UK
Nurses have worked ‘tirelessly’ to ensure strike is safe for patients, says RCN

General secretary of the Royal College of Nursing Pat Cullen speaks to media outside BBC Broadcasting House in London

 (Lucy North/PA)

By Luke O'Reilly, PA
Today at 04:35

Nurses have worked “tirelessly” with NHS England to make sure their strike is safe for patients, the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said.

The RCN will hold industrial action from 8pm on Sunday until 11.59pm on Monday after voting to reject the latest Government offer.

The union initially said it would not agree to derogations – broad areas of care where staffing is guaranteed despite industrial action – but granted some exemptions on Friday in an apparent U-turn.

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is among organisations where nurses have agreed to derogations after it voiced “serious concerns” about patient safety during the walkout.





The hospital said it was “incredibly grateful” to RCN members for offering assurances but took the decision not to stand down a “business continuity incident” it had previously declared until it was confident it could staff its services over the strike.

On Sunday, RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said there are national exemptions in place for “those really acute urgent services”.

Speaking to Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, Ms Cullen said: “There are national exemptions in place for a range of services, for emergency departments, for intensive care units, for neonatal units, paediatric intensive care units, those really acute urgent services.

“We have put national exemptions in place, we’ve worked tirelessly with NHS England.

“In fact, it was the Royal College of Nursing who contacted NHS England to ask for a process to be put in place so that we make sure that the strike was safe for our patients.”

She said the strike was going ahead because staffing shortages are putting patients’ lives at risk.

“They’re going on strike because patients’ lives are being put at risk every single day,” Ms Cullen said.

“And why? Because we have tens of thousands of vacant nursing posts.”

RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said there are national exemptions in place for ‘those really acute urgent services’ (PA) — © Jeff

Transport Secretary Mark Harper urged the RCN to accept the pay offer for its members.Mr Harper said: “I would urge them to think again and to do what the other trade unions in the health service have done, which is to accept what I think is a fair and reasonable pay offer, reflecting the value that we do place on hardworking NHS

NHS England is urging the public to use the health service wisely.

It said emergency and urgent care would remain the priority, with people asked to use other services such as pharmacies and 111 where possible.

Nurses make up a quarter of NHS staff and are the biggest proportion of the health service workforce.

NHS England warned that staffing levels for some areas of the country will be “exceptionally low, lower than on previous strike days”.

It added the number of rescheduled appointments due to strike action is set to hit half a million next week.

A High Court judge ruled on Thursday it would be unlawful for the RCN strike to continue into Tuesday as originally planned, meaning it will now end just before midnight on Monday.

NHS strikes: Nurses will go on strike in England today

Published

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

Image caption,

Nurses protest over pay

Thousands of nurses in England will not go to work later today, as they begin their latest round of strikes.

Nurses in half of England's hospitals will go on strike from 8pm tonight until the end of bank holiday Monday - with NHS bosses warning of significant disruption.

The protests are part of a series of strikes by NHS staff in recent months. They want more pay to help with the cost of living crisis.

More on this story

Biggest-ever round of NHS strikes begin

What is a strike and why do they happen?

What is a trade union?

What is the 'cost of living' crisis?

The strike is being held by nurses who are members of the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) union,

It was originally supposed to last until Tuesday evening, but the government said this was illegal. The High Court agreed, and so the strike has been cut short.

Half of nurses in England's hospitals, mental health and community services will be participating in the walk out.

It will be the first time that some services like intensive care will be affected - this is the department in a hospital where people are treated if they're seriously ill, or if they're recovering from surgery.

What is a union?

• A trade union is an association of workers that wants to make things better in their workplace
• They speak for their members over all important parts of their job, like wages and working hours

IMAGE SOURCE,EPA

Image caption,

General Secretary of the Royal College of Nurses Pat Cullen with nurses outside the High Court in London

Government Health Secretary Steve Barclay has called the latest walkout "disappointing" and accused the RCN of risking patient safety.

General secretary of the RCN Pat Cullen said they regret taking further action, but that "nursing staff are looking for a fair settlement that shows the government values and understands their profession".

The NHS is advising people who are seriously ill or injured to call 999 as usual, or 111 if it's not urgent.

Why are the nurses striking?

Members of the Royal College of Nursing - the biggest nursing union in the country - voted for this strike action because they do not think they're getting paid enough.

Members of Unite, one of the smaller health unions, will also be taking some action on Monday.

They're demanding a better pay deal from the government not only to keep up with the current cost of living crisis, but also to attract more people into nursing, to help with understaffing.

The government has offered a 5% pay rise for 2023-24 and a one-off payment of at least £1,655 to top up last year's salary, depending on how senior they are, but the RCN say this isn't enough.

