The monarchy is wrong in principle, wrong in practice and it's bad for British politics.
That's the message we want the country to hear with Republic's major new billboard advertising campaign!
Make Elizabeth The Last
Reading
Manchester
Bournemouth
Birmingham
Dundee
Leeds
Glasgow
Newcastle
Bristol
...more to follow!
As we approach the end of the Queen's reign the country needs an honest, grown-up debate about the monarchy. We need to stop and ask ourselves: Can't we just choose our next head of state?
With polls showing young people wanting an elected head of state, the succession of King Charles will be a major turning point in the monarchy's history and in the growth of Britain's republican movement.
It's time to make Elizabeth the Last.
End of an era
The Queen's reign is fast coming to an end. She has already all but retired from public life. What comes next is a monarchy reduced to Charles, William and Andrew, not an exciting prospect for anyone.
The issue goes way beyond who is on the throne, with Britain's constitution desperately in need of wide ranging reform. That must include the abolition of the Lords and the creation of an elected, independent head of state.
Without the Queen protecting the royals, with more controversial and divisive men in charge of the monarchy change will be much easier to achieve. But it will only happen with your help!
You can help Republic get more of these and more billboards up.
These billboards are making a difference!
Thanks to all the brilliant people who have donated so far, almost 40 billboards have gone up around the UK from July through to November last year.
And the media have noticed. There's been lots of coverage of these billboards in the press, and a big increase in engagement on social media.
Billboards aren't just about the people who drive past them: they reach millions more through social media and the press.
That's crucial, because we want the country to know there is a positive, exciting, democratic alternative to sitting back and letting Charles become our head of state. And we want the country talking about why the monarchy is bad for Britain, why it's time to call time on the royals.
Republic is the UK’s only pressure group campaigning for the monarchy to be abolished and replaced with a directly elected head of state. We have challenged common myths like the one about royals and tourism. We have exposed royal abuse of public money and highlighted the huge £345m a year cost to the taxpayer. And we have presented a positive, democratic alternative. A parliamentary republic with an elected head of state.
We have been campaigning for the abolition of the monarchy for a long time but now we are at a crossroads. As the Queen’s reign draws to an end, it is time to demand a say in who should be our head of state.
The more money raised, the more billboards we get in more locations up and down the UK.
Right across the country
Thanks to the fantastic response so far, have been up in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, the Potteries, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Swansea, Bristol, London, Perth, Portsmouth and more.
This billboard (above) was the first design that started to appear on UK streets from July 26.
New Republic billboards are on the way!
The more we raise the more billboards we put up. We want to see these adverts popping up in every corner of the UK. Will you help make that happen?
Now is the time to make a difference.
The succession is here. And it mustn't go unchallenged.
The 2020s should be the decade when we finally get to decide who we have as our elected head of state. The Queen is 95 and her reign is coming to an end. Charles is controversial, outspoken and unpopular. Prince Andrew is a person of interest in a criminal investigation. And Harry and Meghan are showing that monarchy isn't just bad for Britain, it's bad for the royals too.
It’s no wonder that more and more people are starting to question why we have a Royal Family. But we need to show them that the solution isn’t slimming down the Royal Family or giving them less money – it’s to get rid of the monarchy altogether and elect our Head of State.
The Queen's long reign has sustained support for the royals for decades. The Queen is the monarchy, the monarchy is the Queen. King Charles may inherit the throne, but he won't inherit the respect and deference enjoyed by his mother.
The automatic succession of King Charles will dramatically alter the debate and public attitudes. Polling shows most people just aren't that interested in the royals and are divided on who should replace the Queen when she dies. We need to persuade them that there is a democratic alternative.
You can help persuade the nation that the monarchy must go.
With your support Republic can kick-start a major national debate about the future of the monarchy, with a series of striking billboards placed up and down the country.
With your help we can ensure the debate shifts dramatically over the coming months and years. We need to challenge myths about the cost of the royals, the role of the head of state, the role of the royals in the Commonwealth. And we need to show the country there is a simple, democratic alternative to the monarchy.
The monarchy is on collision course with modern British values. It is wrong in principle, wrong in practice and is bad for British politics. Help us get that message out to the whole country.