FORGET godliness. To succeed in the Church you need ambition, ruthlessness, the ability to schmooze and perhaps a smattering of talent.
A baseline belief in the Holy Trinity is an extracurricular boon.
PAA report claims that Justin Welby ‘could and should’ have formally reported the abuse perpetrated by evangelist barrister John Smyth to authorities in 2013[/caption]
Channel 4John Smyth abused 130 boys at Christian summer camps[/caption]
Old Etonian Justin Welby, a man who worked in oil for 11 years, has all these qualities in abundance.
A careerist, he hasn’t got to the pinnacle of the Anglican Church by re-reading Corinthians and getting down on his corduroy-clad knee and praying to the Almighty every night. (Though, of course, that might have helped.)
For the past 11 years the Archbishop of Canterbury has wined and dined politicians, Fleet Street editors and the great and good of the Establishment.
But they can’t protect him now. Now he must fall on his crozier, and quit.
His handling of the Church of England’s abuse scandal, one which let monster evangelist barrister John Smyth abuse and brutally beat 130 boys at Christian summer camps, has been extremely poor at best. Inexcusable at worst.
A report claims that Welby “could and should” have formally reported the abuse to authorities in 2013.
Welby himself last week admitted he “personally failed” the countless victims of sexualised beatings by failing to report him to the police in 2013 when his crimes were clear. (The Archbishop insists he did not know about his crimes before 2013.)
So while Welby, a man not unenamoured by the sound of his own voice, is often the first to berate politicians or big businesses on the subject of accountability, he seems strangely silent when it comes to his own.
For a man who can apparently speak in tongues, he has been too quiet on an issue on which he should have been shouting and screaming
While he can happily pontificate on terrible things that happened centuries ago — blasting ancestral slavery for example — he has seemingly turned a blind eye to something far closer to home.
Thought, but no action
Instead, he merely said he had considered resigning, saying: “I have given [resigning] a lot of thought and for actually quite a long time, there is nothing over the last ten years that has been as horrible as dealing with numerous abuse cases.”
So a lot of thought, but seemingly no action. At the head of the Church, on £85,000 a year, he remains.
Again, for a man who can apparently speak in tongues, he has been too quiet on an issue on which he should have been shouting and screaming, apologising to all affected, and above all else, leading by example when it mattered most.
Sure, he cannot un-do history, or right these horrific wrongs, but he can safeguard the future of the Church, and help restore public faith in its representatives.
By all accounts Justin Welby is a decent, kind man. Certainly he is smart.
And he has done so much good for the Church of England, dragging it into the 21st century, and being refreshingly open about his own personal struggles.
He has bravely spoken about bouts of depression, and has spoken candidly about alcoholism after being brought up by alcoholic parents.
His job is utterly relentless and for every coronation, royal wedding or funeral, he has faced constant, less-glamorous scrutiny — including, last year, a £510 fine and three points on his driving licence for doing 25mph in a 20mph zone.
Not even the Big Man — or Mr Loophole — could get him out of that one.
Welby once said he would leave the role in 2026, at the edge of 70.
Perhaps now, upon reflection — divine or otherwise — is the time for an early retirement.
The name’s blond. Strawberry blond
Actor Eddie Redmayne has emerged as a contender with some to become the new James BondAP
APThe Brit is currently starring in new Sky Atlantic drama The Day Of The Jackal[/caption]
THERE are calls for Eddie Redmayne to be the next 007.
The Brit is currently starring in brilliant new Sky Atlantic drama The Day Of The Jackal, a remake of the 1973 classic. He, and it, are superb in every way (give it a go if you haven’t already).
But Bond?
Casting a strawberry blond as the planet’s most famous spy . . . now that’s diversity.
Rights outcry insult
GettyWomen are currently protesting over the re-election of Donald Trump, but Where were their protests about the Taliban’s treatment over women?[/caption]
WOMEN are shaving their heads and going on sex strike in protest at Donald Trump’s re-election.
Where were their protests about the Taliban’s treatment over women? Or Iran’s ramping-up of Sharia law? Etc.
The problem here is that by assuming all females are obsessed with women’s rights – the divisive abortion issue for instance or trans spaces – over that of, say, economic growth, is deeply patronising.
And it’s what cost Kamala Harris.
Now we have a bunch of bald, sex-deprived ladies – ones, frankly, coming across as hysterical, therefore playing into age-old tropes – and Trump is still President.
Surely there are smarter ways to make a point.
Fans are still obsessed with lookalike competitions, as a recent Harry Styles event proved
PROOF that ultimately there’s no such thing as a new trend . . . Gen Z are presently obsessed with celebrity lookalike competitions.
Thirty years on from the original doppelganger comp Stars In Their Eyes, over the past few weeks we’ve had them for Timothee Chalamet, Paul Mescal and, on Sunday, Harry Styles. (At the Timothee one, the Hollywood heartthrob himself rocked up to surprise fans.)
This latest competition saw 12 Harrys, including three non-male Harrys, turn up at London’s Soho Square to be judged for a grand prize of £50.
Even our reporter Tom Bryden went along and took part. Sadly, the real Harry was a no-show.
Some of the entrants were more, erm, miss than hit – this slightly dubious blond Harry a case in point.
Keenan Gregor, far left, however, gamely flew in from Toronto for the experience, telling judges: “My whole life I’ve been told I look like Harry.”
Enfield?
We pay price
LABOUR’S Budget, a would-be communist manifesto, appears to be crumbling faster by the day.
Now it’s emerged that Tesco faces a £1billion wage bill increase thanks to the national insurance hike for employers.
So while Labour continues to crusade for union workers to enjoy a cushty four day week, it’ll be you and I left to pick up the tab.
Be it food price hikes and/or redundancies, it’s the “working person” this government continues to batter.
Still, every little helps train drivers, eh Keir.
GettyDonald Trump is doing a hell of a lot of good for one sector of society: Pensioners[/caption]
WHILE The Donald may not be Mr Feminist personified, he is at least doing a hell of a lot of good for one sector of society: Pensioners.
As if becoming the world’s most powerful man aged 78 wasn’t inspirational enough – hey, there’s hope for us all (unless you’re over 79) – his newly appointed Chief of Staff is both a woman and 67.
Seventy is the new 40.
Nigel gets a bick Tik
GettyApparently, kids today LOVE Nigel Farage… maybe it’s because he uses social media in a way that Labour (and the Tories) simply cannot get their tiny little minds around[/caption]
ONE of the many, many problems faced by Keir Starmer’s commie-lite government is their lack of popularity with yoof voters.
And by “yoof”, I mean Generation Alpha – those born in 2010 onwards.
Apparently, kids today LOVE Nigel Farage. Maybe it’s his stint in the jungle, or maybe it’s because he uses social media in a way that Labour (and the Tories) simply cannot get their tiny little minds around.
To date, Nigel’s Reform UK party has amassed almost 50BILLION views across TikTok and Instagram, whereas Keir looks like a man still in thrall to Facebook.
At my godson’s (very woke) independent school, teachers recently held their own “general election”.
Alas, the results, due to be declared during an extended assembly, remained undeclared. Yup, Reform cleaned-up.
TwitterCharlie XCX says it all – without words[/caption]
SAME, Charli XCX, same. The British superstar is on to something here.
The ingenious singer has cunningly taken to holding aloft a sign declaring that she is on vocal rest when she can’t be arsed to engage and needs to rest her poor, overworked larynx.
From now on, I intend to wave placards telling friends/colleagues/total strangers I cannot speak temporarily.
Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
