Conference tallis::celt

    
    I believe that since 1688, the monarch and consort must be a 
    Protestant. As the monarch is also head of the Church of England,
    that is understandable, however why the same should apply to the
    consort is less explicable.
    
    In the 17th century two Stuart consorts were Catholic - the queens of
    Charles I (Henrietta Maria of France) and Charles II (Catherine
    of Portugal), as well as King James II and his wife (Marie of Modena).
    Since there was concern that the King (particularly Charles I,
    who lost his head) were influenced in each case by his queen,
    who would in turn influence the children, the victorious party
    in the 1688 Revolution decided to make a clean sweep. They
    probably reckoned that the Stuarts were too tainted by
    Catholicism (even Charles II turned Catholic on his deathbed).
    
    They were probably right about the Stuarts - the last Stuart to 
    have a claim on the British throne was a Catholic cardinal. He had 
    no offspring and willed his claim back to George IV.
    
    When actress Nell Gwyn (Charles II's mistress) was attacked by 
    a mob who though she was Charles' French mistress (he wasn't 
    called the Merrie Monarch for nothing), she cried in her defence 
    "My friends, I am the Protestant whore!" It worked.
    
    These things were important then, but by now have outlived their
    utility.
    
    Toby
    
    Toby

    re: .0
    
    Imagine: in the 1990s, sectarian, religious discrimination being
    a matter of offical state policy in (get this!) "one of the older
    democracies in the world."  
    
    Of course, they just love pretending to the rest of the world that
    they're in Ireland getting rid of discrimination in housing, education,
    and jobs for the Irish Nationalist minority.
    
    YEAH, *RIGHT*

    re.-1
    Didn't think it would be long before you found this one.
    
		Brian.

    
    re: .3
    
    Well, why don't you explain to us all Brian how in 1992,
    your big, *brave*, British government can, as a matter of
    official policy, flaunt such blatant religious discrimination,
    yet, continue to pretend to the world that it's a *bastion* 
    of fairness, equality, and proactive anti-discriminatory policy
    in NI.
    
    Yo, and while yer at it: can you really tell us if it's
    true that Prince *Dumbo-ears* Chucky-Cheese, who married his
    cousin (strands of "Dueling Banjos" in the background),
    is really going to get (oh shock!) a divorce?
    
    Enquiring minds want to know...

    Prince dumbo ears chucky cheese
    
    Come on Drotter you are a grown man, start acting like one.
    
    As I have said before - I don't agree with British Govt. policy on
    Northern Ireland and as for the royals I couldn't give a toss what they
    are up to, who they are married to, who they are divorcing, who's
    taking their kids to school or who is sha*ting the queens corgis.
    
    It amazes me Drotter, no matter what the topic you always find some way
    of getting in and doing a bit of mindless Brit-bashing.  Could you
    possibly relieve the boredom and start being a bit objective and
    constructive in your entries ???? (I don't expect so)
    
    		Brian.
    
    (Chairman, Reading Branch Trans-Atlantic Good Relations commitee)

    re: .5
    
    Au contraire, mon overly senstive Brit friend:
    
    royal-bashing, yes, but but Brit bashing, never.
    

    
I suppose the next time the post of "Royal Consort" falls vacant, we will 
want to have many applicants from Ireland, to help solve our unemployment
problem. Under EC law, we could make it happen!

There is a requirement that the Pope should be a male Catholic, I 
guess that is discrimination too.

An old joke says "Don't believe that the Catholic Church has changed
until a pregnant unwed black woman becomes Pope." A similar
joke for Britain would be "Don't believe that Britain has changed
until a Falls Road Republican Catholic becomes Royal Consort."

It's hardly worth arguing about.

Toby

    

    
    
    	I must admit the "protestants only need apply" tag always 
    	makes me feel like a second class citizen. Being born 
    	a Scottish Catholic it makes me wonder sometimes just what 
    	kind of country we are living in when such an outdated and 
    	bigoted rule still applies.  Is it any wonder that no solution 
    	to the religious differences have been found when the people
    	at the top of the tree have no interest in changing them. 
    	What hope therefore, do the rest of us have?
    
    
    		Kevin

    re: .8
    
    Are they still doing that crap over there?
    
    I can recall seeing the "Help Wanted" section of the Belfast Telegraph
    as late as the mid 70's, with tiny little writing at the bottom of job
    ads. Instead of saying "Equal Opportunity Employer", it had the
    following:
    
                         "RC Need Not Apply."
    
    Then again, what could you expect in a failed statelet, spawned from
    a government that fosters religious discrimination as official
    policy.
    
    

    Toby, the newscaster said specifically that Price Charles could
    not be heir to the throne if he married a Catholic.  He didn't 
    say that the consort must be a Protestant.  This semantic issue
    intrigued my curiousity.  Does the royal law specifically exclude
    a Catholic consort or specify a Protestant one?
    
    Since church and state in England are not obviously divided as
    such in the United States, whether or not the consort requirement
    is discriminatory is debatable.
    

    
    Re: .10
    
    To be quite honest, I am not sure, but given that the law in
    question traces back to the 1690s, and is intended specifically
    to exclude a Catholic from the throne, it probably bars
    a Protestant monarch if married to a Catholic consort. 
    
    That fits Charles I and II, after all. Since a royal marriage
    often implied (in those days) a political alliance, this
    ensured that British foreign policy would always be a "Protestant"
    one. 
    
    Toby