diff --git a/Assistant/Alert/Utility.hs b/Assistant/Alert/Utility.hs
index db2ea19250..73843be4cf 100644
--- a/Assistant/Alert/Utility.hs
+++ b/Assistant/Alert/Utility.hs
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import Utility.Tense
 import qualified Data.Text as T
 import Data.Text (Text)
 import qualified Data.Map as M
+import Data.Monoid
 
 {- This is as many alerts as it makes sense to display at a time.
  - A display might be smaller, or larger, the point is to not overwhelm the
@@ -43,8 +44,8 @@ compareAlertPairs
 	(aid, Alert { alertClass = aclass, alertPriority = aprio })
 	(bid, Alert { alertClass = bclass, alertPriority = bprio })
 	 = compare aprio bprio
-		`thenOrd` compare aid bid
-			`thenOrd` compare aclass bclass
+		`mappend` compare aid bid
+			`mappend` compare aclass bclass
 
 sortAlertPairs :: [AlertPair] -> [AlertPair]
 sortAlertPairs = sortBy compareAlertPairs
diff --git a/Utility/Misc.hs b/Utility/Misc.hs
index 20007adad0..9c19df833a 100644
--- a/Utility/Misc.hs
+++ b/Utility/Misc.hs
@@ -109,18 +109,6 @@ massReplace vs = go [] vs
 			go (replacement:acc) vs (drop (length val) s)
 		| otherwise = go acc rest s
 
-{- Given two orderings, returns the second if the first is EQ and returns
- - the first otherwise.
- -
- - Example use:
- -
- - compare lname1 lname2 `thenOrd` compare fname1 fname2
- -}
-thenOrd :: Ordering -> Ordering -> Ordering
-thenOrd EQ x = x
-thenOrd x _ = x
-{-# INLINE thenOrd #-}
-
 {- Wrapper around hGetBufSome that returns a String.
  -
  - The null string is returned on eof, otherwise returns whatever