Tony Blair converts to catholicism

[The Vagabond]

Originally posted by Cort Haus


Except it is bull****. There is no requirement for the PM to be Church of England.

This is questionable. It is the PM who gives recommendations to the Queen in what the appointment of archbishops of the Anglican Church is concerned. On the other hand, the 1829 Emancipation Act forbids Catholics from holding the posts of top advisers to the Monarch.

[The Vagabond]

Besides, it's a fact that the church is not separated from the state in England. And this can hardly be viewed as a democratic practice.

[The Vagabond]

Originally posted by Heraclitus


Good point, imagine the mocking remarks if a Russian politician converted to Catholicism just a few months after leaving office.

Exactly.

[Winston]

Originally posted by The Vagabond
Besides, it's a fact that the church is not separated from the state in England. And this can hardly be viewed as a democratic practice.

Right. Except in the case of a majority of voters agreeing to said practice, of course.

[Sandman]

It's not that, it's just that nobody cares.

[The Vagabond]

Originally posted by Winston


Right. Except in the case of a majority of voters agreeing to said practice, of course.

A majority agreeing to it is not enough for it to be democratic.

[Winston]

Be fair now. We can't all be Soviets.

[The Vagabond]

[Heraclitus]

He probably means the direct democracy of the early soviets.

[Imran Siddiqui]

No, I think it was Winston's way of a putting in a cheap jab at the Soviet Union, where it didn't matter what the majority wanted.

[Heraclitus]

That's disappointing and much less intellectually fulfilling.

[Winston]

But.. but.. it's the best I can do.

Imran Siddiqui is right. I'm surprised that it didn't catch on to everybody's radar.

Complaining about a certain practice being undemocratic kind of requires that there be at least some level of popular opposition to it.

And claiming that a majority agreeing on upholding a practice (or, as in this case, not agreeing on abandoning it) would fall short of being democratic, indicates a rather um, alternative understanding of what makes a democracy. Kind of like the one the Soviet rulers had, back in their pre-ash heap days.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Well, democratic in this day and age usually refers to liberal democratic values, where things such as free speech are upheld, even if the majority wants to squash certain kinds of speech (and yes, I realize free speech jurisprudence is very different on both sides of the 'pond').

[Dr Strangelove]

Is the 1829 Emancipation Act still in force?

Why is Blair so likely to be elected President of the EU? If the EU wants to join the "Coalition of the Willing" they don't need him, they can go ahead and sign up now.

When is the EU getting a President? I thought the EU Constitution got shot down?

[*End Is Forever*]

It is rather ironic that despite the constitutional arrangements Britain is comparatively secular in practice, and yet in the United States with clearly defined separation of powers politicians can't go three sentences without having to say "God bless America".