This is England at her stupidest.
The Prime Minister is advocating "a sharp prod" to the locally established Church and talking some utter rubbish about an alleged need for that local Church "to be a modern church in touch with society, as it is today"; indicating how little he understands what Christianity is about: the society must be in touch with Church in order to survive, not the other way round, especially if today's society is in question (to be in touch with today's society is to be in touch with unsustainable-fun kind of death)...
A minor ex-minister (political, not religious) is calling for the local parliament - it beggars belief! have they learnt nothing since the 16th century?? - to interfere and "ensure that the overwhelming will of members of the Church of England, and of this country, is respected", and throwing in a threat "If the synod can't sort it out, we need to help them"...
Swarms of naive, busy-bodied, do-gooding Christians displaying funny quips on their T-shirts, but little respect for hierarchy, aristocracy and royalty (which are part and parcel of Christianity)...
This is England at her worst*.
PS Thus I've reached a very important moment in the history of my Anglophilia. I have seen horrible things happening here and I have heard of outrageous things being done here, but I tended to look at them through the eyes of compassion and understanding for fallen man paying a heavy price for deserting Rome.
But this case is different. First of all, it concerns directly a church (not forgetting that everything concerns religion); perhaps a blundering one, but still Christian. Secondly, it involves a debate. And when intellect is to lead, there can be no mercy; And this particular debate should be informed by so much painful experience and unsettling evidence, that one could expect nothing but the highest standards. Instead we get this.
I have looked at historical England like that (just as I have at my own country), but now, for the first time in my life, I am looking at England with utter, genuine contempt - live, even as we speak.
*which, perhaps, isn't that bad, comparatively? (Oh, I just can't kill the Anglophile in me...and of course - I've just realised - it's not its worst at all, but being an Anglophile I forgot for a moment; actually only yesterday I was going to wirte about something very much connected with this situation, about England's Hitler moment, as I called it)
