Equal rights to succession

Press, 19 April 1982, Page 20

Equal rights to succession

Sir,-If Ruth Richardson and Marilyn Waring cannot . vote for ' equal rights for women to succeed to the Throne how much use are they -to the feminist' movement? More important, how can they live with their own principles? What, if anything, can they now stand for? I believe in having people working for change both inside and outside the system, but never at the cost of denying your fundamental beliefs. When individuals are suppressed by the party machine humanity loses. Shame on the National Party. — Yours, etc., ALAN WILKINSON, Leader, N.Z. Values Partv. April 16, 1982,.

[Ruth Richardson. M.P., replies: “A legislator has two responsibilities: to consider the substance of a reform; and to devise the best method of implementing that reform, Social Credit's succession bill was a good, but incomplete, attempt to remove discrimination from succession to the Throne.' I support the removal of sexist discrimination; but the bill confined its reform to future generations of Royalty and ignored the claim of ‘existing

Royal females. The bill failed to eliminate religious discrimi-. nation, which is just as odious as sexist discrimination.. Had the bill become law, it would have had no effect at all. Changes to the. Monarchy require the support and consent of all Commonwealth countries. Such reform is best initiated at a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. I shall promote that initiative in preference to supporting an empty political gesture."]