Abolishing the monarchy is an important step towards building a fairer society

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Multiple arrests for the mildest of public protests against King Charles’s accession; wall-to-wall positive media coverage with barely a single republican viewpoint; parliament adjourned at a time of desperate worry for working-class families; major sporting events cancelled, and even kids’ football halted. But there is also a sizeable section of the population – including a large and growing number of young people – who do not believe in hereditary privilege, don’t consent to King Charles’s accession, and want a different kind of political system. Just as silence reigns when it comes to Britain’s colonial past, we are also told that silence is the only respectful mode amid the death of one monarch and the accession of another – even in a time of deep national crisis. You’ll get arrested for shouting “Andrew, you’re a sick old man,” but receive the full protection of the British state if you’re a prince and American prosecutors want to question you about child sex offences.