How wonderful to know that after the last political party had played
Christmas down and members had switched Christmas with Winterfest, and
similar secular alternatives, that Eric Pickles – now chairman of the
Conservatives - has insisted that Christmas be returned to its true
Christian message! Most thankfully, such diabolic terms as ‘political
correctness’, ‘equality for minority groups’ and a ‘European Court For
Human Rights’, are being seen for what they are: not least an
infringement on human liberty and a sell out of our own British
democracy! I’m glad that the Daily Express has spearheaded a campaign to
get us out of the clutches of a growing, tyrannical and largely
non-elected European ‘super state’. Of course, you don’t need to agree
with me. What an exceedingly drab world it would be if we all thought
alike!
However, to evolve back in to what was once said of us with an
element of justification: that Britain is a kingdom of animal lovers and
that an Englishman’s best friend is his dog, were factors to be justly
proud of. Indeed, not only did we give to the world its railways and
countless other industrial creations; of far more importance we also
gave it pioneers against Negro as well as child slavery. And of more
relevance to You and the rest of our valued readership: we gave the
world its first society for the prevention of animal cruelty; its
founder being an Anglican Vicar who became bankrupt; was left to rot in
prison by his spiritual ‘superiors’; but was then later bailed out by a
kindly Jew who paid the accumulated fine plus his debts. Well, the
Anglican church doesn’t morally change. It’s as unconcerned – with few
exceptions – towards the plight of animal activists who land in gaol
today as it was then, when the Rev. Broome (the founder behind today’s
RSPCA) was imprisoned all those many decades ago. Indeed, the following
is but one example:
When Barry Horne’s life was rapidly failing – he’d been on a hunger
strike so as to shock the Blair Government into honouring its pre
election promise of an impartial enquiry into vivisection! - I contacted
the, then, Archbishop of York. ‘Would he do something?’ Well, the reply
I got bordered on the offensive and not just the defensive.. As a senior
cleric I was advised to avoid such clashes which could bring the church
in to disrepute. He would by no means intervene and inferred that I
should do likewise. Within days poor Barry Horne passed to his Maker;
and all that I’d accomplished for him was to highlight his plight
through local media via a brief vigil.
As for the Archbishop of York at that time: Dr Hope, I considered him
to be as ‘void of all hope’ as his predecessor Dr Habgood: a man whose
doctorate was not at all involved in theology but - wait for it!
- in Vivisection. Well I tell you this: such prelates are as far removed
from Jesus Of Nazareth as the moon is from cheese!
Animal Padre's
