Terry Jones and The English Defence League

You may or may not have heard that Terry Jones, a religious person from the United States, is in dialogue with that austere body - the English Defence League. They are apparently inviting Mr Jones to come and speak at one of their forthcoming rallies. This is generating some considerable interest, including the genesis of an entire organisation to quiet this handle-bar moustached geezer.

The English Defence League visited my town in May. Thousands were anticipated, and a mere 800 actually rolled into town and were met by a well-organised police operation (see video, I'm in there somewhere - and another to see what a visit looks like). Note the quality of its participants, the choices of flags for a day supporting England, and the wise and witty chants. The visit galvanised the town, the faiths in the town, and demonstrated that such activity is pointless, if entirely legal. 

Terry Jones, apart from being a very naughty boy, is the chappy who suggested that, upon the anniversary of 9/11 that the Qu'ran should be burned. The model of religious pluralism and tolerance is our Mr Jones. He is, in most quarters of intelligent society, a ridiculous figure. Yes, he has an audience, and I can see why the EDL would want to forge contacts with him. Islamophobia must be one of those things, like Tupperware, that precipitates parties. 

The EDL, it would appear, are becoming marginalised. Their visit to Aylesbury on May 1st did little for them and their reputation - gained them 12 arrests - and strengthened a town. What they brought with them was the backlash reaction which was formed around the notion of more hate (see post). The reaction would have been more dangerous and inflammatory had it actually bothered to turn up. It didn't. Terry Jones is a figure of relative irrelevance for most people, mindful as I am that some Muslims take him seriously. They needn't - he is not the voice of Christianity, really he isn't.

So, should he be banned? Nope - because to ban him gives him status and kudos. It is akin to trying to ban Mr Blobby - pointless. Should we ban the EDL? Nope - for the same reasons. They have a right in our country to protest, and if they can't then I can't if I ever wanted to. However, they are not the force that they had hoped, and are appearing to fizzle out. The nation is starting to come around to the notion that passively allowing Islamophobia makes them as racist as the active protesters, and the world is also closing in on Nick Griffin by the same token. Terry Jones: websites marking him out as the Anti-Christ grant him more power than he could ever hope to gain by his own words or actions. Don't do it - ignore fools and they soon go away! Bring them all into town, and bring them together. If we ever wanted a case to compartmentalise them for what they are, then that alliance will be our gift. 

Do you do, or do you don't do .... real life?

And so a little more thought after the events of the weekend; this time, on a broader issue that now presses upon me somewhat!

No, I am not referring to my flagrant mockery of my Rector's now extreme old age during the Eucharist, rather -

- the Church and, well, erm - real life. The stuff that happens outside the doors of the building.

Saturday taught me so much about the rightful place of a Christian in the context of the kind of melee that we were gifted so kindly by the Welsh-flag waving English Defence League. Should we, as Christian God-botherers have been up to our knees in it, or should we have stayed well clear? Then take the answer, multiply it by all the numbers of days, and apply it to each of them. 

To many, and indeed the vast majority of people, the Christian faith says little of interest or relevance. That is sad, and quite mistaken. People of faith have the answers - oh yes we do. We have a duty to declare what we have to say, to stand up and be counted, and sometimes, take daft risks doing it. It is our 'job' to convince the rest of you that you must attend the The Other in your lives - that niggling sense that this all has a greater meaning than sperm-egg-promotion-incontinence-death. People of faith have something to say on the subject - step into my office, I have something that you might need...

Now, we could do that in many ways (and do do it in many ways), but one such way is to be in the thick of it when it's all going a bit Pete Tong. Dishing out the low-down on The Other (who for sake of ease I will refer to as God) on a Sunday only, or on a sunny bank holiday in a park with other like-mindeds - it's all good, but just a fraction of the work that needs to be done. The other six days of the week have their needs and those outside of church-life live them too. In the church as a whole we talk very little about how people make their livings, how they spend their times, personal hopes or fears (aside from their outwatd 'results'). I believe that we-the-Church are missing a trick here. Then we get some unpleasantness. So what do we do? We put ourselves in the middle of where it is kicking-off (figuratively if not physically), that's what. Police, residents, bystanders, displaced traders, and maybe even the protesters who were there because their mates made them and weren't sure about it all - they all need support. Christians offer support and hope, it is what we do, it's our flag - 

... so we get in there and support and we offer our hope using every trick and tool to our grasp. No 'ifs' no 'buts'.

What the EDL did for us

What a day!

I had started the day with a genuine fear of what might happen. The twittering, the Facebooking, the blogosphere and the world that SMS Texts live in, were all buzzing with the grave potential that today had to be a dark day for the people of my beloved town. 

Well, it was ok in the end, and there have been some very real plusses to a day largely heralded as one where such things might not have manifest themselves.

