The 'Bearded Wonder' that is Rowan Williams (I always think Atkinson), our Archbishop of Canterbury, is, apparently, unhappy with the Government. He has put his name to an article in the left-wing magazine, 'The New Statesman' that criticises the Government's approach to the welfare state, accusing it of implementing changes that were not in any manifesto and that are causing great concern to the population in general. One of his points is that :
"the comprehensive reworking of the Education Act 1944 that is now going forward might well be regarded as a proper matter for open probing in the context of election debates. The anxiety and anger have to do with the feeling that not enough has been exposed to proper public argument."
To me, and I freely admit that I am rather too old to be directly involved in the education system, this statement is pure drivel. The previous Government made an assortment of changes to the education system that the current lot seem to be doing no more than accelerating. The issues involved have been known about for many years and have crossed at least 2, if not 3, general elections. Where the 'anxiety and anger' is, I have yet to discover, as friends and family who have children at school seem quite relaxed about the situation, if they're even aware of it.
Governments always change things; they fiddle in order to make their mark, usually to no effect though occasionally they do make a difference. The current Government has no choice but to pull back on the services it provides directly, such as health, welfare and education, due to the profligacy of the previous incumbents and the inherent lack of dynamism in the UK economy. Archbishop Williams, as a socialist, wants to see the Government supporting every lost cause and every element of life, while taking all responsibility away from families and parents in order to ensure that everyone is 'saved'. In following this line, he would deny everyone the right to any self-determination, as the State, and people like himself, obviously know better than we do and can rightly tell us how to live our lives; at the same time, he would have the State spend vast amounts of money that it does not have.
Williams gives no suggestions as to how the Government should make good the vast overspending of our current national budget without reducing spending on public services; he simply criticises, in somewhat oblique and opaque language, the Government's actions. He fails to acknowledge, in any way, that our country is, and has been, living beyond its means for many years, even decades, and that the chickens are finally coming home to roost. In short, the man is totally blinkered by his own privileged and protected environment.
As is usual with the deeply socialist Archbishop, he uses 20 words when 1 would do; his language is often difficult, if not impenetrable. He is, after all, a man of 'immense intellect' who understands much more than do ordinary folk, or so goes the mantra attaching to him. The truth is that this man is someone who is blinded by his perception of his own position, importance and insight; he sees himself as a purveyor of hugely important truths that only he perceives.
The truth is that this churchman is a fool. 841 years ago, Thomas A'Beckett fell out with his King and the King, Henry II, famously called for someone to 'rid me of this troublesome priest'. Today we no longer have an all-powerful monarch who can call for such action nor do we have readily available knights who will carry out such tasks, but Williams could still find himself shunted towards early retirement if he's not careful. He is a man who knows little of the real world, having spent most of his pre-Archbishopric life in academia; his only other experience seems to have been 3 years curacy almost 30 years ago. He may well be a great academic, but that is no excuse for making public pronouncements about matters on which he should keep his own counsel.
David Cameron has let it be known that the Archbishop is well within his rights to voice his opinions but that he, Cameron, does not agree with them; Cameron is doing no more than being polite and diplomatic. Williams is stepping into clear political territory and should not do so; he is the voice of the nation's spirtitual and religious thoughts, not of its political views. As such, Archbishop Williams should be encouraging his flock to do what they can to accept and 'embrace' the inevitable hardships that are coming, not trying to stir up dissent. The man is a walking disaster and should never have been appointed; anyone with half a brain knew that back in 2002 but now can only watch the consequential mess unfold.
Sadly, in these enlightened days, no one can rid us of this troublesome priest; we're lumbered with him for a good few years yet.
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