Morals vs Money ... the 'battle' has begun ...

The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church have stepped further into the frame and are preparing for 'battle' ...

Following the Occupy Movement setting up their protest camp outside St Paul's, more senior figures, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, have stepped up their attack on the City, speaking of a financial sector which sets a moral tone for a society which had become "scandalously unfair", and drawing attention to the human cost of financial injustice, as well as the need to reset the debate about financial institutions firmly within the context of a bigger story about what human life is for.

They include:

• Dr John Sentamu, The Archbishop of York, has launched an attack on executive pay, saying that FTSE-100 company chief executives were doing a disservice to society with their remuneration, saying "It is hard to imagine a more powerful way of telling someone that they are of little value than to pay them one-third of 1% of your salary ... and among the ill effects of very large income differences between rich and poor are that they weaken community life and make societies less cohesive."

• Ken Costa, a former bank chairman (of investment bank Lazard International) and the Church’s newly appointed leader of an initiative/commission to build links with the City and build bridges between the anti-capitalist protesters and the City (appointed by Dr Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, following his 'u-turn'). Mr Costa has already said: "It will look at how the market has managed to slip its moral moorings, and explore pragmatic ways of uniting the financial and the ethical." 

• Dr Giles Fraser, the cleric who quit as canon chancellor of St Paul’s, said there was “financial injustice” that had to be addressed. He resigned from the Chapter of St Paul's as clerics fell out over how to deal with the Occupy London protesters camped outside, and has added that the Church should highlight the human cost of financial injustice, but warned its leaders against "proposing specific answer to complex economic problems."  

"Rather, it's the calling of the Church to draw attention to the human cost of financial injustice, and to reset the debate about our financial institutions firmly within the context of a bigger story about what human life is for," he said.

The cathedral executed a u-turn after the intervention of Dr Williams, who sided with the anti-capitalist protesters camped outside the cathedral, and as a result the Corporation of London has now had to suspend its legal action.

Dr Williams, has also called for specific action, calling for the introduction of a financial transaction tax (sometimes referred to as a 'Robin Hood' tax), and started to intervene after becoming increasingly dismayed at the stance taken by Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, who backed the legal action to have them removed. 

There is still quiet concern at the Cathedral that the stance now being taken by senior clerics and the Church will put off City donors ... who significantly fund St Paul's Cathedral ... which goes a long way to explaining the initial desire of some (such as the Bishop of London initially) to start legal action to remove the protestors ... 

The 'battle' has indeed begun ... Morals vs Money ... and it's not going to be easy ... as even some in the church have clearly initially struggled with this!

From a historical perspective, by not allowing protestors to protest in 'The City' or outside the Stock Exchange, and with the Occupy Movement subsequently choosing to camp out at St Paul's Cathedral instead (which is next to the Stock Exchange), little could they have known that this would spark into action one of largest movements in the world, and see the Church step into the frame to back their cause ... a ground-swell within the Church is clearly developing and gaining a renewed sense of vigor ...

PS Ed Miliband has finally stepped forward again today by writing an article ...

Democracy - what Democracy? ... The Government is pushing through reforms that no-one voted for

In an article in the New Statesman the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has warned that the public is gripped by “fear” over the Government’s reforms to education, the NHS and the benefits system and accuses David Cameron and Nick Clegg of forcing through “radical policies for which no one voted”.

Openly questioning the democratic legitimacy of the Coalition, the Archbishop dismisses the Prime Minister’s “Big Society” as a “painfully stale” slogan, and claims that it is “not enough” for ministers to blame Britain’s economic and social problems on the last Labour government.

His two-page critique, titled “The government needs to know how afraid people are”, is the most forthright political criticism by such a senior cleric since Robert Runcie enraged Margaret Thatcher with a series of attacks in the 1980s. Lambeth Palace is braced for an angry response but Dr Williams, who became Archbishop of Canterbury nine years ago, is understood to believe that the moment is right for him to enter the political debate.

The Archbishop warns that Westminster politics “feels pretty stuck”, adding that his aim is to stimulate “a livelier debate” and to challenge the Left to develop its own “big idea” as an alternative to the Tory-Lib Dem alliance.

He said the Coalition is facing “bafflement and indignation” over its plans to reform the health service and education, he writes. “With remarkable speed, we are being committed to radical, long-term policies for which no one voted,” the Archbishop says.

“At the very least, there is an understandable anxiety about what democracy means in such a context.” 

He also went on to say that the Prime Minister’s “Big Society” is viewed with “widespread suspicion” as an “opportunistic” cover for spending cuts, as previous champions resign in protest and given the Government Big Society Tsar has now also stepped down.

Yet arguably the biggest con of all is when Politicians stand up and criticize the lack of democracy in other countries around the world ... and site western democracies as an examplar to follow! Yet in reality, in British democracy, only around 2% of votes in marginal constituencies really count, and even these votes count only once every five years! As a result, Politicians, in-between elections, do what they want in their own self-interest, regardless of what they may have previously promised the electorate (which is arguably both immoral and unethical) ... which is why the Archbishop Canterbury has decided to 'shine a light' on it.

Until ignorance reduces and people stand-up to be counted (i.e. apathy reduces) such misuse of power will continue. Let's see how much longer they'll be able get away with it ... as things continue to get worse, and honest, hard-working people continue to face the harsh reality of paying the price of bailing out the banks and continuing to fund their lavish multi-million pound bonuses. Corrupt bankers and politicians have a lot to answer for ... and the day draws ever closer when they are called to account. 

Aristotle himself said: 

"Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers" 

"In a democracy the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme" 

"No notice is taken of a little evil, but when it increases it strikes the eye"

"Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime" 

and ... "The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance".

Wise words indeed ... and just as revelant today.