Nurses have already walked out twice this year - on 6 and 7 February and on 18 and 19 January.

The RCN has said it will ask members about further strike action once this walkout is over.

GMB union votes to accept NHS pay offer after Unite rejects government deal

After polling its members, including ambulance workers and other NHS staff, 56% voted in favour of the latest deal from the government.

Jennifer Scott
Politics Reporter @NifS
Friday 28 April 2023 

 UK



National secretary of GMB says new pay offer wouldn't have happened without industrial action

Members of the GMB union have voted to accept the government's pay offer for NHS staff.

The union balloted its members - who include ambulance workers and other NHS staff - and 56% voted in favour of the deal, which would give NHS workers a one-off payment of between £1,250 and £2,000 and a 5% pay rise for the coming year.

Members of the largest NHS union, Unison, have already voted to accept the offer, but earlier today, Unite rejected it by a vote of 52% to 48%.

The Royal College of Nursing has also turned down the deal and is planning additional strikes this weekend - though the length of the walkout was curtailed after the government took them to court.

Earlier today, Great Ormond Street Hospital, the well-known children's hospital, declared a "business continuity incident" ahead of the action, saying it had "serious concerns over safely staffing the hospital" during the strikes.

Health secretary Steve Barclay said the acceptance of the deal by Unison and the GMB "demonstrates it is a fair and reasonable proposal that can bring this dispute to an end".

'More needs to be done'

The national secretary of GMB, Rachel Harrison, said the new pay offer wouldn't have happened without the industrial action that had taken place over recent months.

"Our members recognise that progress has been made - from the government originally offering nothing, health workers will be thousands of pounds better off," she added.

"It also meets a key GMB demand of a huge pay uplift for the lowest paid, lifting them above the Real Living Wage.

"But so much more needs to be done for workers if we are all to get the NHS we need."
 NHS have not choice but to take further action after latest pay deal was rejected, says Unite

Unite union on rejection: 'We now have absolutely no choice.'

Ms Harrison said the GMB would now vote to accept the offer at a meeting of the NHS Staff Council next week.

But she did call for further action for its ambulance worker members "starting by addressing their retirement and unsocial hours enhancements concerns".

She added: "Today is just one step in the battle to restore NHS workers' decade of lost earnings.

"GMB will continue this fight, so that the NHS and ambulance workers, who serve and care for the public, finally get the fair deal they deserve."

Mr Barclay said: "I've always said I want a fair resolution that recognises the outstanding job of NHS staff and also protects the government's commitment to halve inflation - and I'm hopeful the NHS Staff Council accepts our offer when they meet next week."

Teacher strikes

Elsewhere, the National Education Union confirmed on Friday that it would be balloting its members again over whether they wanted to stage further walkouts over pay and conditions.

The government had offered teachers a £1,000 payment for the current school year - on top of an average 5.4% rise last September - plus an average 4.5% rise next year.

But it was roundly rejected by the union's members who called the offer "insulting" and said between 42% and 58% of schools would have to make cuts to afford it.

Four education unions could now come together to see both teachers and head teachers coordinate strike action later in the year if the government doesn't move.

Joint general secretary of the NEU Dr May Bousted aimed her attacks at education secretary Gillian Keegan

The NEU's joint general secretary, Dr Mary Bousted, has written to education secretary Gillian Keegan to warn about possible joint action.

She said: "This action should be entirely unnecessary. Despite both the governments in Wales and Scotland reaching a settlement, Gillian Keegan has wilfully washed her hands of anything to do with the dispute for a fully funded pay rise for teachers in England.

"The secretary of state who remains, by some distance, the biggest obstacle to getting a sensible resolution, needs to address this issue head-on and come to the negotiating table with all the education unions.

"This wilful lack of engagement will be something that parents and teachers will not forget."

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "For unions to coordinate strike action with the aim of causing maximum disruption to schools is unreasonable and disproportionate, especially given the impact the pandemic has already had on their learning.

"Children's education has always been our absolute priority and they should be in classrooms where they belong.

"We have made a fair and reasonable teacher pay offer to the unions, which recognises teachers' hard work and commitment as well as delivering at additional £2bn in funding for schools, which they asked for."

European Airline Flight Cancellations Increase By 65%

BY LUKE BODELL

Europe was the worst-affected global region for cancelations by some distance.

European flight cancelations shot up in March as airlines faced a sharp rise in striking action from aviation workers. Over 14,000 flights were canceled during the month, with almost every global region suffering a rise in cancelations.

European aviation strike fallout

According to Cirium data, Europe saw 14,405 flights scrapped in March, a 65% increase on February's total of 8,713. Europe was by far the largest regional jump in a month that saw global cancelations rise to over 72,900, a 20% increase on the 60,780 in February.

