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Thursday, September 25, 2008
That Will Make Things Interesting
Wandering away from sports and politics (US politics, that is) for a moment, we have this little tidbit from the UK. And by "this little tidbit" I mean "let's just disregard over a thousand years of tradition, 450 years of practice, and 300 years of law."
I don't really care about the order of succession. It's not like their my monarch or anything. I do find it interesting that they're dumping a millennia of tradition (that worked, for the most part... with exceptions, of course) because it's not "fair." Life isn't fair, folks, and I don't really see why it matters if Lady Louise is number 8 or 9 on the list or whether she is ahead or behind her baby brother. If you're lower than #3, who cares? (Yeah... Olivia Fischetti is honored to be on the list, I'm sure... I wonder if she even knows that, if 1471 other people die, she's Queen.)
As for Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, I thought it was fairly ceremonial these days, anyway. See what I know...
The one thing that sticks out to me in all of this is the "Catholics and those married to Catholics would no longer be excluded from the throne." If you're unfamiliar with the British throne, one of the monarch's titles is "Supreme Governor of the Church of England." How is that going to work? Are all of the Anglican (Episcopalian... whoever) faithful going to be ok with a Catholic being the titular head of their church? I kind of doubt it... the Brits are funny that way.
What are they going to do next? Outlaw fish and chips?
The 300-year-old rule excluding Catholics from the throne is set to be abolished under plans drawn up by Downing Street.Henry must be spinning in his grave right now.
The reforms would also put an end to the automatic male succession - so if Prince William's eldest child turned out to be a girl she would be his heir... It would also limit the power of the Privy Council.
I don't really care about the order of succession. It's not like their my monarch or anything. I do find it interesting that they're dumping a millennia of tradition (that worked, for the most part... with exceptions, of course) because it's not "fair." Life isn't fair, folks, and I don't really see why it matters if Lady Louise is number 8 or 9 on the list or whether she is ahead or behind her baby brother. If you're lower than #3, who cares? (Yeah... Olivia Fischetti is honored to be on the list, I'm sure... I wonder if she even knows that, if 1471 other people die, she's Queen.)
As for Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, I thought it was fairly ceremonial these days, anyway. See what I know...
The one thing that sticks out to me in all of this is the "Catholics and those married to Catholics would no longer be excluded from the throne." If you're unfamiliar with the British throne, one of the monarch's titles is "Supreme Governor of the Church of England." How is that going to work? Are all of the Anglican (Episcopalian... whoever) faithful going to be ok with a Catholic being the titular head of their church? I kind of doubt it... the Brits are funny that way.
What are they going to do next? Outlaw fish and chips?
