RACISM allegations. Get-out-clauses on legislation protecting the planet. Splashing the cash on Prince Andrew's out-of-court settlement. The sea of Union flags on London's streets for this Platinum Jubilee are but a fig-leaf in concealing these facts about the House of Windsor.

Many will certainly be grateful for the extra days off – many also feel a clear respect for Queen Elizabeth's service, though that does not extend to her offspring.

None of that is near enough to erase the truth that this monarchy is an entirely out-of-touch, out-of-date institution that highlights exactly the kind of privilege that has fed so many of the horrific problems faced by Scotland and the rest of the UK.

The National:

The cost of living crisis means a very different thing to a family left choosing between heating and eating – and far too many are well past there even being a choice, such is the scale of this scandal – and the royal family, whose cuts are more likely to involve owning two or three fewer horses.

READ MORE: Republic: Why the Queen needs to be Elizabeth the Last

The National is Scotland’s pro-independence newspaper – we exist to advance that cause. Tomorrow, we’ll be publishing a 16-page special supplement putting forward a vision of the Highland and Islands after independence.

We’re also a progressive newspaper, and that means standing up and shouting about those values too. With it being the Platinum Jubilee, the issue in the spotlight is whether Scotland should be a republic.

It should.

Our website right now, and our Saturday newspaper, has top writers outlining the varied and compelling arguments for this – for reasons of economy, for reasons of social justice and for many more reasons.

READ MORE: These parts of the Queen's 70-year reign WON'T be celebrated on the BBC

Beyond all of that, though, there’s the simple fact that this is a family we’re expected to bow before by virtue of their birth.

Prince William. Prince Charles. Why should you be on your knees before them?

The National:

A key element of our support for Scottish independence is owed to our desire to see Scotland assert itself on the world stage. To throw off the shackles of the Scottish Cringe and seize the full potential of those within this nation.

If that is our mindset, we cannot tie ourselves to the archaic notion of a royal family which, as seen most recently in the Prince Andrew affair, has far more influence than many of its ardent defenders will confess to in public.

It’s time for a royal flush. Let’s start Scotland’s life as an independent nation with a winning hand.