Fṛm Đ Gardịn: Clearly Britain loses more than it gains from the monarchy. Let us be brave and end it

‘The need for an elected president has become urgent now Boris Johnson’s arrival in Downing Street tests conventions, laws and civil rights beyond their limits.’ Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA
‘Ɖ nīd fr an ilectd prezidnt hz bcm rjnt nǎ Boris Jonsn’z arîvl in Dǎnñ Strīt tsts cnvnśnz, lwz n sivl rîts bynd ɖer limits.’ Foṭgraf: Victoria Jǒnz/PA

Clirli Britn luzz mor ɖn it genz fṛm ɖ moṇci. Let s b brev n end it

(Transcription of an article published in the Guardian on 17 February 2022)

Ɖ royl jūḅli wd b a ćirfl end t a stet v aferz ɖt canot b alaud t cntiny. Tîm t rtrn sovṛnti t ɖ ppl

Polly Tornbee

Póli Tônbi, Ʈrzde 17 Febrri 2022

Ɖ  Qīn śd abdcet: ɖs z ɖ rît tîm. Nt bcz anɖr scandl hz brocn ǎt, wɖ p’līs probñ aḷgeśnz v Sǎdi caś-fr-onrz dneśnz t ɖ Prins v Wêlz’z ćaṛti. Nt bcz v Prins Andru’z dsgres.

Nr śd ś abdcet fr ɖ rīzn gvn ɖs wīc bî mî frend n colīg Sîmn Jncinz: h cōlz fr hr t wɖdrw jntli fṛm public lîf t spend hr dclînñ yirz in digṇfaid tranqiḷti, n alǎ a “pland transfr” t Ćarlz. In uɖr wrdz, let ɖr b no periḷs momnt ẃn ppl asc ɖmslvz ẃ nwn asct ɖm frst. Alǎ no poṣbl pōz fr ʈt btwn hr last breʈ n ɖ śǎt v “vivat rex”. Mc śr it’s a fait accompli wɖ hiz royl postirịr olrdi s’mentd t ɖ ʈron.

It z indd a gd tîm t bǎ ǎt gresḟli, az ɖs platinmjūḅli seḷbrets hr 70-yir rên wɖ ol ɖ pomp v a for-de banchoḷde n a ny pŭdñ. Bt let it marc an end t moṇci itslf, ɖoz fydl snć̣riz drw̃ t a pīsfl clos. Ɖ Qīn hz hld ɖ moṇci tgɖr scilḟli ʈru tmpestẏs scandlz, fṛm ɖ deʈ v Dîana, Prinsis v Wêlz, n ɖ dvorsz v ʈri v hr ćildṛn t ɖ flît v ɖ Dyc n Dućis v Susix, wns heṛldd az roylz fr ɖ Blac Livz Matr n #MiTù ira.

Ɖs jūḅli wd mc a ćirfl endñ t ol ɖ royl folḍrol. Ẃt betr tîm t rtrn ɖ sovṛnti promist in Brexit t ɖ ppl t hūm it b’loñz. Iliẓbʈ ɖ Last śd gt a historic snd-of, hr goldn coć n crǎn rtîrd n hr six paḷsz opnd az fîn ḿziymz. (No, turizm z no xks fr moṇci: Versailles gts mni mor vizitrz, n so dz Legoland dǎn ɖ rod fṛm Winzr Casl).

In deʈ or abdceśn, hr pasñ wl b an imotiv meṃrimarcr in evri faṃli, ɖ last linc t ɖ secnd wrldwor, t remnnts v empîr n t ɖt old blac-n-ẃît wrld v Paʈe nyzrīlz wɖ ɖer joli jngo vôsz. “Ʈanc God fr ɖ Qīn”, pṛclemz ɖ Sún’z fruntpej tde, absrdli. It’s dǎtfl ś rtrnz eni ʈancs t Rūṗt Mrdoc, huz lèse-majesté arîvl hir śatrd ɖt old revṛns fr royl mstīc.

Ɖ crǎn n consttyśn r no longr abstract dbets. Ɖ nīd fr an ilectd prezidnt hz bcm rjnt nǎ Boris Jonsn’z arîvl in Dǎnñ Strīt tsts cnvnśnz, lwz n sivl rîts bynd ɖer limits. Jon Mejr xprest ɖt consttyśnl ǎtrej eḷqntli on ɖz pejz, listñ Jonsn’z abysz: dlibṛtli brecñ inṭnaśnl lw; tẹrñ p ɖ miṇstirịl cod; ordenñ p’līs stop-n-srć “wɖt eni cōz fr sspiśn”; rmuvñ Britiś sitiznśp at ẃim, ẃl wejñ wor agnst ɖ sivl srvis n ɖ BBC, ɖoz naśnl sefgardz.

