Tim Farron, still the leader of the Liberal Democrats remember, has gone full Westboro Baptist Church and compared himself to a North Korean dissident, mocking other faiths with “funky garb” with “interesting buildings”. He’s basically saying he’s a modern day Jesus, the victim of religious persecution. Get out the tiny violin… 

“Christians do feel marginalised, and they are meant to… the Bible tells us regularly that our faith will go against the grain, that we’ll suffer for being a Christian. Being Christian is not meant to be easy.  The writer of Philippians says “it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him”.  

Now, being harangued by journalists or slagged off by political opponents for my faith, hardly compares with the struggles of being a Christian in North Korea, where you have a one in four chance of being imprisoned for your faith. But the point is that Christian faith will go against the grain, if you aren’t struggling at least a bit against the expectations and assumptions of the world- then well, you should be!…

My own experience during the election tells me that people don’t mind people of faith in politics – so long as their faith is only of the cultural variety. So, if you wear funky garb, have nice colourful festivals, have interesting buildings and ceremonies, then we are absolutely fine about your faith – in fact your religious culture makes us more diverse and allows me to define myself as very liberal and tolerant by demonstrating how cool I am with your religion. However the moment you show any signs of actually believing in this creed, of thinking that this stuff about Jesus might even be true or that this faith might in any way impact on your conscience or your life choices… well, we don’t like that one bit.”

Tim, you had to deal with a few questions about thinking gays are sinners, not Judas and Pontius Pilate. If your faith and politics are incompatible you are not a persecuted Christian. You are in the wrong party.

“You hate us for the rights that we have” @OwenJones84

“He is being deliberately insulting” @SidCordle @Jo_Coburn tries to keep order pic.twitter.com/H26uKKMTct

— DailySunday Politics (@daily_politics) May 9, 2017

Fight fight fight!

Guido is not one to pontificate, but…

Forgive them, Father…

“Keep the living wage alive,” argues one of many articles published by the Fabian Society calling for a mandatory Living Wage.

It’s a bit of a theme: “a voluntary expansion of living wage employers” is not enough, they say.

“Time to make living wage a requirement,” insists another piece:

“We need politicians to make the living wage a requirement on public and private employers, not an optional extra. Leaving it up to voluntary schemes will never end the scandal of poverty pay. Government action is urgently needed, and the public support it. What are we waiting for?”

Well, the Fabians’ new Events and Office Assistant, based in London, will be waiting for some time before they are paid the London Living Wage. The advertised salary of £16,653 a year is well below the £18,080 the Living Wage Foundation say workers in the capital need. Seems they had a point when they said “Leaving it up to voluntary schemes will never end the scandal of poverty pay”…

The Fabians aren’t the only ones failing to practise what they preach. The Church of England says that “as well as encouraging other employers to pay the Living Wage, it is important for the Church to lead by example,” warning “it is morally unacceptable” for bosses to exploit low-paid staff.

This divine intervention clearly did not reach the Bishop of St Albans, who is offering a meagre £14,328 per year to be his parliamentary researcher, based in the House of Lords. What is it with these lefties and not putting their money where their mouth is…

Fabian advert spotted by @ajrmac

And lo, the Lord thy God spoke unto Miliband the Younger, and said: thou must control immigration.

Today’s Observer is not a spoof. It seems Ed has been hanging out with Russell Brand a little too long. Labour really have “commissioned a giant stone inscription bearing Labour’s six election pledges that is set to be installed in the Downing Street Rose Garden if he becomes prime minister.”

Apparently:

“The 8ft 6in-high limestone structure is intended to underline his commitment to keep his promises by having them literally “carved in stone” and visible from the offices inside No 10.”

They might as well write it on the barn wall…

The Church of England is jumping on the divestment bandwagon by announcing they will slash investments in fossil fuel companies. By leveraging their £9 billion pension pot investments, the Church hopes they can protect the the world’s poor from global warming.

According to Bishop Nick Holtam, the ‘lead bishop on the environment,’ “Climate change is the most pressing moral issue in our world.”

The most pressing? How about the 4 MILLION deaths from smoke inhalation by people who don’t have access to the coal generated electricity the Bishops are heating their palaces with?

“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” Luke 12:48b