Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

This is a republic. Whatever political differences there are, most of us identify with the aspect of it being a republic whereby we do not believe in kings and monarchs or inherited power and privilege, especially when it is associated with empire, colonialism and shocking inequalities between a tiny group among the royal aristocracy that has the inherited power and ordinary people. Against that background, while of course we all very much welcome the peace that arose, or at least accompanied, the Good Friday Agreement, there is an idea that building bridges should extend to us having an uncritical approach to a coronation, something that most of the remaining royal houses in Europe have completely abandoned. They do not have coronations anymore; it is not legally required. Yet, this weekend, a considerable amount of public money in Britain will be spent on this coronation, which is an insult to considerable numbers of people living in poverty in Britain and the national broadcaster in this country will broadcast this for four hours. Is that really an appropriate thing to do from the standpoint of a republic?

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