1. The people of our town, of all faiths and none, were galvanised. The folk of Aylesbury didn't want this, weren't going to support it, and condemned the fact that their town was to be a theatre for a macabre pantomime. I walked the streets before noon and I recieved more 'afternoon vicar's then every before. Yes, there was great apprehension, but we knew that in the end, Aylesbury would be ok. It was and we are. 

2. I am in awe at the professionalism of the police. They were good humoured with me and only in Aylesbury to ensure that we were safe from those who may have sought to hurt us. The Thames Valley Police and their supporters from so many forces demonstrated that they are force to be reckoned with. A town needs to see that every once in a a while, and ironically, I think Aylesbury feels like a safer place tonight. 

3. Our worst fears were not realised, and not realised in the slightest. The true English (and British, and European and Asian and human) heart beat tonight as the bells at St. Mary's rang the 'All Clear' - post-Blitz style.

4. I have learned so much about contemporary communication. Whilst I am fairly savvy, I have learned the significant place that Twitter and Facebook have on days like today. Lies and truth together, they are vehicles that can do so much good too. There was a false rumour being posted by SMS Text that the Mosque had been firebombed - when it was uncovered as a lie, Bp Alan and Fr Shane (my boss and his boss) were able to lurch down to said Mosque and get a pic of them having tea with the Muslim community - and tweet it immediately. It did some good, some real good.

5. The EDL march displaced a the wedding to be held today at St Mary's. We went to the country church in the glorious sun and had a great time.  As it happens, there is a sodding great big hole outside the main door of St. Mary's as a result of some protracted drainage work - so the pics would have been proper manky had we been there!

6. The Bishop bought me a pint in the first business to re-open in Aylesbury. That's always a bonus!

So, as I sit in my house, and as heavy rain pours and cleanses our streets once again - I hope and pray that the people of this most magnificent town will pop to the shops tomorrow. The traders were the real losers, what with it being a bank-holiday Saturday and all that. 

In short ...

Aylesbury 1 : Visiting Team Nil

The Curate's Egg II

Egg of the Day: Devilled

Isn't it a funny topsy-turvy world that we live in. I am young yet feel so old in the face of things that happen around me. My world-weariness is getting cramp these days!

1. Television Programmes: Why is it that the people who make our programme viewing offer us an implicit judgement on the people of our country. For example, if you are a worker from the 'City', then you can afford to be seen on Relocation Relocation Relocation. If you are a poor estate hound (I am from such a background myself), then you are only invited to be televised if your kids are obese and their teeth are rotten to the stumps. If you are mintikins (which is to say, wealthy in money if not in personality), you get filmed converting your derelict barn into flats for other mintikins folk. If you are IQ disadvataged, you get your wives swapped, or your kids put in a boot camp. Still, let us not ignore the zeal of the recycler's heart in TV land these days: we make Slebs out of those who are odd enough to make ratings and then recycle them as Slebs in all other programmes later. 

2. Haters of Race Hate: Question: What do you get when you meet hate with hate? Answer: Hate. Question: What do you get when you meet hate with a poster with a design that looks for all the world like a blood stain? Answer: An implicit statement of what might happen, if you catch my drift. You may remember that I commented on the planned arrival of the EDL into our town. Well, this is now well documented and the EDL publicity machine is working a dream - however, it is not their people doing the leg-work, it is the haters of race hate. I have learned most and heard most from the 'good guys' - if were left ot the EDlL themselves, half of the town would be none the wiser. At a meeting in Aylesbury where the love-music-militants of Oxford told the people of Aylesbury how we were going to orchestrate our reaction to our problem (with one such starlet toddling off to the ivory tower of University on Saturday, so can't be there on the day, sorry guys) - we were greeted with the comment that the EDL are somehow 'ignorant and stupid'. Meh, no organisation that can get so many huffing and puffing militants around a table of an evening can be that stupid. Is the tail wagging the dog or the dog wagging the tale - answers on a postcard. Hate is wrong in any form - be that in dungarees or a hoodie.

3. Compensation Culture: Question: What do you get when you mix the exhaust from one volcano with a jet-stream and the engines of jet engines? Answer: Carnage, blood, guts, planes hitting floors like darts, that's what. Consequence: Cancel flights to save life and limb. Excellent. A TV interviewer spoke to a disgruntled traveller who wanted to know who was going to compensate him for his missed business meeting. What?! I know, let's do a Billy Connelly and sue God for the volcano. Celestial compensation is bound to be heavenly. Let's subpoena Jesus as a material witness and the Blessed Virgin and advocate for the Defence. I know, I am going to form a group called Love Music Mildly Irritated By Volcanoes that Knacker My Meeting Plans - then I can issue a poster showing a B52 bombing said magma-funnel before scuttling off back to my Ivory Tower. Meh ....

4. Curate's Conference: That should be good. Off to pack ... l8rs.

(PS - if like me your boat isn't floated by Lorry-Trailer bands, DJ's (I prefer morning suits anyway) and Live PAs (well dead ones can't do the filing after all), then meet me in the pub on the Bicester Road - we can grumble together about them young'ns)