Debate: Replace Monarchy with Elected Head of State - w/Graham Smith

Welcome to London's new and exclusive debate society where the style is formal but the passion unbridled, as we delve into the current and philosophical issues of our age.

The motion for the next meeting is: This House Would Replace the Monarchy with an Elected Head of State

Dress code: smart attire

Join CEO of Republic, Graham Smith, co-founder of Agora, William Hagerup, and others in a debate about the Monarchy. Is it time to replace the UK Monarchy with an elected Head of State?

Should Britain sweep away centuries of royal tradition and replace the Crown with an elected head of state? Supporters say it’s time to drag the constitution into the 21st century — arguing that no public office should be handed down by birth, and that an elected president would finally give the people a direct say at the very top.

But critics warn that scrapping the monarchy would gamble with one of the nation’s last great stabilising forces. The King stands above party politics, they argue — a symbol of continuity in turbulent times. Would an elected head of state simply become another politician, dividing rather than uniting the country?

Expect great arguments on either side and plenty of room for YOU to put your opinion across as we ask: is the Crown the glue that holds Britain together — or an outdated relic ready for retirement?

We invite you to test the motion, challenge assumptions, and share your views during the Q&A.

Tickets include a free drink at The Tea House Theatre – hot, cold, soft, or alcoholic.

DRESS CODE: Smart attire (shirt and tie expected)

OUR SPEAKERS:

On The Proposition: Graham Smith

Mr Graham Smith has been the CEO and lead campaigner for the anti-monarchy group Republic since May 2005. He's been involved in the campaign since late 2003. For more than 20 years Mr Smith has worked to realise what he sees as a fairer, more democratic Britain, through the abolition of the monarchy and the opportunities that creates. In June 2023 Penguin published his first book, Abolish The Monarchy. Why We Should and How We Will.

Mr Smith is a frequent media commentator on constitutional issues and has appeared on national broadcasters including the BBC, as well as on political programmes and podcasts such as The Owen Jones Podcast and the New Statesman Podcast, as well as the Objectivist podcast, The Daily Objective, where he has argued for the abolition of the monarchy.

He also hosts and co-hosts Republic’s own podcasts, including Abolish the Monarchy and From Below the Balcony, in which he interviews politicians, journalists and campaigners about the future of the British constitution and the case for an elected head of state.

Mr William Hagerup began his journey as a political campaigner and debater at the age of 16 in his native Norway. He is the author of In Good Faith, a semi-autobiographical novel-style account that reflects on his experiences with organised religion and his personal intellectual journey (very much drawn on his own life experiences). He later studied subjects including philosophy, literature and political history at the University of Trondheim in Norway and at King’s College London.

His second book, The Really Practical Guide to Debating: How to Win Every Argument You Don’t Lose, was published in December 2025. This work draws on his extensive experience with debating and public speaking as a debate coach and communicator. Mr Hagerup is a former President of 104 London Debaters, a debating club affiliated with Toastmasters, and is co-founder of the Agora Debate Club London, a society focused on the open and rational discussion of current and philosophical issues.

Other speakers TBC

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Agora Debate Club is a unique debate club in London that allows you to debate on the side you feel most strongly in favour of. Unlike other debate clubs, we do not assign you a side, instead you choose the side and you argue your own case without the need to coordinate your argument with the other debaters on your side.

Votes will be taken before and after debates, and the side with the greatest swing in its favour, is declared the winner.

We adhere to the Chatham House rules, which means that it is strictly forbidden to name any speaker, whether a debater or anyone else, if you share any statements made during the debates outside of the meeting.

Formality and ceremony are central to our debates to engender respect for opponents and audience as well as to provide a framework for true passion.

We aim to meet six times a year for debates on current or philosophical issues.

The name "Agora" comes from the ancient Greek word for the marketplace and town square where debates were held. A debate is an expression of the marketplace of ideas, and as we believe in the free trade of ideas, the name Agora Debate Club perfectly expresses what we are all about.

Our logo has three pillars, each representing one of the basic values the club is based on: Reason, Logic and Free Speech.

Each pillar has two ends, six in all, representing the six gatherings we aim to have per year.

Join us and experience the thrill of rational Enlightenment discourse in the heart of legal London

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