Irish Prime Minister calls for ‘respect’ towards monarchy amidst coronation controversy: ‘Monarchy isn’t part of our beliefs’

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar is calling for respect for those who support the monarchy in the UK, following criticism from two socialist TDs in the Dail parliament in Dublin. Paul Murphy of People Before Profit-Solidarity and Richard Boyd Barrett raised concerns about Irish national broadcaster RTE’s four-hour coverage of the King’s coronation on Saturday. Murphy said the monarchy was based on “racism, privilege and empire”, whilst Boyd-Barrett stressed that Ireland was a republic. The politicians called for a united socialist movement in Ireland rather than the continued use of the monarchy.
Varadkar maintained that the UK constitutional monarchy is backed by the majority of the country’s citizens, stating that such a system should be respected. He added that republics can sometimes transition from monarchies, such as with Barbados, but that this change occurs only when a majority of people in a given country wishes for it.