What is the point of the Commonwealth? This is an organisation headed up currently by Queen Elizabeth II and It is a hangover from the days of the British Empire. An empire that was founded on exploitation and invasion of lands around the world.

If ever there was a time when the UK was a Fascist nation, it was at the time of the empire. Of course, many feel proud of the legacy of those times, but the empire was a typical European power of its time and it is easy for us now to look back through rose tinted glasses and criticise it. Nevertheless, we do judge it by our modern ideas and perhaps rightly so, however, the Commonwealth continues the link between Britain and its former colonies.

It is strange to think that history may have been different for the United States, had the nation not fought its war of independence, it would have been part of the Empire and then the Commonwealth.

Useless and pointless

The Commonwealth today is just a Talking Shop. The organisation, unlike the UN, NATO or the European Union, has no real influence on world events. It does not have a common defence policy or foreign policy and at the end of any summit, Commonwealth leaders gather for a pretty picture with the Queen and that's it.

The Commonwealth Games have also been called a poor man’s Olympics. When nations like Zimbabwe commit heinous acts does the Commonwealth come together militarily - no.

When Fiji became a dictatorship did the Commonwealth step in - no.

It is about time that this stagnant grouping of nations was disbanded and to be put in the dustbin of history so that the former Colonial nations can be truly free of Britain. As for Britain, it would be able to move on without these nations clinging to our coattails.

EU yes, Commonwealth no!

The UK is leaving the European Union next year and once again we will be a nation on our own.

Many will be glad about this fact and others will not.

In theory, the UK should have disbanded the Commonwealth and become a leading nation in the EU. It seemed the EU was our future and the Commonwealth was our past, but now the UK is leaving the EU, is the UK going backwards instead of forwards?

We have common links with our former colonies but we also have links with our European cousins.

We have racial, religious and cultural links with Europe in a way we do not with the Commonwealth. Historically, long before the UK had a global empire, our destiny was mixed up with that of the European continent and our DNA is 60% European and that cannot be altered.

The UK on its own with the Commonwealth will not be the global power it once was and anyone who voted for leave and thinks that is indeed deluded.