royal succession

**Peter Crowe** · 28th October 11, 02:06 PM

This was being discussed earlier on

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...7/#post1030390

In any event, without being political I would say I too welcome these developments.

**madmacs** · 28th October 11, 06:10 PM

One has to wonder how much of the decision was the Queen's and how much was the rest of the commonwealth's... The country will never be the same again...

**JSFMACLJR** · 28th October 11, 06:45 PM

Originally Posted by madmacs

One has to wonder how much of the decision was the Queen's and how much was the rest of the commonwealth's... The country will never be the same again...

Does it matter whose decision it was?

**Peter Crowe** · 28th October 11, 08:22 PM

Originally Posted by madmacs

One has to wonder how much of the decision was the Queen's and how much was the rest of the commonwealth's... The country will never be the same again...

To be honest when this was first raised as a Private Bill in the House of Lords by Lord Archer (about 20 years ago), the Queen was asked for her permission that such a Bill be tabled, and she graciously assented.

As to never being the same again, Britain has never remained the same. The Constitution of the United Kingdom (the sovereignty of the Crown in Parliament) has meant that the country has always been changing, and continues to change by piecemeal political and constitution reform. Great Britain as a legal entity is only 304 years old (with the Treaty and Acts of Union between Scotland and England). The United Kingdom a mere 210 years old (Union between Great Britain and Ireland) subsequently modified 90 years ago with the independence of the then Irish Free State. From 1832 when the upper middle classes in towns and cities were admitted to the franchise until 1969 when all adults over 18 got the vote, there has been a process of continual but gradual extension of voting rights. Reforms have continued down to the present with devolution to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the abolition of voting rights for hereditary peers, and the establishment of the UK Supreme Court to replace the judicial role of the House of Lords.

The Commonwealth Realms have Independent Crowns (of the United Kingdom and each other) and had to be consulted because this change could only proceed on the basis of their unanimous agreement.

In my view (and purely from a Scottish and/or UK perspective) this is just another step in the British polity's evolution from the Revolution settlement(s)1688/90.