This week’s council meeting saw the Tories propose a motion congratulating HM The Queenon her Diamond Jubilee and offering loyal greetings and congatulations on behalf of the Councillors and citizens of Reading.

Suffice to say that I am anything but a loyal subject of Her Majesty and I definitely don’t do sycophantic grovelling. Here is my response to the Tory motion:

Without wishing to dowse the flames of patriotic celebrations being called for by Cllr Willis, I would like to point out that not all of us are quite so willing to be loyal subjects of Her Majesty.

We in the Liberal democrats have no party line on the monarchy so my views are mine
alone, I cannot speak for the party on this matter.

I am a democrat, an atheist and therefore also a republican. Now I know that Brits hate
rocking boats and it is not good form to admit to being a republican in this country but
nobody has ever yet convinced me that an hereditary monarchy has any place in a
democracy in the 21st century. So I will not be joining Cllr Willis in sending ‘loyal greetings’ as I could never be loyal to an hereditary monarch and retain my democratic ideals.

I have spent endless time supporting and campaigning for equality; equality of colour, race, gender, sexual orientation, equality of opportunity, so how can I with one breath shout hurrah for equality, democracy and civil rights and in that same breath shout God Save the Queen. I cannot equate democracy with an hereditary monarchy…period.

I am not sure that here and now at this late hour are necessarily the place and time for a full scale debate on the monarchy and it would not be a sensible way to spend our time as elected representatives of the people of Reading.

But I would like to record my views, and I am sure I am not the only one to hold them in this town of Reading, and to vote against this motion.

I was, of course, alone in voting against the motion, although the two Green councillors abstained. From comments received after the meeting there are a significant number of people in Reading who agree with my thoughts on the monarchy.