Back in the 1930s, there was a deep suspicion amongst courtiers of broadcasting royal events on the radio. They worried that the events would be demeaned by men listening to them in public houses with their hats on. Ninety years on, these courtiers would have been utterly disgusted at the prospect of women watching last Saturday’s coronation (as I did) on their phones on sunbeds in Spain, one pina colada to the good.

I hadn’t intended to watch any of it while I was away on my first ever girls’ holiday. Truth be told, I’d had trouble even mustering up indifference. However, one of our party had a friend participating and she wanted to see if she could spot him.

So I managed to marvel at some of the proceedings, including Penny Mordaunt’s impressive sword-holding while dressed as every Tory Boy’s Thatcherite fantasy.

However much I like the spectacle, I am far from convinced that a hereditary monarchy, even one with few powers, is the best way for our country to be governed. I am not too exercised by the question, though, as there are many more pressing things – including giving people the Parliament they ask for – that need to be done.

I totally get why protesters from the organisation Republic might want to make their point by protesting in the run up to the coronation. They have every right to do so in a democratic society. Yet heavy handed action by the Police saw protesters, and in one case a royal fan who was there to enjoy the day, arrested and deprived of their liberty for hours.  A retrospective expression of regret by the Police is just not good enough.

The events showed the flaws in the recently passed Public Order Act, exactly as our people in Parliament had warned as it was debated.

As you would expect, Lib Dems have been highly critical of the arrests. Alistair Carmichael, our Home Affairs spokesperson, said on Twitter:

This is concerning. Whatever your view on the monarchy, the right to peaceful protest is essential to our country. https://t.co/MPrgyo5KZj

— Alistair Carmichael MP (@amcarmichaelMP) May 6, 2023

Tim Farron said that tolerating protest would be the “most utterly British thing imaginable:

Awful, I’d have thought that a coronation where we generously tolerated dissent and different views would have been the most utterly British thing imaginable…

— Tim Farron (@timfarron) May 6, 2023

And in the Commons this week, Wendy Chamberlain, the only woman MP to have served as a Police Officer, questioned the training given to officers ahead of the event:

Throughout the passage of the Public Order Act through Parliament I raised concerns about police officers being expected to enforce sweeping new powers over protests without adequate training. pic.twitter.com/uD5XgJLoh8

— Wendy Chamberlain MP (@wendychambLD) May 11, 2023

Scottish Lib Dem Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, who was in the Abbey on the day, called on Charles to defend British values of freedom of expression in a speech in the Scottish Parliament:

“I wish King Charles III and The Queen well, and I hope in the years ahead that they will continue to defend the values that make our country great.

“Firstly, in upholding democracy and free speech. We are a country that proudly finds disagreement on almost every topic. We should never be a country which seeks to stifle either side of that disagreement, as we saw in the troubling actions of the Met Police in London on Saturday arresting republican protestors.

“Secondly, I hope the King would want people to have confidence in the transparency of his reign. At present, the Crown Consent procedure allows the monarch’s lawyers to flag concerns about legislation and request changes in secret. My party has been clear that details of these interventions should be made public. Like our other institutions, we have a right to know how legislative decisions are made. That is a cornerstone of our democracy.

“We are a quirky people, our traditions, our eccentricities and our humour are part of the rich composition that makes up the culture and identity of these islands. Saturday marked a moment in our national story, a turning of the page. I was glad to have been a tiny part of it.

One of the key purposes of Liberal Democrats is to defend human rights and  civil liberties against attack. Whether it’s the current Public Order or Illegal Migration laws or Labour’s DNA database, control orders and draconian pre-charge detention plans, our record on standing up for citizens against authoritarian measures is impressive.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings