The Monarchy

Billy Mitchell

The best guarantee of a just, equitable and pluralist society lies in a system of representative democracy where all power is vested in, and derived from, the common people. It is imperative that government is not only composed of representatives of the people but that it is accountable to them at all times.

Following the dissenting tradition of the Scotch-Irish community, which refused both the Black Oath of allegiance to an autocratic English King and the equally black Oath of Engagement demanded by Oliver Cromwell, I am diametrically opposed to any form of government where absolute power is held by any individual or group of individuals who are not accountable to the people. In particular, I am opposed to rule by absolute monarchists, aristocrats and dictators. The dissenting tradition of the Ulster-Scots community was ably summed up as far back as 1644 by the Scottish theologian, Samuel Rutherford, when he stated that since all men are born free "there is no reason in nature why one man should be king and lord over another". Rutherford went on to assert that "no man bringeth out of the womb with him a Sceptre and a crown on his head".

The United Kingdom is now a constitutional monarchy which means that I am ruled by Parliament, not by the arbitrary will of a monarch.. The Sovereign may reign, but it is Parliament that rules. The Bill of Rights (1689) was instrumental in limiting the power of the Sovereign and in reaffirming the supreme authority of Parliament. Thus began a process by which British Monarchs were denied the right to usurp the role of Parliament and exercise arbitrary power. The Revolutionary Settlement of 1688-89, which was achieved by a front-bench agreement between the Tories and the anti-monarchist Whigs, has resulted in a permanent shift in power from the monarch to Parliament and has helped to embed the principle of parliamentary democracy.

As a constitutional monarch the Sovereign is bound by constitutional rules that greatly limit the power and the influence that he or she can exercise. The Sovereign has a right to be consulted and to offer advice, which happens during the weekly audience with the Prime Minister, but his or her role in the enactment of legislation is limited to giving the Royal Assent to Bills passed by Parliament. It is something like 293 years since the Royal Assent was last withheld. In terms of power and political bias the British Monarch has less power and authority than the Presidents of a great many Republics and, unlike many Presidents, is constitutionally bound to be politically neutral. If the principle of parliamentary democracy in the United Kingdom has its faults, and it has, those faults cannot be laid at the door of the monarchy. Parliament and those who elect Parliament must share the blame for any flaws in our system of democracy.

As an Irish Unionist I choose to be a citizen of the United Kingdom and, while I am not a monarchist by conviction, I accept that the political state in which I choose to hold citizenship is a constitutional monarchy. Therefore as a loyal citizen of that state I am happy to pledge loyalty to the Queen in Parliament and, unlike some unionists, my loyalty is not conditional upon the Sovereign's adherence to any particular religion. It is conditional only upon the Sovereign remaining subject to the will of a Parliament that is freely elected by the citizens of the United Kingdom.

Regarding the future of the monarchy. I am happy to leave that decision to the will of the British people as expressed in a constitutional referendum or through their representatives in Parliament. That is what democracy, as I understand it, is all about. (First Published in "The Other View" Spring 2000)