demand an elected upper house, or electoral reform, are often missing one of the main fault lines in our political system: founded on monarchy, we are still governed using the outdated toolkit of a monarchy, regardless of whether or not it is the King himself who wields power. The demand for a republic isn't just about the job of head of state. It is a demand for a better, more equitable democracy.

When [b:The Enchanted Glass: Britain and its Monarchy|3167165|The Enchanted Glass Britain and its Monarchy|Tom Nairn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349036852l/3167165._SY75_.jpg|3199046] was published 35 years ago and until very recently, the British monarchy seemed pretty unassailable. That finally seems to be shifting, as I've commented to several pro-monarchy acquaintances. Smith summarises why much more effectively than I managed to:

The questionable behaviour of the royals is not new. But what is new is a public less tolerant and more critical of that behaviour and the family's loss of their trump card, the Queen. The Queen was their heat shield, able to deflect even the most serious questions and accusations, unable to do wrong in the eyes of much of the media and political class and, if she did, not someone many dared to criticise publicly. With Charles on the throne, that first line of defence is gone, in her place a man few would hesitate to criticise if they felt it was warranted. [...] Beyond that, two other men will continue to remind people - for very different reasons - what's wrong with the royals. Prince Harry, seemingly on the run from his own family, and Andrew on the run from serious allegations of sexual assault. As daylight gets through, behind the curtains of deference and secrecy, we increasingly see an institution that is ripe for challenge and criticism.

I found it unusual and very pleasant to see a positive vision for the future for Britain, with a democratically elected second chamber and head of state, albeit one that still seems very distant. The point is that more people need to consider it possible. [b:Abolish the Monarchy: Why we should and how we will|98181344|Abolish the Monarchy Why we should and how we will|Graham Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680595186l/98181344._SY75_.jpg|121962691] attempts to give the Overton Window a hefty shove, for which I commend it. Although it's not a particularly nuanced book, it's definitely a useful and galvanising one. I intend to try recommending it to reflexively pro-monarchy people who might be intrigued by the uncompromising title. Worst case scenario, they gain a better understanding of why some are anti-monarchy; best case scenario, they reconsider their own views. After reading it, I feel slightly more hopeful that Britain has the potential to get rid of our monarchy before being submerged beneath the sea. First we'd need to vote out the Tories, though. ( )

Accessible and engaging. Presents a clear and well considered case for change. ( )