By Ben Kerrigan
European Republicans are meeting in London today to discuss the impact of Brexit on the elected state.
European republicans meeting in London today are split on the question of whether Brexit will help or hinder the case for an elected head of state. Viggo Smitt, chair of the Danish republican movement Republik, said the vote provides hope for a seemingly challenging campaign.
“Nobody expected Brexit. So in a way, the unexpected event of doing away with the monarchy could happen as well,” he said.
Hans Maessen, who is head of the Dutch campaign Republikeins Genootschap, said leaving the European Union will close off a potential legal route to challenging the monarchy. “Brexit will diminish the influence of the European courts in the UK because you want to be completely independent and sovereign,” he said.
He explained that Republicans in the Netherlands were considering a challenge to the European courts to allow every person to become a head of state. He said: “That is a natural right in a democracy. That could be done in the European courts, but if you stand outside Europe, that option will not be there any more.”
Maessen also argued that monarchy acts in opposition to the idea of transparent government.
“There is no such thing as a transparent monarchy. Each week our monarch talks to our prime minister in the Netherlands. What are they talking about? I want to know,” he told the convention.