Chalenge: Separate Britains church and state.

Challenge: Separate Britains church and state.

How could the United Kingdom conceivably end up an officially secular nation? Bonus point's for keeping the monarchy, and generally keeping the way the government works as close as possible.
 
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Or to go the other way, No break with Rome (Henry VIII has a son with Catherine of Aragon who survives to adulthood), but the Reformation is still going on in England. Eventually the population becomes Protestant enough that Religious Tolerance occurs, but without the creation of any Church of England there is no official Church.
 
Prince Charles comes to the throne and announces he is 'defender of all faiths', officially severing the monarchy from the Church of England.
 
Prince Charles comes to the throne and announces he is 'defender of all faiths', officially severing the monarchy from the Church of England.

Why would doing that sever the church from the state? If he's the 'Defender of all faiths' dosen't that imply that he would defend the Church?
 

Thande

Donor
Abolish the monarchy. That's it, really.

Not at all, it's far easier to keep the monarchy and disestablish the Church than it is to get rid of the monarchy. May I remind you that the Church has already been disestablished in Wales while the monarchy remains?

Why would doing that sever the church from the state? If he's the 'Defender of all faiths' dosen't that imply that he would defend the Church?

No, it implies he would 'defend faith' in general, not a specific Church. There have been rumours that he'll do this but I think they're made up myself.

Also, I think this thread is just an excuse for everyone to use the word 'antidisestablishmentarianism' in context for once :p
 

Thande

Donor
I thought that word only referred to the Irish situation?

Have a nice day.
-MRegent

No, it was also used by Dissenters in England (and, I assume, Scotland) who were discriminated against just as Catholics were.
 
I remember searching the forums and finding a one-shot mini-TL by EdT in the form of an obituary article for Maurice Cowling where he became the Archbishop of Canterbury, is an ally of Thatcher which means that the left despise him and Kinnock is forced to disestablish the Church because of the many political interventions.

It can be found here and I thought it was very good.
 
Also, I think this thread is just an excuse for everyone to use the word 'antidisestablishmentarianism' in context for once :p

Sigged!

I personally believe that the Church should be disestablished, but that's from an American/Classical Liberal perspective.
 
- A series of gaffes makes Kinnock do significantly worse in the 1987 general election than he did in OTL.

- Tony Benn successfully challenges him in 1988 and becomes Labour leader.

- Thatcher decides not to implement the Poll Tax (it took a lot of convincing to get her to agree to it in OTL).

- Neither Hesseltine nor anyone else challenges Thatcher for the Tory leadership in 1990.

- In 1991, Thatcher changes her mind and implements the Poll Tax across the whole of the UK.

- In May 1992, Benn defeats Thatcher in a landslide and Labour gets a big majority.

- Benn leads Britain out of the EU (no referendum was needed for Heath to take us in, so why would we need one to get out) and since the UK is no longer trying to stay in the ERM, Black Wednesday never happens.

- In 1996, Benn is re-elected.

- In 1997, Princess Diana dies. Benn tells the Queen to stay in Balmoral and not to display any public sympathy.

- Support for the monarchy dramatically falls.

- Prime Minister Tony Benn uses this opportunity to abolish the monarchy and seperate Church and State.
 
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- A series of gaffes makes Kinnock do significantly worse in the 1987 general election than he did in OTL.

- Tony Benn successfully challenges him in 1988 and becomes Labour leader.

- Thatcher decides not to implement the Poll Tax (it took a lot of convincing to get her to agree to it in OTL).

- Neither Hesseltine nor anyone else challenges Thatcher for the Tory leadership in 1990.

- In 1991, Thatcher changes her mind and implements the Poll Tax across the whole of the UK.

- In May 1992, Benn defeats Thatcher in a landslide and Labour gets a big majority.

- Prime Minister Tony Benn abolishes the monarchy and seperates Church and State.

The thing about the Poll Tax is that people weren't all that against it until it was done, Thatcher's thing for having elections every four years means that the Poll Tax is done either right before the election, so no that much impact can be made, or right after in which Benn is already dropped from the leadership by a strong modernising resistance which then implements New Labour early.
 
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