Archbishop of Canterbury blasts British Government's Austerity Measures

[markpkessinger]

From The Huffington Post

Archbishop Of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, Blasts U.K. Government Cuts

By Trevor Grundy
c. 2011 Religion News Service

CANTERBURY, England (RNS) Nearly a millennium ago, four unruly knights crossed the English Channel from France and confronted the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, over his feud with King Henry II.

Before the knights smashed the future saint's skull in front of monks at an altar inside Canterbury Cathedral, Henry is said to have wondered aloud, "Who shall rid me of this turbulent priest?"

These days, Prime Minister David Cameron might be wondering the same about the current archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

Williams sparked a political row by criticizing the government's austerity measures and budget cuts as the cause of "bafflement and indignation," saying they are nothing more than "radical, long-term policies for which no one voted."

To be sure, Williams' two most recent predecessors angered the governments of their day when Robert Runcie confronted Margaret Thatcher over budget cuts in the 1980s and George Carey blasted Britain's support for the war in Iraq.

But never have the words of a sitting archbishop of Canterbury caused quite so much anger as Williams' during his stint as guest editor of the left-leaning New Statesman magazine earlier this month.

The very public flap threw a spotlight on Williams' twin roles as head of the Church of England and also the 77 million-member worldwide Anglican Communion, and the difficulty of doing both.

If he wades into national politics, critics say he should instead return to ensuring his global flock doesn't break up over human sexuality. Yet if he ignores the politics of the day, he's criticized for not using his bully pulpit.

Less than two months after the media hailed him as a "national treasure" when he officiated at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Williams has become, in the words of the Sunday Times' Minette Marrin, a "wordy, holy, hairy man" who is "hustling his tiny flock towards the cliffs of disestablishment with the foolish, self-destructive recklessness of Don Quixote."

Former Times editor William Rees-Mogg was a tad more succinct in blasting Williams' critique of government spending cuts. Williams, he said, had shown a distinct lack of "Christian charity."

Writing in the New Statesman's June 9 issue, Williams questioned the value of the coalition government's reforms, and charged that Cameron's "Big Society" platform had been conceived for "opportunistic and money-saving reasons" and that its ideas were "painfully stale."

Taken aback by Williams' public critique, Cameron rejected Williams' views but nonetheless said he had every right to express them. For good measure, Britain's top Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop Vincent Nichols, sided with Cameron.

Read full article

[starroute]

1. William Rees-Mogg blasts him? That's a laugh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rees-Mogg

Rees-Mogg is co-author, with James Dale Davidson, of The Sovereign Individual, The Great Reckoning, and Blood in the Streets. ...

His youngest daughter, Annunziata Rees-Mogg (born 25 March 1979), stood unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Conservative Party in the 2005 general election in Aberavon, South Wales, and in Somerton and Frome at the 2010 election. His son, Jacob Rees-Mogg, stood unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Conservative Party in the 1997 and 2001 general elections (in Central Fife and The Wrekin respectively), but in 2010 was elected Conservative MP for the new constituency of North East Somerset.

Lord Rees-Mogg is Chairman of The Zurich Club, "a private, international network of trustworthy and knowledgeable investors and entrepreneurs", and is a regular contributor to a subscription investment advice newsletter, The Fleet Street Letter.

[DonCoquixote]

2. even a busted clock

is right twice a day, though Williams is an idiot most of the time.