Such a great explanation of the various reasons why a republic is the right and necessary thing in a democracy. If I were to offer Graham Smith some constructive criticism I would recommend that he could have replaced the Lords chapters with one trying to focus more into de-toxifying the idea of what a presidency would actually mean and how we could make it work for our country. As daylight gets through, behind the curtains of deference and secrecy, we increasingly see an institution that is ripe for challenge and criticism.

We want to see the monarchy abolished and the King replaced with an elected, democratic head of state, not running the government but representing the nation independently of our politicians.

No self-respecting country should base it’s governing system on how many tourists it is likely to attract. Smith counters this argument brilliantly in essence showing that there is a great difference between being actively in favour of something and passively being ok with it continuing. Thomas Paine does get a mention, though one is left with the suspicion that Smith’s acquaintance with him comes via The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations rather than Rights of Man, since he is invoked merely to make the point that the appearance of something being correct doesn’t make it so. Of the approximately 1,200 charities with a royal patron, 74% had no contact with their patron during the preceding year. The author fails to provide any credible evidence or logical reasoning to support his claims, and instead relies on cherry-picked anecdotes, biased sources and emotional appeals.

The book is not only an insult to the royal family and their supporters, but also to the intelligence and common sense of the reader.There is a growing appetite for answers to the questions that are raised when people turn away from the monarchy: what’s the alternative, how do I talk about this issue with other people, what are the facts I need to know about the monarchy, and can we really get rid of it? Rather than take a values-neutral approach to issues beyond the narrow question of how the head of state should be chosen, Smith makes republicanism a vessel for his own values, which he dresses up as those of the British people. But in most cases too, they accused him of offering no alternative - again showing they hadn't read the book - but also showing his outline for the future isn't a weakness at all. Graham Smith shows what fools our rotten constitution makes of us, with a monarch as emblem of a country beset by nepotism, backhanders, chumocracy and inherited privilege. He brings to his subject a wealth of knowledge, but also a wealth of experience in making effective arguments, challenging monarchists and winning people over to the cause.