As quoted by Irish Times, Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen attributed the region's struggles to "a number of last-minute air traffic control and airport strikes," particularly the air traffic control (ATC) strikes in France that have impacted over 50 days in 2023 alone, a ten-fold rise on all of 2022. German aviation has also suffered its fair share of industrial action this year, including huge transport network strikes towards the end of March.

Ryanair has said the French ATC strikes alone have caused it to cancel over 3,700 flights, impacting around 660,000 passengers, while easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren believes up to 10 million passengers overall have been affected by the strikes so far.

The domestic situation has become a wider headache for European airspace, as a significant number of flights need to pass over French territory on their optimal routings. Data from eurocontrol reveals 15% of flights to/from Spain were impacted between March 1st and April 9th, while Germany, Italy and the UK experienced disruption to 6-8% of flights, due to the French airspace situation.

Cancelations up everywhere except North America

Cirium's report revealed that four of five major geographic regions - Middle East & Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Europe - experienced a rise in cancelations in March, with North America bucking the trend after recording a 16% reduction.


A worrying trend

French air traffic control recently announced a strike on the upcoming Labour Day public holiday on May 1st. Authorities have warned of disruption from Sunday, April 30th to the morning of Tuesday, May 2nd, and are requesting around 33% of flights be cut on May 1st.

It won't just be flights originating from or destined for France impacted, with delays and possible cancelations expected for flights passing over the country. According to Euronews, French airspace sees around 3,700 commercial overflights and around 3,300 takeoffs and landings on a regular day.

With last-minute strikes continuing to impact German airports, European travelers will keep an eye on a concerning rise in cancelations as the summer travel rush approaches.

Kemi Badenoch wins backing of hardline US presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis for her 'war on woke' in the UK as Florida governor says she is emulating what he is doing

The Florida governor met Ms Badenoch during a trip to Britain last week

Praised her for being outspoken on issues such as gender-neutral lavatories

By DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE

,30 April 2023 | 

Florida governor and US presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis has hailed Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch for her efforts to make sure 'woke ideology' is not 'corrupting British society'.

The Florida governor met Ms Badenoch, as well as Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, during a trip to Britain as he seeks to burnish his credentials ahead of a possible run against Donald Trump to be the Republican choice in the race for the White House.

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr DeSantis commended Ms Badenoch, who is also the minister for women and equalities, for being outspoken on issues such as gender-neutral lavatories and the decolonisation of school curricula.

He describes 'woke ideology' as 'a war on the truth', telling the paper: 'When institutions get infected by woke ideology, it really corrupts the institutions.

The Florida governor met Ms Badenoch, as well as Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, during a trip to Britain as he seeks to burnish his credentials ahead of a possible run against Donald Trump to be the Republican choice in the race for the White House.

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mr DeSantis commended Ms Badenoch, who is also the minister for women and equalities, for being outspoken on issues such as gender-neutral lavatories and the decolonisation of school curricula.

He describes 'woke ideology' as 'a war on the truth', telling the paper: 'When institutions get infected by woke ideology, it really corrupts the institutions.'

'We look at woke infiltrating schools as a problem, woke infiltrating bureaucracies as a problem and woke infiltrating corporate America as a problem.

'We say that Florida is where woke goes to die.'

During his meeting with Ms Badenoch, Mr DeSantis said she 'complimented what we are doing in Florida'.

'She committed that it is what they are trying to do in Britain.,' he said.

'I commend her and her efforts to make sure that this is not corrupting British society.'

In a post on Twitter following the meeting, Mr DeSantis's press secretary Bryan Griffin wrote: 'Today @GovRonDeSantis met with @KemiBadenoch, who has been branded by British media as the 'Anti-woke darling of the right' (a badge of honor!) Two great conservative fighters on mission.'

Earlier, the conservative firebrand and Mr Cleverly discussed ties between Britain and the US state he represents while visiting the Foreign Office.

Mr DeSantis has not announced his intention to run for the Republican nomination but is widely expected to do so.

In his interview with The Sunday Telegraph, he also addressed speculation over his potential run at the White House, telling the paper: 'I'm going to go through our legislative session, get the people's business done. I'm still in the midst of that.

'I've got about another week or so of that, and then I have the Budget and everything. I'm not going to make any decision before then.

'But the end of that time is coming, it's closer now than it was six months ago. So just stay tuned.'

Mr DeSantis hoped his first international trade mission would generate lucrative business deals and boost his foreign policy resume ahead of an expected presidential run. Instead, he faced questions about losing ground to former President Donald Trump and being taken to court by Walt Disney World.

Mr DeSantis hoped his first international trade mission would generate lucrative business deals and boost his foreign policy resume ahead of an expected presidential run. Instead, he faced questions about losing ground to former President Donald Trump and being taken to court by Walt Disney World.

