The first Model UN conference was Tuesday, October 4th at Xaverian Brothers High School. The topic of discussion was the “United Kingdom Revolution,” orbiting around the topic of Queen Elizabeth’s recent death, King Charles III’s ascension to the throne, and the change of Prime Ministers from Boris Johnson to Liz Truss. The conference also covered the controversies and “crises” that could form around it.

There was a wide range of ideas and opinions being presented like real-life delegates would. The most controversial present were Prime Minister of England Liz Truss and King Charles III. Ms. Truss has pushed for many changes during her short time in office including major tax cuts. Her anti-monarchical opinions from her past still seem to keep up with her public image, even if she now renounces those ideas. Many initially welcomed her arrival after the Johnson years though, but some have changed their opinions of Ms. Truss since the British economy’s recent crash. All this week she seems to have been fighting for her job, but now, she has sadly resigned. 

King Charles III was much more outspoken than his mother in certain things which adds to his lower British support rate. After his ascension to the throne, many Brits are considering leaving the Commonwealth, the union of countries united under the monarchy.

Some other less common delegates presented at the conference including members of the royal family, countries of the Commonwealth, and some other countries whose residents’ lives are being affected by the current crisis. The Commonwealth countries had a wide range of opinions, some with leaders offering high support for King Charles and the monarchy.  Two of these countries, Singapore and New Zealand, have seen a split in support like Wales and Scotland, places that have high rates of dissatisfaction with their current situation. Many of the countries who are currently outside of the Commonwealth look on the situation with neutral opinions with many offers for help in resolving conflicts.

Seeing many diverse opinions being debated and formed in a realistic way is an enriching experience to encounter, will help teach others what is going on in the world, and to respect everyone’s views, especially when they don’t align with one’s own. It also will demonstrate how to have an appropriate debate over differences. This event was a lot of fun to participate in, even with its guise of stressfulness and complexity. I would highly recommend it to anyone with goals like these in mind.

By Elisabeth Smith ‘28, Staff Writer

28esmith@montroseschool.org