Does Britain Still Need the Monarchy?

1. Set Focus
Frame the inquiry with these essential questions: What ideas does a monarchy symbolize? Can a society truly be a democracy if its government is a constitutional monarchy? Explain.

2. Read and Discuss
Have students read the debate and then answer the following questions:

• What is the issue being debated? How does it relate to current events? (The issue is whether the U.K. should keep its monarchy in place. The death of Queen Elizabeth II, who was widely adored, has prompted some people in the U.K. to question the value of the institution.)

• Evaluate why these two authors might be interested in and qualified to comment on this issue. (Phillip Blond, the director of a British think tank, strongly supports the monarchy. Graham Smith is the chief executive officer of a group that wants Britain to become a republic.)  

3. Core Skill Practice
Project or distribute Analyzing Authors’ Claims and have students use the activity to analyze and evaluate each author’s arguments.

• Analyze Blond’s view. (Blond argues that the U.K. still needs the monarchy. He says that having a monarchy helps preserve democracy in the U.K. because the monarch embodies the nation and rises above partisan divisions, which reminds politicians that they don’t occupy the highest space in the land.)

• Analyze Smith’s view. (Smith argues that the U.K. should abolish the monarchy. He says having a monarchy promotes hereditary privilege and forces Britons to compromise their democratic values, and that political authority should come from the people. He also says that if the royals were politicians, they would have been voted out long ago.) 

4. Writing Prompt
In an essay, evaluate one of the debaters’ arguments. Assess whether the reasoning is valid and whether it’s supported with evidence. Point out biases or missing information.

5. Classroom Debate
Does Britain still need the monarchy? Have students use the authors’ ideas, as well as their own, in a debate.

6. Vote
Go online to vote in Upfront’s poll—and see how students across the country voted.