[The Church of England]…has long since turned its back on its core competence of bread and butter theology and helping its members navigate life, preferring instead to turn itself into a politicised advocacy group. It is more interested in fighting capitalism, calling for ever more government spending and higher taxes and jumping onto every fashionable left-wing bandwagon (the most recent being banker-bashing and Tobin taxes), rather than talking about God (whom its clerics presumably still believe in), the difference between right and wrong in personal decisions, and how responsible individuals can do good themselves through their behaviour, choices and private charity….
Everybody knows that the peculiar economic system that we had during the noughties ”“ its strange combination of big government, free markets, rigged markets and ultra-low interest rates ”“ failed and needs reform. My view is that we need to embrace the discipline of real capitalism ”“ and banish the moral hazard and risk-taking that corporatism and bailouts guarantee ”“ and return to sound money with properly priced credit. Others prefer different solutions. But everybody with a heart wants to fight unemployment, improve the prospects of the poor, and make the world a better place. It is just that we disagree on the means to achieve this.
Heath concludes: [blockquote]So it is sad that Williams, who clearly has never bothered to engage with the arguments, books or research of his intellectual opponents, still speaks as if he had a monopoly on morality and wisdom. It pains me to say this – but he and the protesters deserve each other.[/blockquote]I entirely agree.