The trip reflected the intensifying pressure confronting DeSantis as some of his allies grow increasingly anxious about his White House prospects. Within a few short years, he rose from relatively a relatively obscure congressman to Trump's leading Republican rival by embracing the former president's cultural grievances without the constant tumult.

But it turns out DeSantis isn't immune from drama. Facing questions this week about his standing within the GOP and his fight with Disney, he's sometimes appeared agitated, reinforcing concerns within corners of his own party about his readiness for the rigor of presidential politics.

Some in the GOP said that rather than burnish his image as a fighter, the confrontation with Disney over an anti-LGBTQ law and the theme park's right to self-governor is becoming a distraction.

'My goal would be for this spat to end. They've been our longtime partner,' said Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters, the immediate past chair of the state GOP and a Trump supporter. 'We should be focused in a positive way on helping our job creators.'

Speaking in Israel, DeSantis expressed confidence in his actions and is showing no sign of letting the Disney issue go.

'I don't think the suit has merit, I think it's political,' said DeSantis, whose political team has used the Disney fight to raise money. 'The days of putting one company on a pedestal with no accountability are over in the state of Florida.'

The fight has been going on for more than a year. It began when Disney spoke out against legislation that would prevent discussion of sexual preference and gender identity in grades K-3. DeSantis responded by accusing Disney of being 'woke' and calling lawmakers to Tallahassee to punish Disney by stripping it of a decades-old right to make development and expansion decisions on its own.

'There's a new sheriff in town,' DeSantis said last year when he announced plans to get back at Disney. And in his new book, he boasted about outsmarting the company.

But some are questioning who is outsmarting who as Disney waited until the governor was out of the country before suing him, claiming that he's retaliating against the state's largest private employer for simply speaking an opinion.

Democratic state Sen. Linda Stewart, whose district is near Disney, said she understands that DeSantis made big headlines when he first stood up to Disney, and that it rallied his core supporters. But the longer the feud drags on, the more it could backfire.

'I'm betting on Disney. They probably have more money and lawyers than the state of Florida,' Stewart said. 'As he progresses on, people are getting mad at him. The citizens of Florida do not like him going after family-friendly, economic development for the community. People don't want government involved in business.'

Stewart says that DeSantis's anti-Disney comments are getting more petty. The governor this month pointed out that the Disney district the state took over controls a lot of undeveloped land. He told reporters that the land could go to a prison, a competing theme park or some other project.

'Really? A prison? A nuclear plant? A new theme park? I mean, what kind of rationale is he putting out there?' Stewart said. 'It doesn't even make any sense.'

DeSantis is eyeing a presidential campaign launch once the state legislature wraps up its session next month. As that moment nears, public familiarity with the governor is improving. Just 24% of U.S. adults say they don't know enough to rate him in the April AP-NORC poll, compared with 30% in October and 42% in July 2021.

Still, that increased familiarity has translated almost entirely to increased negative views toward DeSantis: 45% have an unfavorable view of him, up slightly from 40% in October and 30% in July 2021.

Overall favorable ratings for DeSantis have largely remained the same: 31% say they have a favorable opinion of him in the new poll. Unfavorable ratings, however, are concentrated among Democrats.

Among Republicans, 63% now say they have a favorable view of DeSantis, a tick up from 57% in October. The shift is concentrated among moderate and liberal Republicans, who have grown more familiar with him.

With that shift, favorable ratings of DeSantis (63%) and Trump (68%) are largely similar among Republicans. Trump's unfavorable ratings are slightly higher than DeSantis' (30% vs 20%), while more say they are unfamiliar with DeSantis than Trump. Overall, about half of Republicans say they have a favorable view of both men.

There's an open question of whether the continuation of the Disney fight will dent DeSantis' political standing. Now that it's in court, the lawsuit will keep popping up in headlines if DeSantis eventually enters the presidential race.

DeSantis' own U.S. senator and predecessor as governor, Republican Rick Scott, told Fox Business that he agrees with DeSantis on the law Disney spoke out against, but he said he hopes the feud will die down.

'What I hope is that cooler heads are going to prevail here,' Scott said Wednesday. 'We've got to figure out how to solve this problem, how to make sure Disney continues to grow in our state, how Disney continues to invest and add more jobs.'

MEN'S World Chess title heads into rapid-play tiebreak

AFP
Sat, April 29, 2023 

Since the 14-game series played under classical rules ended tied, the match goes to tiebreak games with tighter time control

The World Chess Championship will be decided in a rapid-play tiebreak Sunday, after Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi and China's Ding Liren remained deadlocked following 14 games played under classical rules.

