NANA AKUA: From Ulez to migration, who will rid us of these meddlesome Archbishops?
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What was it Henry II called his Archbishop of Canterbury? ‘This meddlesome priest’: a phrase that neatly sums up Dr Rowan Williams, who has bizarrely waded into the controversy over restrictions on cars in London.
The former archbishop retired from his role as leader of the Church of England in 2012 and was rewarded with a life peerage — reason enough, he seems to think, for him to weigh in with his views on air pollution.
In a letter co-written with Zara Mohammed, the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain, and Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg of the New North London Synagogue, Dr Williams claims that by, ‘embracing measures like London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone [Ulez], we are... living in alignment with the key teachings of our faith’.
Well, you learn something new every day: I wasn’t aware that Jesus ever said: ‘Blessed are those who charge drivers £12.50 a day for using the capital’s streets in a vehicle that doesn’t comply with the latest green regulations.’
It’s ridiculous to pretend the Ulez scheme has the faintest connection to religious tenets. Perhaps Williams should go back to the Gospels and think about the inequality Christ was really opposing.
