Archbishop Cranmer

BBC censors Sikh history in case it offends Muslims

October 6, 2019
Archbishop Cranmer
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Lord (Indarjit) Singh has been almost as permanent a fixture on BBC Radio 4's 'Thought for the Day' as the Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines. The BBC likes a certain sort of thought for the day, delivered by a certain…

Abortion in Northern Ireland: the disabled speak out

October 2, 2019
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On 10th July 2019, the UK Parliament voted in favour of an amendment to the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill which would liberalise abortion legalisation in Northern Ireland. The Act,…

Bishops urge Boris to get on and deliver Brexit

September 27, 2019
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It has been a while in coming: the Bishops and Archbishops of the Church of England have to-and-froed on the Referendum result, and blown hot-and-cold on Brexit, and wax-and-waned on…

Lawfare — politics is now waged through the Courts

September 25, 2019
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There is one enduring feature of all functional democracies – that of balance. Over-mighty monarchs, barons, presidents or workers' councils do not make for happy societies. If the definition of…

prorogation queens order constitutional monarchy

The United Kingdom is no longer a Constitutional Monarchy

September 24, 2019
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The unanimous judgment in the Supreme Court that Parliament is not and never has been prorogued, and that the advice of the Prime Minister to the Queen was "unlawful, void…

Ely Cathedral holds a special service to bless and celebrate animals

September 23, 2019
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Did any cathedral or parish church hold a service to celebrate animals before the Vicar of Dibley did so on 15th December 1994? The Rev'd Geraldine Granger was visited by…

Welby in Amritsar — damned if he does; damned if he doesn’t

September 15, 2019
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The Archbishop of Canterbury visited the site of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in the Punjabi city of Amritsar. He didn't merely visit it, he prostrated himself very publicly before…

parliament prorogued protest executive legislature

The Legislature has become the Executive, and there is no mechanism to call them to account

September 13, 2019
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Now that the Yellowhammer document has been placed in the public domain, one understands why there might reasonably have been a reluctance to do so by any responsible government at…

Operation Yellowhammer: political advantage trumps right to privacy

September 10, 2019
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The end of prolonged conflicts can be both brutal and swift. The American Civil War ended with Sherman’s brutal 'March to the Sea' and the First World War ended with…

Man plans and God laughs: resist all you want; Brexit will happen

September 8, 2019
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Church of England Bishops in the House of Lords voted against the Government and in favour of Hilary Benn's Bill to force Boris Johnson to beg Brussels for another extension…

Welby to Remainers: “stop whingeing.. the majority voted Leave.. that is democracy”

September 2, 2019
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Following the open letter on Brexit (doom and gloom) signed by 60% of Diocesan Bishops, the Archbishop of Canterbury has called for Remainers (including Bishops) to "stop whingeing", accept the…

Brexit: open letter reveals Bishops split 60:40 on Government’s approach

August 29, 2019
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The open letter on Brexit published yesterday by a group of Diocesan Bishops is interesting on a number of levels, not least of which is the fact that it is…

Brexit Citizens’ Assembly – Welby plays a blinder (all shall be well)

August 28, 2019
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When the Times revealed on Monday that the Archbishop of Canterbury was "in talks" to chair a 'Citizens' Assembly' in order to avert a 'no deal' Brexit (that is, a…

Nobody knows Nobody’s Friends

August 26, 2019
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People of a certain age might remember that the motorcycle patrolmen of the Automobile Association was once a common sight on British roads. Members sported badges on the fronts of…

Boris, feet, table… Do not judge by appearances

August 23, 2019
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A photograph of Boris Johnson putting his feet on a table in the Elysée Palace has circled the world. How crass, boorish, discourteous and bullish, they all cried. Thing is...…

Boris Johnson theses backstop letter tusk

Boris Johnson nails his Brexit Theses to the door of Brussels Cathedral

August 20, 2019
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As we countdown to 31st October, the date upon which the UK is set to leave the European Union; the day which happens to be by happy coincidence (if not…

Clergy sexual abuse: why can’t the Church cleanse its own temple?

August 18, 2019
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"The gross evil of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy would have gone unexposed had it not been for three principal agencies, all secular." That's the damning opening sentence of…

Sovereignty: why is it good for Kashmir and Hong Kong, but bad for the UK?

August 12, 2019
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News from Hong Kong and Kashmir has continued to dominate the news, and then the Labour Shadow Chancellor and Deputy Leader John McDonnell sowed a degree of discontent in the…

Brexit Derangement Syndrome: the contagion reaches the Bishops

August 7, 2019
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Every profession seems to have been infected, and within each there is notable carrier who is especially unwell. Brexit Derangement Syndrome is spreading like the Plague of Justinian, and there…

“Shabby and shambolic” – the CofE still conspires against truth and justice in historic sexual abuse

August 2, 2019
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Anyone wishing the Church of England well might have hoped that the end of the IICSA hearing last month represented the nadir of its unhappy handling of victims complaints. Despite…