Both players finished on seven points after the first-stage games played in the Kazakh capital Astana.

Each won three, while the other eight ended in a draw.

For the tiebreak stage of the match, also in Astana, the contenders will play an initial set of four games in which they have only 25 minutes to make their moves, plus an additional 10 seconds for each move played.

After drawing lots Saturday, Ding will play white in the first game, giving him the advantage of the first move.

- Breaking the deadlock -

The winner will succeed Norway's Magnus Carlsen as world chess champion, after he chose not to defend his title and stepped aside after a 10-year reign, during which he dominated the game.

But Carlsen, considered one of the best players of all time, will remain the world's top-rated player regardless of Sunday's outcome.

If Sunday's initial tiebreaker round does not end the deadlock, the time constraints will be dramatically shortened in further games.

In that case, they would be given an initial five minutes each to play -- then, if need be, just three minutes until a winner emerges.

As well as having the advantage of playing white in the first tiebreak, Ding is rated higher than Nepomniachtchi in the faster formats of the game.

But he has played very little such chess in official competitions since January 2020.

- Feeling the pressure-

Saturday's game demonstrated once again that at this level chess is as much a question of nerves as it is a battle of minds.

Both players seemed to be feeling the pressure, making uncharacteristic mistakes in their play, while failing to take full advantage of the other's errors.

Although Nepomniachtchi pushed hard to convert a slight advantage into a win, he finally had to settle for a draw in what was the longest game of the tournament: 90 moves played over more than six and a half hours.

The two-million-euro ($2.2-million) prize would have been split 60-40 between the winner and the runner-up if the match had been decided in the initial 14-game series.

Because it has reached the tiebreak stage however, the prize money will now be split 55-45.

fs/jj/kjm/lb

Tax rises fuel merchants' discontent in impoverished Gaza

AFP
Sat, April 29, 2023 

Palestinian fishermen in 2020 with fish caught in the Mediterranean Sea off Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip

Hikes in import and export tariffs imposed by the Islamist rulers of the Gaza Strip since last year have fuelled discontent among merchants in the impoverished, blockaded territory.

In March, Gaza's Hamas rulers imposed new duties on the import of fruit and the export of fish.

Although the fruit levy was later reversed after traders went on strike, the seafood duty remains. Traders refusing to pay risk having their perishable goods stalled at crossing points from the enclave.

The increases are the latest in a series of new levies on goods entering and exiting the coastal territory where 2.3 million Palestinians struggle to survive.

In July 2022, Hamas imposed tax increases on 24 other items including bottled water and certain clothes, forcing traders to remove some brands from the market when shoppers could not afford the newly inflated prices.

Wassim al-Hilu, a food importer-exporter and member of Gaza's chamber of commerce, said Gazans are already saddled with taxes paid to Israel -- which collects a range of fees on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

A split between Hamas and the PA, which administers the Israeli-occupied West Bank, often leads to disputes over taxation and Hilu said the new fees are harming Gaza's "already ailing economy".

The territory has been under a crippling Israeli-led blockade since Hamas -- designated a "terrorist" entity by the United States, the European Union and Israel -- took power in 2007.

The poverty rate has reached 53 percent, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, and unemployment has hit 45 percent, the International Monetary Fund said.

- Rising prices -

In October, dozens of Gazan merchants took legal action against last year's tax hikes, which were then frozen pending a court ruling.

But in supermarkets, traders have already reduced their reliance on imports pending the court decision, said Riyad Sawafiri, from the chamber of commerce.

Critical imports of bottled water, which the territory's residents depend on due to shortages of potable water, have halved as a result.

Osama Nofal, director of planning at Gaza's economy ministry, said the levies aim to encourage consumers to "support the local producer", referring to a desalination plant that makes drinking water.

Since the introduction of the tariffs on imported bottled water, bulk prices for consumers have jumped from 1.67 shekels ($0.36) per bottle to 2.17 shekels.

Baby formula is another product whose price has escalated since last year's tax increases. A pharmacist in Gaza City told AFP that for some types of formula prices went from one shekel per box to nine shekels.

Gaza-based economist Mazen al-Ajlah said the new fees are "illegal".

With Gazans already suffering from a dire economy, the administration should reduce taxes on imported raw materials and offer free electricity to factories, he said.

The latest increases prompted a two-week strike by traders, forcing a reversal to the tariffs on fruit imports.

But authorities refused to budge on the seafood tax affecting an industry that employs around 4,500 people.

The levy on fish is six shekels per kilogram (2.2 pounds) if it comes from Egypt and is then shipped on to the West Bank. For fish locally caught off Gaza the export tax is three shekels a kilogram.

But perishable goods are not the only ones affected. Garment traders decry a new 10 shekel tariff on some clothing items.

