-Caveat Lector- http://www.sundayherald.com/29624
Sunday Herald - 01 December 2002 Backbench anger as Blair rules out repeal of anti-Catholic law By Douglas Fraser Political Editor Tony Blair has slammed the door on change to an anti-Catholic law he admits is 'plainly discriminatory', provoking one of his backbench Labour MPs to accuse the Prime Minister of breaking an election campaign promise. The premier has said there is no need to change the 301-year-old Act of Settlement, which bans anyone in line to the throne from marrying a member of the Roman Catholic church. But bizarrely, he has done so on the grounds that there is no need to allow Catholics into the royal family because there are currently no Catholics in it. And he claimed it would be too difficult if it turns out that other Commonwealth countries, which have the Queen as head of state, are asked to agree. Blair's response to demands for the repeal of the discriminatory Act was that constitutional legislation should only be altered if there is 'a clear and pressing need for it'. He added: 'There are 20 members of the royal family in the line of succession after the Prince of Wales, all of whom are eligible to succeed and have been unaffected by the Act of Settlement. The Act therefore has no discriminatory impact today.' Blair regularly attends Catholic Mass with his children and wife, Cherie, who is a Catholic. He said on the campaign trail last year that the law is 'plainly discriminatory' and that he would be 'very prepared to have a look at it' if Labour were re-elected. The Hull North MP Kevin McNamara, who has campaigned at Westminster on the issue, wrote to Blair in August saying that his comments were 'an undertaking many people widely welcomed at face value as a specific commitment'. The Labour MP dismissed claims by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, that amending the Act would be complex, requiring the repeal of other acts and extensive consultation with other Commonwealth countries. He told the prime minister two simple clauses would suffice, and take minimal parliamentary time. But in a reply to McNamara, written nearly three months later, on November 11, and seen by the Sunday Herald, the Prime Minister indicated the problem with repeal of the Act of Settlement is that it would strike at the established status of the Church of England, of which the monarch is supreme governor. He talked of 'difficulties and complexities in making changes which could not be considered in isolation', but defended his government for standing against 'discrimination in all its forms, including discrimination against Roman Catholics'. He also sought to explain his election campaign comments as 'simply reiterating the point that we do not rule out change in the future, but we have a heavy legislative programme and have no immediate plans to legislate in this area'. McNamara has pledged to continue his campaign with a 10-minute rule bill in the new Commons session, and a possible private member's bill later this parliament. 'I have a reputation for being tenacious,' he pointed out. There was disappointment at the Prime Minister's blocking move from a spokesman for Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, England's most senior Catholic. 'It is clearly discriminatory and clearly out of tune with the times,' he said. A spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland said: 'There is now almost universal agreement that the Act of Settlement is offensive and discriminatory against a sizeable proportion of the population of this country. Given the current government's track record of slaying the dragons of discrimination wherever they raise their ugly heads, it is all the more surprising that they seem so reluctant to take on this bigoted relic of a bygone age. 'Many Scots Catholics, and indeed, people of other faiths will be disappointed, and somewhat perplexed by the Prime Minister's arguments,' he added. He disputed the idea that the repeal would be controversial in Commonwealth parliaments or with fair-minded and tolerant people. Copyright © 2002 smg sunday newspapers ltd. no.176088 Back to previous page <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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