There has been a lot of snittiness about the Archbishop of Canterbury’s speech delivered on 7 February about the relationship between civil and religious law in England. I don’t mean the “beardy idiot surrendering our inalienable Anglo-Saxon freedoms to the mad mullahs” sort of snittiness (although there certainly was a lot of that about). No, I mean the “I can’t understand a word he’s saying” sort of sneering. Examples here, here and here.

Even Riazat Butt, the religious affairs correspondent of The Guardian leapt in:

I’ve read the speech and re-read it. I don’t understand a word of it and unfortunately for us hacks he doesn’t replicate his BBC words in the bloody text. If anyone can tell me what he’s saying I’ll buy them a beer.

This really is shameful. Continue Reading »