Crazy Archaic Laws, UK Royalty Edition

It’s illegal to be a (small-r, not batshit crazy R) republican in the United Kingdom. Indeed, it’s illegal to so much as imagine a United Kingdom without the, you know, Kingdom bit:

If any person whatsoever shall, within the United Kingdom or without, compass, imagine, invent, devise, or intend to deprive or depose our Most Gracious Lady the Queen, from the style, honour, or royal name of the imperial crown of the United Kingdom, or of any other of her Majesty’s dominions and countries, or to levy war against her Majesty, within any part of the United Kingdom, in order by force or constraint to compel her to change her measures or counsels, or in order to put any force or constraint upon or in order to intimidate or overawe both Houses or either House of Parliament, or to move or stir any foreigner or stranger with force to invade the United Kingdom or any other of her Majesty’s dominions or countries under the obeisance of her Majesty, and such compassings, imaginations, inventions, devices, or intentions, or any of them, shall express, utter, or declare, by publishing any printing or writing … or by any overt act or deed, every person so offending shall be guilty of felony, and being convicted thereof shall be liable … to be transported beyond the seas for the term of his or her natural life.

This is part of the Treason Felony Act of 1848. I can understand why such legislation hit the books in 1848. I can’t understand why it’s still on the books.  I really can’t understand why the government, noting that it was on a list of old laws to be repealed, removed this from said list this past week. Because I guess we really need to protect the royal family or something.

But hell, if the sentence is “to be transported beyond the seas for the term of his or her natural life”, does that mean a free ticket to Australia to watch England lose the Ashes?

Fortunately, my own legal position has recently improved:

Among 327 offences that have recently been purged from the statute book was that of “being an incorrigible rogue”, under the Vagrancy Act 1824.

NB: Nothing in the post is meant to explicitly or implicitly suggest that I am opposed to sovereignty residing in the British royal family.  For good measure, I am open to being convinced that the British should reclaim their lost North American colonies.