The immense damage done to the Archbishop of Canterbury during Monday night’s debate on women priests [becoming Bishops] is still sinking in. Dr Rowan Williams had not intended to speak, but he was so alarmed by the lack of provision for traditionalists in the code of practice that he appealed to Synod members to reject it. They ignored him.
It was as if a Prime Minister, having quietly supported a piece of legislation in the Commons, suddenly lost his nerve, appealed to the House to change its mind, and was then rebuffed. Even Gordon Brown has yet to chalk up that sort of disaster.
He’s done nothing for so long how can this be any surprise?
Like so many dithering academics, RW hadn’t the first idea what to do with his power. Some are ruthless — cf. KJS — but most are completely lost outside their element the first time they encounter a leg spin on the pitch of life.
It is long past time for HRH EII DG Regina [i]fide defendorum[/i] to sack the tragic Abp Williams and replace him with Orombi or some other such clear-thinking primate. If she wishes to preserve the last remnant of her father’s empire, she must.
Bart, the Queen can’t sack him, but Gordon Brown whoever succeeds him as PM can. She doesn’t have the legal authority to do more than to “suggest” that he resign……which I think he’ll do anyway.
I meant to say “OR whoever succeeds him.” My bad!
Brief interview with the Bishop of Ebbsfleet about his future
on the BBC’s “world at one”. The current link is
[url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/news.shtml?radio4/wato]here[/url]. The interview lasts about 4 mins starting about 23 mins in.
Cennydd,
If Labour lose the Glasgow-East by-election on Tuesday, there’ll be no ‘OR’ about it.
Mr. Thompson’s triumphalism clearly knows no bounds. IMHO. Randall
The Queen can sack an entire government, should she so choose. Just ask Mr Whitlam (Australia, 1975 or so). Her Majesty appoints the ABC on the basis of a recommendation from her Prime Minister, and unless I’ve missed something, ++Cantuar serves on sufferance of Her Majesty.
Bart, yes, I believe you are right. All the powers held by Elizabeth I are retained by the present sovereign, Elizabeth II, under the gentleman’s agreement that she doesn’t excercize them. If she does then she will provoke a constitutional crisis. But there is no question that if she does do so the government will lose its legitimacy and Britain will have to reorganize its entire Consitution.
It would be worth it to get rid of this man.
I don’t think the ABC realizes what a mistake he made when, he was in New Orleans and was reported as sayin that he (the ABC) could not make decisions and that only the ACC could make that decision. He may not of said it exactly that way or meant it that way but this is what the news media reported and evidently the ACC office heard it that way because they then made the decision without consulting all of the Primates. Is the ACC office is still exercising this decision making authority?
The great, deep advantage of constitutional monarchy is that the sovereign is vested with certain powers one would most decidedly prefer not to be in the hands of politicians … such as dismissing the archbishop of the officially established Church of England.
Their power arises from the incredible rarity of their application. The Queen can order her nation to war, whether or not her government (elected politicians) wish to do. She was prepared to order recovery of the Falklands had Mrs Thatcher been unwilling to proceed in that effort.
A mere truculent archbishop is a rather less weighty matter and unlikely to trigger a constitutional crisis, particularly in light of overwhelming British apathy in regard to the C of E.
TEC has kicked sand into ++Rowan’s face so many times without consequence that anyone intent on running roughshod over any aspect of Anglican belief, tradition or practice has gotten a tacit green light to do so. He’s claimed to be an emasculated cipher for so long, can we blame people when they come to the same conclusion?
Lambeth will be a sad joke with this ineffective non-entity running the show.
Williams was always the wrong choice for ABC. It should have been Nazir-Ali all along.
Sorry,
No refunds, no exchanges!
If Rowan resigns and goes over to Rome, as did Blair who put him in the job, we will know that this was all a cunning Papist plot to destroy the CofE:
Pretty damn clever.
No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!