Podcast #26: God save the president?

This doesn't feel like the right time to be a republican, does it? Still riding the wave of positive feeling generated by the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton, the royal family is now enjoying the country's acclaim of the contribution made by Queen Elizabeth II during her 60 years on the throne.

Yet republicans are not giving up. Those who believe the UK should scrap its royal family and instead replace the monarch with an elected president are upbeat as they benefit from press attention on the issue. What they're after is a head of state separate from the head of government who fulfils constitutional roles that the Queen can't, because she's unaccountable. An elder statesman, they argue, would come in very handy.

The monarchist view is more straightforward: there's something about the present system with its mixture of tradition and constitutional flexibility which is actually to be envied rather than rejected. It's the adaptability of the monarchy which is its biggest strength. So it's not surprising those taking the long view advise both sides to be flexible when it comes to future events. Right now it doesn't look like anything can seriously threaten the monarchy. But in the years and decades to come, who knows?