The Prime Minister's address at Christ Church, Oxford [here] is broadly very welcome indeed. The squeals of the ideological secularists (fundamentalists by another name) can be heard throughout the land.
Yet...... how does he reconcile his words with the 'equality agenda' his government (actually, H.M. the Queen's Government, but never mind) seems to be actively pursuing - another price to be paid for coalition politics?
The tenor of the address has too much of 'Christianity as the social cement of the nation' about it for my liking, but it's better than nothing. And better by far than any utterance made by his two immediate predecessors.
Update: perhaps we can't blame the Coalition: see [here]
The PM's address evokes very well the Church of England as the Tory Party at prayer: cf Sir John Betjeman - In Westminster Abbey:-
ReplyDelete"Keep our Empire undismembered
Guide our Forces by Thy Hand,
Gallant blacks from far Jamaica,
Honduras and Togoland;
Protect them Lord in all their fights,
And, even more, protect the whites.
Think of what our Nation stands for,
Books from Boots' and country lanes,
Free speech, free passes, class distinction,
Democracy and proper drains.
Lord, put beneath Thy special care
One-eighty-nine Cadogan Square.
Although dear Lord I am a sinner,
I have done no major crime;
Now I'll come to Evening Service
Whensoever I have the time.
So, Lord, reserve for me a crown,
And do not let my shares go down."