FAIL Britannia

[citizen k]

... it is going to be a hell of a long time before it makes a difference.

Unless William and Kate have a daughter that has no problem poisoning her way to the top. Like a little English Nero.

[Drakken]

Interesting that Cameron got all the other interested countries to back him in this cheap bid for popularity 

It was going to be done anyway, better do it now when no one is giving a fuck than when a daughter's born.

Frankly I don't see any reason for any nation of the Commonwealth to look like a bunch of sexist yahoos in front of the whole world by refusing cognatic primogeniture.

[Valmy]

Not really.
It was already pretty much taken for granted that this would be the case should William's first kid be a girl. Would have been so for decades (assuming a high ranked heir could have been born in the last few decades). The Tories have jumped the gun here to score points though. Cheaply trying to show their nice side.

Ah partisan idiocy at its best.  Even when the other side does something you approve of you still find some insane reason to rip them for it.

[Josquius]

Ah partisan idiocy at its best.  Even when the other side does something you approve of you still find some insane reason to rip them for it.

Only mildly. I still approve of the move but nonetheless it stands out to me as a tory attempt to make themselves look nice. Given that the conservative angle on this issue would probally be supported by a single figures percentage of the population at most they might as well take this one, particularly given the Kate and William are in vogue lately.

I don't think that's it Tyr.  British governments have been thinking about this since the 50s and I think the talks with the Commonwealth and Palace have been going on for 5 years as to what sort of things should be in the law.  This isn't the sort of thing the Tories could just do because they wanted to look good, it's been in the works under three PMs and was first discussed when Eden was around.

The issue has never really been there. Charles was born a boy, which is lucky as I'm very doubtful indeed that such a move would have passed before the 70s. And even in the 70s iit could well have been controversial until the end of the decade.
William was born a boy too. In the 80s...well I could certainly see the conservative side putting up a bit of a moan but the change would probally still be made.
In the 90s and 00s....if a highly ranked girl heir had been born in those years (William gets married stupidly early or somesuch) I don't think that there would have been any doubt that this change would have been made.
Equally too with the marrying a catholic thing. If Kate had been Catholic I don't think there would have been any issue with doing a bit of constitutional jiggery pokery to let it be so.
Its just the way with so much of the British system, even a lot of what is written isn't held to as absolute law.

[Razgovory]

Actually, I kind of like the Tories.

[jimmy olsen]

Ah partisan idiocy at its best.  Even when the other side does something you approve of you still find some insane reason to rip them for it.

Only mildly. I still approve of the move but nonetheless it stands out to me as a tory attempt to make themselves look nice. Given that the conservative angle on this issue would probally be supported by a single figures percentage of the population at most they might as well take this one, particularly given the Kate and William are in vogue lately.

You have no evidence to believe that the Conservatives secretly believe in Salic law and are gnashing their teeth over having to make this change as a sop to the masses.

[Sheilbh]

You have no evidence to believe that the Conservatives secretly believe in Salic law and are gnashing their teeth over having to make this change as a sop to the masses.

I think 'conservative angle' meant just that, the conservative not-changing-shit angle.  Not party politics, that's why it's not capitalised.

Actually, I kind of like the Tories.

Why?

[Razgovory]

Your Tories are closer to our Democrats.

[Ideologue]

The only thing I know about the Tories is that they are the right in the United Kingdom.  This seems like a good enough reason to dislike them, even though they're probably normal, responsible citizens by American standards.

As for other British political parties, I would like the SNP, if they were taken out to Culloden Moor and shot.  They'd have instructive value.

[Barrister]

Actually, I kind of like the Tories.

Why?

Because they are the party of Churchill, of Disraeli, of Pitt the Younger, of Edmund Burke, and yes of Maggie Thatcher. 

[Richard Hakluyt]

I find it rather disturbing that people can get so excited about the difference between the Tories and Labour, one would need a microscope to detect it nowadays 

[jimmy olsen]

I find it rather disturbing that people can get so excited about the difference between the Tories and Labour, one would need a microscope to detect it nowadays 

Tribal loyalties are an amazing thing.

[Ed Anger]

Whoever pledges to toss Josq and his dog into an abandoned coal mine earns my internet loyalty.

[Capetan Mihali]

Tribal loyalties

[Zoupa]

Actually, I kind of like the Tories.

Why?

Because they are the party of Maggie Thatcher. 

What's so cool about Thatcher?