SCOTLAND’S FIRST Minister has reaffirmed her belief that the country should maintain the monarchy after independence – but is this a view replicated across the movement?
It has long been official SNP policy to keep the Queen and her successors, but with less than half of Scots now supportive of keeping the monarchy, the Platinum Jubilee has presented an opportunity for debate among Yessers.
The Greens, for example, believe that the monarchy is an outdated and undemocratic institution, which would “hold Scotland back”. They have said they would never support Scotland having an unelected head of state, and just this week walked out of a Holyrood celebration of the Queen’s 70th year on the throne for those very reasons.
Meanwhile Alba, which now has just two elected representatives but still hosts thousands of members across the country, want to scrap the monarchy in an independent Scotland – but not until the Queen’s reign is over.
And speaking to the BBC on Friday, SNP leader Sturgeon made her position clear. She did warn, however, the Jubilee weekend isn’t “the time to really be talking about these things”.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson BOOED by royal supporters as he attends St Paul's Jubilee service
Regardless, the status of the monarchy post-independence is something being discussed among Yes supporters at the moment as Jubilee Hysteria takes over most of the media and makes the royals inescapable.
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