So if you live outwith the Central Belt and are keen to get involved in the work that we do, send us an email to enquiries@republicscotland.org or use the contact form via the link at the top of the page.

We spent a few hours in the busy spot at the top of Buchanan Street on Saturday afternoon handing out leaflets and chatting to passers-by.

The response which we received was far more positive than negative and it was clear that amongst the people of Glasgow, there is a huge appetite for a democratically elected head of state.

We will be doing more events like this in the future so like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to be kept updated about future events.

Quaker Meeting House
7 Victoria Terrace
Edinburgh EH1 2JL

Republic Scotland will be holding its first AGM – an opportunity for you to get involved, put yourself forward to be part of the coordinating committee and hear reports on the progress of the campaign.

Republic Scotland is just getting started, so chair Paul Leinster will be on hand to discuss how you can help support the group and what plans are in place for the forthcoming year.

Please RSVP by emailing enquiries@republicscotland.org.

Following a Freedom of Information request, it came to light that the council spent £149,207 on the visit by the Queen on 4th July this year. The amount spent by Glasgow eclipses the total spent by every other council combined. The four other local authorities visited by the Queen, including Edinburgh, where the royal family stayed for the week, spent a total £102,893.

Paul Leinster, chair of Republic Scotland said: “In the past two years Glasgow City Council has cut 3000 jobs, frozen wages and cut front line services such as free breakfast clubs in primary schools, it therefore defies belief that such a large sum of money would be spent entertaining the Queen and her husband for a few hours.”

The letter to Mr. Matheson asks for an explanation of the sum, along with a breakdown of how the money was spent.

The most spent by an individual authority was £149,207, by Glasgow City Council, despite the Queen spending less than a day in the city.

Republic Scotland chair, Paul Leinster said “At a time when local authorities are freezing wages,  cutting staff and cutting back on services, it is beyond belief that so much money is being spent entertaining our unelected head of state. The figure for Glasgow in particular is astounding, given the relatively short length of time the Queen spent in the city.”

According to figures published by Buckingham Palace earlier, the official cost of the royal family rose in 2011 by £200,000, to £32.3m. However, the cost to local authorities of hosting visits by members of the royal family is not included this. Once this figure, security, other expenses and loss of income are included, Republic estimates the true cost of the monarchy to be around £200,000,000.

The breakdown for each local authority is:

Glasgow – £149,207
Edinburgh – £21,169
Perth and Kinross – £32,863
Inverclyde – £38,000
West Dunbartonshire – £10,861
Total – £252,100

The service will see the Earl of Strathearn be formally presented with the Order of the Thistle, Scotland’s highest honour and one which is granted at the personal discretion of the monarch. Republic Scotland chair Paul Leinster stated: “The awarding of the Order of the Thistle to Prince William is just a further example of how unfair the monarchy and honours system in this country is. Instead of being presented to Scottish people who have worked hard to improve the country, or who have made a positive difference to people’s lives, the Order of the Thistle is presented to friends and relatives of the Queen.”

The protest will begin from 9am, with the Queen expected to arrive around 10.30am before the service begins at 11am.

All Republic members are welcome and we’ll be discussing plans for the jubilee, protests in Edinburgh during the Queen’s visit and our event at the Scottish Parliament.

It will be in the bar of the County Hotel, 22 – 30 County Place, PH2 8EE

All members are welcome. We will be discussing our upcoming event at the Scottish Parliament and developments with jubilee protest plans.

View the full story about yesterday’s protest, plus information about other protests planned in the run-up to the jubilee on the Republic website here.

The meeting is at Dow’s Bar, 9 Dundas Street, Glasgow, G1 2AH – right next to Queen’s Street station.

Republic’s campaign manager, Graham Smith, will be there to talk about our plans for the jubilee and to discuss how supporters in Scotland can play a role in the campaign. The evening will include:

• An introduction to Republic’s jubilee campaign plans
• A discussion of the arguments and the case against the monarchy
• Planning actions, events and protests in Scotland

RSVP by sending an email to graham@republic.org.uk.