The
next Governor-General will have to be named quite soon. Dame
Patsy Reddy (appointed 2016) is nearing the end of her
five-year term. At the best of times, being a credible local
stand-in for a head of state that’s based in London cannot
be an easy job. Yet for the next appointee, the usual
republican rumblings will be the least of it. The next G-G
will almost certainly be in office when the Elizabeth II era
finally comes to an end, and when the reign of her deeply
uncharismatic son gets under way. This transition will be a
testing time for the Old Firm. It will require its next