Nahed al-Souda, secretary of the clothes traders' syndicate, said a compromise was eventually reached, allowing for the tax-free importation of 600,000 pairs of jeans and 150,000 abayas per year.

Those exemptions are extremely small considering trade volumes in the sector, Souda said, calling the decision to impose the new tax unjust.

For the economist Ajlah, imposition of the levies resulted from an "arbitrary" assessment by Gaza's rulers.

"This reflects a lack of professionalism -- and blackmail," he said.

my-az-gb/rsc/noc/it

Charles’ coronation seized on by republicans as chance to ditch monarchy

When King Charles III is crowned in a lavish ceremony next week, the main anti-monarchist movement in Britain will gather along the procession route next to a statue of Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649, resulting in a brief republic. 

https://www.marxists.org/archive/hill-christopher/english-revolution

Christopher Hill: The English Revolution 1640 (1940) 

Republic supporters, an organization created in 1983 that pushes for an elected head of state, are organizing their largest demonstration yet. They think Charles’ succession to the throne represents their greatest opportunity of bringing the monarchy, which dates back more than 1,000 years, to an end.

Graham Smith, its head, sees the grand coronation at London’s Westminster Abbey as the perfect opportunity to expose what he regards as an anachronistic institution with no place in a 21st century democracy, particularly at a time when people are facing the worst cost of living crisis in decades.

Smith said he expected over 1,000 people dressed in yellow shirts to join the protest on May 6, where they will hold up placards, and give speeches.

When the newly crowned king passes in his gold coach, through streets lined with tens of thousands of well-wishers, they plan to boo loudly and chant “not my king”.

Polls show Charles is less popular than his mother Queen Elizabeth, the world’s second-longest reigning monarch, whose death last year marked the end of an era in Britain.

According to YouGov, in 2012 73% of the public said the monarchy was good for Britain, but that figure has dropped now to 53%.

Smith said the public’s respect for the queen meant she had been an “obstacle” to the republican cause.

“I think the monarchy is in a lot of trouble because they have lost their star player, support is clearly going down, interest is going down and that is a big problem for them,” Smith told Reuters.

“Charles has not inherited the deference, respect and sycophancy that was enjoyed by the queen, so people are far more willing to challenge him.”

The British monarchy traces its history back to William the Conqueror who invaded England in 1066, though royals ruled the patchwork of kingdoms which stretched across what became England, Scotland and Wales for centuries before that.

While the monarchy has gradually ceded power to parliament over the centuries, the king or queen still plays a significant, if almost entirely symbolic, role in British life such as the appointment of prime ministers and the judicial system.

UK anti-monarchy pressure group optimistic amid coronation apathy

Republic group says idea of a royal family is starting to fall apart as polls indicate deep generational split

Ben Quinn

THE GUARDIAN

Wed 26 Apr 2023

On a midweek evening two weeks before King Charles’s coronation, supporters of a bloodless overthrow of the monarchy had gathered inside a west London church to hear they might finally have cause to cheer.

“The good news is that it can be got rid of and will be got rid off,” a smattering of about 70 people were promised by Graham Smith, the chief executive of the republican pressure group Republic, from behind a pulpit.

The low-key event underlined the relatively small scale of active British republicanism. At least 10 of those present were journalists, including a Japanese TV news camera crew, and the sense of a not-entirely-youthful and largely white audience of the converted being preached to was hard to avoid.

Yet in the run-up to the coronation, those who have long banged the drum for the republican cause have something of a spring in their step, with more than 1,400 people pledging to join protests in London on 6 May.

Some believe an unprecedented focus on royal finance and funding – particularly by the Guardian – has the potential to gain traction among the public. A YouGov poll found 51% do not believe the coronation should be publicly funded, against 32% who do.

“The gloves are coming off a bit more now,” said Norman Baker, the former Lib Dem government minister who chronicled the royal family’s use of public money in his book And What Do You Do?

While disapproving of such stunts, Baker said he could not remember an egg being thrown at the Queen in the way that Charles was recently targeted.

“It’s clear that the public at large – including many royalists – are extraordinarily unhappy with what the royals take from the public purse and I think that is where they really are vulnerable,” Baker said.

Founded in 1983, Republic is undergoing a modest boost. A membership-based movement that claims to have the support of at least 80,000 republicans, it received £70,000 in donations in the month of the Queen’s death last year – a considerable sum given its 2020 income was just over £100,000.

Republic believes it can build on this momentum before, during and after 6 May – when yellow-clad supporters will chant “not my king” and carry bright placards in groups along the procession route, creating an “unmissable sea of yellow”.

Elsewhere, protests and marches are planned in cities including Cardiff and Nottingham, while there are due to be anti-monarchy street parties in Oxford and London. In Scotland – home to the UK’s highest levels of opposition to the monarchy – protests will take place in Edinburgh and Glasgow at the same time as the coronation service.