Ɖ Comnz Spīcr trnz ǎt t b pǎrlis agnst lîz tld t hiz fes. Ɖr z no vôs t admoniś, ćec or pṛtct agnst ilectiv dictetrśp bî a recr v a prîm̦inistr wɖ a stroñ mjoṛti. Hiz MPz r śocñli deṛlict.

Untl nǎ, moṇci wz dfndd az digṇfaid n pǎrlis, a harmlis dec̣reśn ɖt nvr inṭfirz wɖ parḷmnt. Imbaṛsñ lapsz – ɖ Gardịn’z reṿleśnz v ɖ Qīn’z cnsnt privntñ lwz ɖt me rvil hr wlʈ or Ćarlz’z “spîdrletrz” līnñ on ministrz – r reḷtivli trivịl. Ɖ consttyśnl probḷm z nt ɖ moṇc’s pǎr, bt pǎrlisnis. Prezidnts arnd Yṛp pṛtct consttyśnz n gard agnst oṿmîti poḷtiśnz brecñ besic lw. A prezidnt wd hv stopt Jonsn ilīġli pṛrogñ parḷmnt: it tecs ɖ oʈoṛti v ilex́n t tec ax́n az a vîtl bacstop in a consttyśnl imrjnsi.

Ǎr moṇci hz handd ol royl prirogtiv t ɖ prîm̦inistr wɖ no ćec or baḷns, bar a Hǎs v Lordz olmst az wìc az ɖ moṇc fr ɖ sem bad rīzn – lacñ ɖ oʈoṛti v ilex́n. Lc hǎ Jonsn ingejz in votr s’preśn: hiz pṛpozlz fr cmpulsri foto ID n aboḷśñ coḷjz rejisṭrñ ɖer stydnts wl dlibṛtli dtŕ ɖ yuñ n pur fṛm votñ. Lc hǎ h muvz t crb ɖ ilectṛl cmiśn’z pǎr t proṣkt ilīgl p’liticl dneśnz pṛtctñ hiz ǒn parti’z plf. Ɖr z no breic on an eṛnt prîm̦inistr in a cuntri wɖt a ritn consttyśn, ẃr a worpt ilectṛl sistm dnîz fer repriznteśn n ɖr z no ifctiv hed v stet t gard agnst lwbrecñ. Ɖ unilectd Qīn mst d ẃt ɖ prîm̦inistr tlz hr t.

Moṇcists spīc wɖ rvulśn v hu an ilectd prezidnt me b. Ɖ royl historịn Roḅt Lêsi, in a rīsnt dbet, asct in tonz v horr, “Prezidnt Liṇcr? Prezidnt Strīt-Portr?” Bt, rjz Greym Smiʈ, ĆXO v ɖ Rpublic preśrgrūp, lc arnd Yṛp at digṇfaid prezidnts hu unḍstand ɖer seṛmońl dytiz n ɖ p’liticl limits t ɖer rǒl, ẃl actñ az consttyśnl gaṛntorz. Formr poḷtiśnz tec on a prezidnsi wɖ az mć indipndns az ǎr Spīcrz in parḷmnt. Lc acrs ɖ Îriś Sì at Mîcl D Higinz, Mẹri Mc’līz or Mẹri Robinsn n pondr ẃ Britiś votrz r tù wîld or daft t b trustd t mc īqli snṣbl ćôsz.

S’port fr ɖs antīc dsfuñśn wenz wɖ ć jeṇreśn n it hz bcm frajîl. A mjoṛti v undr-25z xpct it t b gn in 25 yirz. Moṇci z a cast v mînd blocñ rform. Moṇci z a fyḍlizm v ɖ imaɉneśn ɖt stamps apruvl on inheritns, iniqoḷti n priṿlij, ol growñ rampntli rît nǎ.

“Tec bt dgri awe, untyn ɖt strñ, N, harc, ẃt discord foloz!” Śecspir hz Yḷsīz worn, yḷjîzñ “dgri, prîoṛti n ples” in Trôḷs n Cresida: nwn nz f ɖs dīp cnsrṿtizm alînñ ɖ planits wɖ arisṭcratic ordr wz hiz ǒn vy. Ɖ pônt z ɖs: ɖt strñ z untynd olrdi. Ɖ crǎn dec̣rets a rayt v consttyśnl dsordr. Aboḷśñ it wd opn windoz intu evri aspect v hǎ w ćūz t b guvnd n hǎ w ʈnc v ǎrslvz.

• Poli Tônbi z a Gardịn coḷmnist

Instroduction to Ñspel

19/02/2022

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