Sean, thats an interesting point that you make about national identity. What is National Identity? for example in the Uk - Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own cultures and identity and don't see themselves as English, but British and the British Royal Family, funnily enough because of its history is seen as an English Institution not a British Institution thats why you find more republicans in Scotland. I think the same dynamics play out in Spain. And besides with globalization and an increasingly multicultural society that we live -especially in the Uk and France (re - the whole debate on secularity and integration thats playing out across Europe) Spain I believe is a much more homogenous society the Royal Family's begin to look like an outdated institution thats for a minority of the citizens of a particular country. Its not a coincidence that in the UK the most ardent pro Europeans come from Scotland, Wales and tend to also be republicans -a lmost as though they want the EU to rescue them from the institution. I think we have reached intersting times with the increasing strength of the EU the US marching on unilaterally and the whole debate about what do we want from the EU as an institution how to make it more democratic equally applies to monarchy as well.
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