Way being cleared for Catholics to run Church of England

In an uncharacteristic outbreak of sanity, the British Government has accepted in principle that the 1701 Act of Settlement which enshrines primogeniture and bans Roman Catholics from sitting on the English throne “may be discriminatory”.

21st century PC: Westminster to repeal Succession

A Cabinet office statement warned however that amending the Act of Settlement “is a complex and difficult matter that requires careful and thoughtful consideration”. The subtext being, don’t expect any changes any time too soon.

Primogeniture is effectively an old feudal tool to ensure that estates remained under a family name. Under this system, a woman in the line of succession is automatically superseded by a younger male sibling. 

To be perfectly blunt, it is a nakedly sectarian and clearly sexist piece of legislation. Its historic roots are in the period after the ‘Glorious Revolution’ (part of a catalogue of laws often referred to in Ireland as the Penal times).

The ongoing attempts to reform the law have been greeted by a press still high on the announcement of Wills and Kate’s engagement so speculation naturally turned to the possibility of a queen succeeding by natural birthright to the throne as opposed to the current default mode wherein there is only a queen if all male alternatives have been eliminated.

As ever, the Lib-Dems are keen to show their right-on reforming credentials and deputy leader Simon Hughes wasted no time telling lobby journalists that “laws which discriminate against sex or religion have no place in a modern monarchy.” And just to ram the point home: Liberal Democrat MP Lorely Burt has tabled a Commons motion calling for an “end to these out-dated, sexist and anti-Catholic aspects of the constitution”.

But not everyone’s over the moon about papists and ‘gels’ getting into the top job. Tory MP for the Cities of London and Westminster Mark Field, advised “caution about rushing into significant constitutional change,” He added: “It would be absurd for the head of the Church of England to be a Roman Catholic.”

May we yet look forward in this green and pleasant land to a Royal family called ‘Murphy’ or ‘Moriarty' as opposed to 'Saxe-Coburg Gotha'?