Much of the formal structure of the UK state remains locked in the geopolitics of the late 17th century. The sovereign has to be a Christian monarch in communion with the Church of England, swearing oaths to support that Church and the Church of Scotland. No-one may succeed to the throne who is either a Roman Catholic or married to one. Whereas in Scotland the established Church is held distinct from the state, the Church of England remains controlled by parliament where twenty-six Anglican bishops sit as of right in the House of Lords – a privilege unknown in any other sovereign legislature.

This book argues that, in an increasingly pluralized society, the gap between form and reality has become unacceptably stretched. Disregarding facile arguments about disestablishment, the book analyses the present position afresh and examines what are the options for change, including to the religious character of the monarchy.

'...an excellent guide.' - Theo Hobson, The Tablet
 
'This is a cautious and careful academic exploration of the issues posed by establishment and of the spectrum of ways in which these issues might be treated, and establishment to this or that extent amended...This book is important reading for those who want to do some forward thinking on these issues' - The Church Times

Introduction: Mapping the Issues; R.M.Morris
PART I: ESTABLISHMENT IN GREAT BRITAIN NOW
Establishment in England: Main Developments since 1800; R.M.Morris
Monarchy and Legislature; R.M.Morris
Executive, Judiciary and the Legatine Powers; R.M.Morris
Financing Establishment in England; R.M.Morris
Establishment in Scotland; R.M.Morris
Recent Developments in Church-State Relations in Scotland; M.MacLean, F.Cranmer & S.Peterson
PART II: DISESTABLISHMENTS
Ireland and Wales; J.Lucas & R.M.Morris
Church/State Relations in Scandinavia; F.Cranmer
PART III: POLICY ANALYSIS
The Condition of Modern Belief; R.M.Morris
Establishment: The State of Opinion; R.M.Morris
PART IV: ESTABLISHMENT FUTURES
The Higher Architecture; R.M.Morris
The Political Representation of Religion; R.M.Morris
Towards a New Balance; R.M.Morris

R.M. MORRIS is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Constitution Unit at University College London, UK. When a civil servant in the Home Office, he was Private Secretary to Home Secretaries and head of several departments, including the one that dealt with the Home Secretary's former constitutional responsibilities.