- Position‹3 of 4›
- No, we should keep the monarchy
Despite being outdated or undemocratic, there is room for it today because it is an important part of our cultural history in Britain and these things are important to preserve
The argument
The British monarchy represents the nation's history and continuity, and that continuity is the substance of the case for keeping it. Kings and queens have ruled in Britain since the 10th century, which makes the institution older than every other part of the constitutional settlement and older than the political arguments now conducted beneath it. The monarchy has adapted throughout the years and remains a strong cultural force to this day, and the combination is what the argument rests on: an institution that has changed its role repeatedly while preserving its identity offers a thread of continuity that nothing designed more recently could supply. The tradition and meaning of the monarchy are what make it a necessary figurehead of what it means to be British in today's hectic political environment — necessary precisely because the political environment is hectic, and a figurehead standing outside the daily contest is the only kind that can represent everyone in it. The monarchy's history and cultural value can also inspire pride and loyalty in British citizens, and that attachment is measurable in ordinary popularity rather than only in constitutional theory. Queen Elizabeth II was widely loved, not just in Britain but across the world, and members of the royal family are often more popular than politicians — a comparison that matters, since it is politicians who would inherit the representative role if the monarchy were removed. What follows is that abolition would not be a neutral administrative change. The monarchy remains a symbol of what it means to be British, and abolishing it would rid the United Kingdom of an important cultural and historical unifier — something that cannot simply be replaced, because its value derives from a continuity that a newly created office would by definition lack.
Context
The monarchy has cultural value that extends beyond its capacity to attract tourists to the U.K. The monarchy symbolizes Britain's history and continuity.
Premises
Counter-arguments
Britain will retain any cultural value without a monarchy.
Rejecting the premises
[Rejecting P2] A country should remember its past, but holding on to the past is unnecessary and can hold back a progressing country. [Rejecting P3] British culture is made up of more than its monarchy.