The Sunday Times: And On This Bombshell

A leader in today's Sunday Times pauses for reflection at this time of giant humanoid rabbits bearing chocolate eggs to think - in a very real sense - about the challenges facing the Church of England.

"When we said recently that prayers had no place before political meetings, it drew some criticism. We still believe this is the right course. Giving the established church a formal political role is anachronistic and does it no favours. By the same token, politicians should respect the sensibilities of believers, particularly Christians. David Cameron’s government, for example, has embarked on a collision course with the church on the issue of gay marriage. The government would like you to believe it is a modern, with-it coalition facing opposition from a church stuck somewhere in the Dark Ages.
"It is hard, however, to disagree with Ben Bradshaw, the Labour frontbencher, who accuses the government of playing “pure politics” with gay marriage. He, like most other gays in civil partnerships, is happy to call it a marriage. The further step proposed by the government is, he says, an unnecessary distraction. Mr Cameron is pushing gay marriage and picking a fight with the church for political reasons. It is indeed unnecessary."

This is shocking stuff.

Not least of which because The Sunday Times' sister paper, The Times, has made so much of championing marriage equality of late.

And because Ben Bradshaw's tepidity on gay marriage is now being used as an argument against it/us.
A careless remark already celebrated by the gay marriage bashing Mail and Telegraph.

Well done Ben!

I'll have to check what The Sunday Times has said about this before - don't think this has been their line.

It may be another sign of Rupert Murdoch turning on David Cameron because he blames him for the Leveson Inquiry.

More later...

• Dunno how, but I missed this - potentially huge - story when I was going through the papers earlier today. Thanks to Scott Roberts for the alert.

Update: I believe this is The Sunday Times first comment on gay marriage since they broke the story that the government was considering introducing it in February 2011.