Republicans face a stubborn bedrock of support for the monarchy. According to polling, the percentage who believe royals are good for Britain is down to just over 50% – from 60% in 2019.

But a closer glance at polls indicate a deep generational split. A survey this week showed nearly 40% of those aged 18 to 24 would prefer an elected head of state.

In recent months, Republic have been building up a campaign using billboards and social media as well as shadowing outings by King Charles. In the garrison town of Colchester in Essex last month, the Guardian witnessed one of the protests that have served as dress rehearsals of sorts for 6 May, as Smith and a group of poster-wielding Republic supporters used a loudspeaker to try to challenge the king to a debate.

Watched over warily by police, the protesters were in turn heckled by members of the crowd. Perhaps interestingly, however, one of the loudest of them paused and agreed they might have a point when Charles – within earshot of the megaphone but studiously ignoring it – was challenged about the use of royal funds to support the legal travails of his brother, Prince Andrew

But what continues to be absent from British republicanism is any form of full-throated campaign from MPs.

Former parliamentarians such as Baker insist that significant number of Labour and Lib Dem MPs are anti-monarchy but “don’t want the hassle” of talking publicly about it. Labour under Keir Starmer has been eager to brandish its respect for the monarchy as he seeks to emphasise patriotism as a way of distancing the party from the Jeremy Corbyn years.

Even so, Ken Ritchie, of the internal party grouping Labour for a Republic, insists there is appetite among the party membership and points to increasing attendance at its meetings during party conferences. Several constituency Labour parties, branches and clubs also backed a motion recently fed into the party’s policy forum by the group.

Republican Labour MPs “keep their heads well down,” he said, with the exception of outspoken voices such as Clive Lewis. Last week, Richard Burgon told the Commons that the king should pay for the coronation.

Back at Republic’s event in Kilburn, one of the two loudest rounds of applause came when the journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown told how she had refused to curtsy during a meeting with the Queen.

Otherwise downbeat, she added: “I don’t share Graham’s optimism because they have been so clever in manipulating the population.”

Nevertheless, public apathy was cited by Smith as a reason for republicans to have cause for optimism. Asked by YouGov how much they cared about the coronation, 64% of people said “not at all” or “not very much”.

“The monarchy is an idea that is starting to fall apart. Only 9% of people are enthusiastic about the coronation. It’s something that for the most part is passing people by.”

REPUBLICAN PROTESTS PLANNED

More Than 1,000 Anti-Monarchy Campaigners Set to Disrupt King Charles' Coronation

The ceremony is set to cost the public around £100m. With a quarter of voters backing abolition of the monarchy, will the opposition get a hearing? Josiah Mortimer reports

King Charles is thought to be nervous about the future of the monarchy under a Labour government. Photo: PA Images/Alamy

Republican protesters will line the route of the King’s coronation ceremony in two weeks, in plans for the most significant anti-monarchy event in a generation.

Over 1,000 people are expected to gather in Trafalgar Square, and in a move designed to show a republican presence throughout the procession, smaller groups of one to three people will be stationed at numerous points along the route.

Graham Smith, Chief Executive of anti-monarchy group Republic, said: “This is the first time a big royal event has been directly covered by a larger protest. It will be very colourful and very loud.  We’ve not asked for permission, the plan is to just show up and protest.”

Republicans will wear yellow on the day, with yellow placards and flags – the colour of republicanism. Amid fears they will receive no coverage from the main broadcasters, they will make their presence known with megaphones and loudspeakers.

“The idea is that even if the BBC cameras pan away, they won’t be able to avoid hearing the protesters,” Smith said. Labour for a Republic’s Ken Ritchie added that the groups were having “arguments” with the BBC over “very one-sided coverage”.

“If we have 25% of voters saying we don’t want a monarchy, that’s quite a body of opinion that needs to be recognised by a national broadcaster. We’d be delighted if we got 10% of that,” Ritchie added.

Around 1,200 people have pledged to attend already, according to Republic. Protest organisers plan to base their activities on the day – by grim coincidence – near the statue of beheaded King Charles I, where protesters will wave their flags against Charles III.

Asked why they will be disrupting the coronation, Republic boss Smith said: “When people hear they’re spending £100m of our money on his parade, it annoys people. It’s a pointless parade. [King Charles] could have said ‘we’re not having a coronation’. Instead they’re doubling down on holy oil and all the rest.”

It comes as The Guardian reports that the King is a billionaire, with an estimated fortune of £1.8bn. Republican protest organisers plan to release more information on Friday. Several republican protesters were arrested last year, including one who held up a blank piece of paper (he was later released without charge).

