IT is time to talk about replacing the King with an elected head of state according to a Scottish Government minister.

With just weeks until the coronation of King Charles III, Patrick Harvie, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, is calling for a “national conversation” on the monarchy.

Harvie, a Green MSP for Glasgow who is minister for zero carbon buildings, active travel and tenants rights, in the Scottish Government under the Bute House agreement with the SNP, contrasted the forthcoming spectacle of the coronation with the living standards of millions of people in the UK.

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Speaking at a Green Party event today, he said: “We are in the worst cost-of-living crisis for decades, yet, in the weeks ahead, the UK government will be spending tens of millions of pounds on an extravagant three day long festival of pomp and pageantry.   

“Is this really the form of governance that we want in the 21st century? So many of the polls are showing an indifference to the whole thing, and it's easy to see why.

“There is nothing normal or inevitable about Monarchy. All around us there are small independent countries who have elected heads of state that operate on a far more modest, democratic and tasteful basis.”

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The MSP recently said the Greens were allocated invitations to the coronation but would be declining.

He had said he and his colleagues were “able to think of better things to do with our day”.

Harvie is speaking at an event in Edinburgh on Scottish republicanism, today where the party says the coronation is exactly the time to be “questioning the future of the monarchy”.

He said “With only weeks to go before the golden carriages take to the streets, it is more important than ever that we talk about our future. It's time for a national conversation about replacing the monarchy.

"The Scottish Greens are very clear. The Scotland we want to see is a modern, democratic and independent republic with an elected and accountable head of state.

“We can be a fairer, greener country where power lies with the people and our communities. The crown holds vast public wealth and assets, which would be used to benefit us all."