I realise that, at the moment, constitutionally a Roman Catholic cannot be Monarch. Does this apply to the post of Prime Minister also?
2006-12-22 00:11:41 · 20 answers · asked by Sting 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Government
I will give you one guess what Religion (Slimy) Tony Blair practises.
Hint the letters R and C
2006-12-22 00:14:10 · answer #1 · answered by ♣ My Brainhurts ♣ 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Roman Catholics in Britain and Ireland received the franchise in c1830s following the safe passage of a Bill in the House of Commons to extend voting rights to Catholics. The Bill of Catholic Emancipation was put into parliament by the Duke of Wellington when he was prime minister - the bill was passed but it cost him his premiership.
A Catholic can most certainly become prime minister. It really depends upon the mass electorate of Great Britain and especially of England who are for the most part classified as CofE or just plain Protestant.
A Catholic may not sit upon the throne of England and the monarch may not marry a Catholic. This will not change, the people of England would not allow it.
There are an estimated 2 million Catholics in UK.
2006-12-23 00:49:08 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
There is nothing to stop a Catholic becoming Prime Minister.
However, Tony Blair is not a Catholic. His wife and children are Catholic, but he is Church Of England.
There has never been a Catholic Prime Minister of the UK.
Disraeli was born Jewish, but converted to the Church of England at an early age.
2006-12-22 08:22:54 · answer #3 · answered by mcfifi 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's debatable at the moment.
The Catholic Emancipation Bill allowed Catholics a lot of freedoms but being Primeminister was not one of them.
"Catholics were eligible for all public offices except those of Lord Chancellor, Monarch, Regent, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and any judicial appointment in any ecclesiastical court"
As far as I know this is still the case, but now we legislation that prevents religious discrimination so I supose there would need to be a test case to see which took prority.
Tony Blair is not a catholic, although his wife and children are.
2006-12-25 08:20:03 · answer #4 · answered by sashs.geo 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In theory yes. However, one of the Prime Minister's jobs is to put forward to the monarch names for appointment as Anglican bishops. Anthony Eden had been a Catholic, but he had lapsed, got divorced and remarried by the time he bacame PM.
2006-12-22 08:19:47 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, there is nothing to prevent a Roman Catholic from being a PM. In fact, although not 'officially' a Catholic, many consider that the current PM, Tony Blair, is Catholic
2006-12-22 08:15:17 · answer #6 · answered by Cracker 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Why not we have had several Jewish prime ministers, if a Roman Catholic were refused office he would quite rightly claim religious discrimination and would win hands down
2006-12-22 08:27:05 · answer #7 · answered by Redmonk 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Pope John Paul the movie 2
starring:
Patrick Stewart
2006-12-22 08:13:26 · answer #8 · answered by crazysalted 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tony Blair is Catholic.
The ultimate decisions are made by the Queen, who is head of the Anglican Church (by Law, not title)
The reigning Monarch could over-rule any decision made in Parliament, whether it be religious or political.
2006-12-22 08:17:58 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
NO, never. The constitution forbids it.
However there is a long tradition - since the reformation- of toffs who perform their superstitious catholic nonsense in secret.
It has long been suspected that our current Prime Minister falls into this category.
2006-12-22 08:24:54 · answer #10 · answered by Not Ecky Boy 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yep the English PM can be a Roman catholic or even be Muslim, Jewish or even of the Klingon faith. The only realistic condition is he/she should be a citizen of the UK.
2006-12-22 08:30:08 · answer #11 · answered by svengali 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