Homophobic fomer Archbishop speaks out on immigration

Lectures about social cohesion from this man? No, thanks.

George Carey, Archbisop of Canterbury until 2002, wrote today an article in the Times in which he just stopped short of calling for Christians to be given priority in a migration point system ('Migration threatens DNA of our nation').

The article echoes what he already said yesterday on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The former Archbishop and current member of the Balanced Migration Group followed a template that we've recently seen far too often from the usual suspects: a) if you talk about immigration you are branded a racist b) if you want to stop the BNP from growing you need to "seriously address the concerns" c) Britain is a Christian country.

To which the answers are:

a) Immigration has been discussed relentlessly for the whole of the past decade. All the best selling dailies -we're talking millions and millions of copies everyday- have been hammering the point in that immigration is the scourge of our times.

It's a myth that a national debate is not taking place. Far from being cornered with accusations of racism, on countless occasions the tabloids have perpetrated outright lies about immigration - with most politicians rushing to endorse their "grievances".

Take a look here for myth-debunking on several levels.

b) The fact that the BNP rise can be stopped by stealing their clothes is simply the most pathetic way to give in to them. At what point would Nick Griffin give up? A white-only policy? Barbwire erected along the borders? Repatriation? Two passports one for "ethnic Britons" and one for "civic Britons", to quote Griffin's criteria?

What exactly does it mean that we need to "seriously address their concerns"?

c) Britain has indeed Christian roots, but what makes her an amazing country is the fact that on so many levels -and unlike other Christian countries- she has managed to evolve with the times, adopting tolerance and secularism which should rank amongst the country's proudest traits.

Luckily the BNP hasn't clocked it yet, but insisting on the Christianity vs Islam angle doesn't rub off on the British population at large because, quite simply, the country has not been interested in religious divide for donkey's years.

Carey made a good point about the "deeply socially divisive" nature of "immigrants who immediately establish their own tribunals to apply Sharia", but he's hardly the one to talk about "socially divisive" actions.

In fact, if it was for people like George Carey and his own notion of "Christianity", for instance, homosexuals would still be forced into hiding. Which, come to think of it, would be in line with his calls to "address the concerns" of the BNP.

Not many may remember, but during his tenure as Archbishop, Carey managed to alienate thousands of people with some of the most right-wing/medieval views to ever emerge from Canterbury.

He has always fiercely opposed an equal age of consent and even employment rights for lesbians and gay men. He condemned legal rights for LGB couples (including next-of-kin access) and actively repressed any homosexual involvement in the clergy.

This is also the man who said he was proud of Britain's leading role in arms manufacturing and whose most compassionate words were his calls for the release of Chilean fascist dictator General Pinochet.

Placed next to him, Pope Ratzinger looks positively liberal.