If the Act of Settlement is to be modified at the next CHOGM meeting in the next few weeks, the changes are likely to be slight and fair-minded. They would change the rules for succession to the British monarchy to be more in tune with today’s liberal values. The prohibition on Roman Catholics would most likely be lifted and perhaps the sexism might even be removed. I don’t know, its only a guess.
The big thing is not so much the content of the changes, if there are any, it would be more that the Act of Settlement can be changed at all. It could start off a process for gradual improvements to the Act of Settlement and a series of modifications depending on the situation of the monarchy and who is sitting on the throne at the time. An unpopular monarch over the next few decades may see a series of changes to the Act of Settlement being proposed, perhaps even some kind of an elected run off between a few contenders. It will be interesting to watch.
Anyway by way of illustration, this change to the rules for succession may be little more that a slight nudge, but it may just tip the whole monument off balance. If it does lose equilibrium it might have some way to roll, just as if one of the Devil’s Marbles happened to crack loose.
The Devil's Marbles poised in equilibrium
via Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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