Amidst the madness of Royal Wedding fever, an important development. The First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, has written to the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, asking him to scrap the law that bans Catholics from sitting on the throne or marrying a royal heir. The UK government wants to allow first born females to succeed, so if Kate and Wills have a daughter she could become Queen instead of her younger brother. But the 1701 Act of Settlement, which Alex Salmond believes is institutionalised sectarianism, remains in place. Salmond first raised this issue in his Andrew John Williamson Memorial Lecture at Stirling University in 1995, and on 16 December 1999 an SNP motion calling for the repeal of the discrimination in the Act of Settlement was passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament. Salmond has also raised the need for such reform with both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, during their terms as Prime Minister. He said yesterday: "It is absolutely right that the issue of primogeniture is being addressed at long last, and it is also important that the opportunity is taken to have a more wide ranging reform of the laws of succession, so that the equally indefensible discrimination in the 1701 Act of Settlement which bars a Catholic or anyone married to a Catholic from ascending to the throne is wiped from the statute book and finally consigned to history. Eighteenth century discrimination should have no place whatever in our 21st century society."
Constitutional matters are decided at Westminster, where the establishment continue to do nothing. It's time London woke up to the seriousness of this discrimination at the top of the British state. You can read the full story here in The Herald
The Treaty (or Act) of Union 1707
Information on above:
http://www.forscotland.com/actofu.html
Posted by: Gorgy Park | April 25, 2011 at 07:56 AM
Thanks for posting. I blogged on this here.
http://catholicteuchtar.blogspot.com/2010/01/kings-queens.html
Good to know the First Minister has the Act of Settlement in his sights. He is obviously planning ahead for independence. :-) The implications for an independent Scotland are quite...err well.
Posted by: CT | April 22, 2011 at 06:08 PM
Doug,
it was an oversight but your right, a republic is the only reasonable choice in the world post American revolution.
That's been a while now.
Posted by: Stevie | April 19, 2011 at 10:10 PM
For all those trying to get on to the Newsnet Scotland site you can by-pass the problem by clicking on a link to any page except the home page.
Try the one Stevie has put up below.
Posted by: Uilleam MacDiarmid | April 19, 2011 at 03:51 PM
In a modern Scottish context and while I support Alec Salmond's I credential initiative, let us simply establish a republic and bypass this heedrumhodrum. Preferably a genuine people upwards led socialist one in full diplomatic and democratic communion with the rest of the world.
Posted by: David MacGille-Mhuire | April 19, 2011 at 03:30 PM
Like Uilleam MacDiarmid I check this site and Newsnet daily but no Newsnet and have just tried again (19.04.11 at 11.40am) and still no sign of it.
Any know anything?
Posted by: CWH | April 19, 2011 at 11:43 AM
OFF TOPIC
Hi Joan, Newsnet just got put off line by a cyber attack at its server in Denmark.
Clearly the Brit nats don't like the fact it's getting big.
They need to move to a protected server and that's more expensive.
Do you know any big financial donors who can help a bit?
http://www.newsnetscotland.com/scottish-news/2168-denial-of-service-attack-on-newsnet-scotland-is-threat-to-media-freedom-of-speech-online.html
Posted by: Stevie | April 19, 2011 at 11:29 AM
Joan, I agree we need to come up to speed but I would rather concentrate on abolition of the monarchy.
Off topic: Can Alex Porter tell us what has happened to my first port of call, Newsnet Scotland followed in my case by Joan and then Peter Curran? Has the site been undone by Labour or the Establishment? It is all very fishy at a crucial time in the Election campaign.
Posted by: Uilleam MacDiarmid | April 19, 2011 at 10:43 AM
Stevie - amen to that (pardon the pun). Let's add the monarchy to your list too, which would be quicker than passing legislation to allow women and catholics on the throne.
Posted by: Doug Daniel | April 18, 2011 at 07:33 PM
Can't we just abolish religion and outlaw all the God nonsense.
Posted by: Stevie | April 18, 2011 at 06:02 PM
I have to say that this never bothered me - and I'm Catholic - as it's ultimately irrelevant. I'd rather see the time spent abolishing the monarchy than trying to let more people into it.
Posted by: Craig McGill | April 18, 2011 at 02:59 PM
Directly quited from the Claim of Right 1689 and still the applicable law in Scotland:
"That by the law of this Kingdome no papist can be King or Queen of this realme nor bear any office whatsomever therin nor can any protestant successor exercise the regall power untill he or she swear the Coronation Oath."
Posted by: Alasdair Stirling | April 18, 2011 at 02:33 PM
Joan,
As I have pointed out to you before, the Claim of Right 1689 (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/aosp/1689/28/contents) which is still very much part of the existing law of Scotland is a greater hurdle to equality of rights for Catholics than ever is the old English Act of Settlement. It is disingenuous to pretend otherwise.
Posted by: Alasdair Stirling | April 18, 2011 at 02:29 PM
Either Alex is being mischievous or is not informed as the 1701 Act of Settlement only applies to England.
The bar on Catholics inheriting the throne was written into Article two of the Treaty of Union so that it the ban on catholic monarchs applied in Scotland but as the Treaty of Union applies equally to England as it does to Scotland then it supersedes the 1701 Act of Settlement in England too.
To change the ban on catholics ascending to the Scottish and English thrones the Treaty of Union will have to be re-written.
Posted by: DougtheDug | April 18, 2011 at 12:50 PM