ROYALTY lovers everywhere are falling over themselves to think of ways to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee, next year.

No doubt someone will be inflicting tacky mugs and souvenirs on us while you can expect a whole host of horrible street parties in your town.

Not surprisingly a High Wycombe chairmaker has made a set of limited edition chairs.

But if there was anything that should mark 50 years of Her Majesty, it must a referendum to give us the right to scrap this elitist and anti-democratic institution.

Apart from bringing in a limited amount of tourism, the Royal family is nothing more than a national embarrassment that represents a society still obsessed with class.

The monarchy is long dead as an idea and has no relevance for people living in the 21st century.

Blair should show some real bottle and be willing to risk upsetting Middle England to give us a referendum on its future.

He has shown he is ready to take on the so called 'natural born rulers' with his eagerness to reform the House of Lords.

But if he leaves the monarchy alone he will give up on the chance to be seen as a true democrat.

The Queen, herself, has never put her foot wrong despite being surrounded by a gaffe- prone husband and family.

She can retire, proud of her achievements.

But retire, she must.

IT'S not often my stomach turns when I listen to a politician on TV, but I felt quite sick after listening to an interview with British National Party chairman Nick Griffin.

Mr Griffin advocates separating communities along racial lines or 'peace lines', as he likes to put it.

His views on stopping marriage across cultures are akin to Hitler's preservation of a master race.

Mr Griffin comes across as a racist who preys on economic deprivation to get support for his disturbed ideas.

That's why we must give as much support to anyone willing to stand up against such prejudices and to those promoting racial harmony.

Wycombe District Council is signing an historic charter to support the work of Wycombe Race Equality Council (WREC).

The council has now promised funding to the group, which is there to help stop the mindless bigotry that has torn places like Oldham apart. The only way to fight groups such as the BNP is through education.

WREC is part of that task of educating people and this funding will hopefully allow it to get on with its vital work.