A City Hall source said the Greater London Authority – which owns Trafalgar Square – was not aware of the planned protests or had any plans to accommodate protesters.

Republican revival?

Ken Ritchie, chair and co-founder of Labour for a Republic, told Byline Times that the main organisation, Republic, had a “bonanza” surrounding the Queen’s funeral last year. “Its fortunes rose rapidly,” he said.

Labour for a Republic’s much smaller membership has risen to around 200 (up from 50 before the Queen’s funeral) and a supporter list of 1,000.

The Labour party and leader Keir Starmer supports the monarchy. But Ritchie said: “We’re making inroads. What we feel is that there’s no chance that Labour is going to say it wants to get rid of the monarchy or even make a major challenge. So we’re focusing on things any reasonable member would agree with.”

The group recently made proposals to the party’s National Policy Forum to demand that the Equalities Act applies to the monarchy. It is currently exempt. “The staff it employs are not covered by anti-discrimination legislation. It’s a small point, but we felt that the principle of taking a stand should be a first step,” Ritchie said.

L4R is also focused on ensuring the monarchy is covered by Freedom of Information Act legislation, from which it is also exempt. A petition in Scotland called for this in recent weeks, but was dismissed by the Scottish Parliament this Wednesday. 

Few Labour MPs are on the record as republicans. Left-wingers Clive Lewis MP and Richard Burgon MP have publicly supported an end to the monarchy. While there are understood to be more, few speak out about it.

Ken Ritchie said: “There are people that we know are republicans. But they wouldn’t raise their heads and say so. Some are very supportive but always have another meeting on when we ask them to speak…”

Ex-Kensington Labour MP Emma Dent Coad made a joke in 2017 about Prince Harry, saying he “can’t actually fly a helicopter…he just sits there going ‘vroom vroom’.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was previously a republican, according to a leaked video reported by the Guido Fawkes blog in 2021. Photo: James Manning/PA/Alamy

She said afterwards she was “slaughtered” by the press. “I was Queen of the May at the conference in 2017, after Grenfell. And then…I made [this] joke about Prince Harry not being very clever… I had to get police protection,” she told Byline Times.

“I was followed around all the next day, and I had hateful comments, letters, emails – really hateful, scary mail. I had to report it to the police…They had to go through all my post in case people sent anything nasty. It was quite frightening,” the former Labour MP added.

“People say much worse things…But after Grenfell there were people following us and going through the bins to find anything they could on me. My staff went into my office and said ‘don’t look at the post’. It was really horrible,” she said. Dent Coad was blocked from re-standing for Labour last year over a series of comments for which she apologised.

Ken Ritchie says Labour for a Republic are not currently calling for the Labour party to “stand up and say we’re for a republic – we know what the reaction would be.”

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Starmer’s position

“With the election looming, we know Starmer is doing damn all, waiting to win the election. He’s not going to take kindly to anyone stirring anything more controversial at this stage,” Ritchie said.

Starmer touched on wanting a “slimmed-down” monarchy during his leadership campaign. However, many of his leadership pledges have since been abandoned.

Intriguingly, Byline Times can report that Keir Starmer was credited by the journalist Jonathan Freedland for help with his 1998 book arguing that Britain needed to become a republic. “Bring Home the Revolution: The Case for a British Republic” listed Keir Starmer in its acknowledgements, thanking him for his help with the book. “It doesn’t mean he backs a republic now, but it’s interesting,” Ritchie said.  

Keir Starmer thanked for his support for the 1998 Jonathan Freedland book calling for a monarchy. Labour did not respond to a request for comment. Credit: Labour for a Republic

Nearly a quarter of the public back a republic. Some polls show opinion among people who voted Labour in 2019 is fairly evenly split on support or opposition to the monarchy.

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Low down the list

Richie argues that support for republicanism is “more advanced” than support for Brexit at the stage that Farage was getting “huge amounts” of political coverage. “By the time debate begins, it will change very quickly,” he added.

The campaigner branded the coronation a “complete absurdity”, adding: “It’s nonsense. It’s about consolidating respect for the monarchy. If the monarchy stops getting attention it will cease to exist. If it’s not seen and worshipped, it no longer has a function. It’s all about marketing.” He acknowledged however, that the debate “had not started” about the need for a republic.

He accepted too, a problem that republicans face: that of priorities.

At an event in the 1990s, Lib Dem Baroness Seers, a woman of the establishment, was heckled. Someone called out “but are you a republican?” during a talk she was giving on proportional representation.

Ritchie says she turned around and said: “Yes, of course I am. You can’t be a true democrat and not.” But then she added: “And it’s number 73 in the list of my priorities.

'Not my king': Republicans to protest coronation | Reuters Video