By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter I think that priests in the Church of which I'm a member are going a bit far in comparing David Cameron to Henry VIII. That sort of language is better confined to the wilder spirits on ConservativeHome threads. But their Daily Telegraph letter today reminded me of a question […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter In my Times column (£) I offer eight pieces of New Year advice to David Cameron: Offer an In/Out referendum in your January speech on the EU. Nothing else will quite restore goodwill amongst traditional supporters in the country and press. In today's Sun, Trevor Kavanagh agrees. Communicate regret […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter The Telegraph describes David Cameron's Christmas message "as the most Christian of its kind from an incumbent prime minister". The Daily Mail concludes that Mr Cameron "went further than ever last night when he quoted from the Bible, referring to Jesus as ‘the light of all mankind’ and the […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. Not so long ago, people were both more free and more orderly. For example, there were no race relations laws: you could say what you liked about ethnic minorities (as they usually weren't called then). The English always drank: "He gives your Hollander a vomit ere the next pottle […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. When I left the Commons in 2010, the local Association activists were more or less the same people as when I entered it in 2001 – though, of course, older. Others had died during that decade or so, like other, less active members. Others still failed to renew their […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter Yesterday saw the launch of the Tory-led Freedom to Marry campaign – a joint effort to advance the cause of gay equality; broaden the institution of marriage and protect religious liberty. F2M's core principles are listed here. Today former Prime Minister Sir John Major becomes the latest senior Tory […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. I was told months ago that civil servants were finding it difficult to frame same-sex marriage proposals that would bar churches – and mosques, temples, synagogues and so on – from being able to conduct them. So I suspect that today's story in the Evening Standard – which reports […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. David Cameron has welcomed the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who was appointed this morning. The Prime Minister said: "I welcome Justin Welby’s appointment as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. The Church of England plays an important role in our society, not just as the established church, but […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Eric Pickles' brief can be a deceptively broad one. It seems rather incongruous that he should spend half of his time on seemingly narrow tasks like trying to get local councils to cut out waste and be more efficient at providing public services, and the other half of his […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter When the Government first flirted with the idea of relaxing Sunday trading laws my colleague Paul Goodman was very unimpressed. Is this the most anti-Christian government in British history?, he asked. But it's not just churchgoers who don't like the idea. By 52% to 36% most Britons oppose further deregulation […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter Let's start by considering the gay marriage proposal from the viewpoint of practical politics, rather than conviction one way or the other. There was no big campaigning push for it after the introduction of civil partnerships. Polls show that the idea divides the generations: younger people tend to be […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter If you want some optimism this weekend I recommend Matthew Parris' Times column. There's no Times paywall for the Jubilee weekend and he argues that, despite the media froth, the Coalition is actually doing quite well. Most Eurozone leaders would, he writes, give their eye teeth for the troubles that […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter “There is a small minority of Pakistani men who believe that white girls are fair game and we have to be prepared to say that. You can only start solving a problem if you acknowledge it first… This small minority who see women as second class citizens, and white women […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter I'd rather churchleaders used the holiest day in the Christian calendar to talk about one thing and one thing only – the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. They get two guaranteed opportunities every year when they know that news outlets will definitely report what they say. If, today, they talk about […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter David Cameron has issued messages to Christians and Jews, celebrating Easter and Passover respectively. The Prime Minister's Easter message: "Easter week is a very important moment in the Christian calendar, so I would like to extend my best wishes to everyone here in the United Kingdom, and across the world, […]