Signs and Portents...

This from the Beeb today. (Official health warning yet to arrive from Diocesan HQ. Bit odd, when you consider how swift them Elven Safety folk ordinarily are to act.)

Dog collar clergy 'risk attack'

Members of the UK clergy are being advised to take off their dog collars when they are on their own, to reduce the risk of being attacked.

National Churchwatch, which provides personal safety advice, says vicars are attacked more often than professions such as GPs and probation officers. The organisation's Nick Tolson said all clergy should consider the advice, including the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The group also produces security advice for churches and churchworkers. Mr Tolson said: "When they are on their own, and when they are off duty - for example when they are doing their shopping in Tesco on their own - there is no need for them to wear their dog collars.

"All that does is to attract people who see the dog collars, and if they are motivated towards violence, it puts them [clergy] in a very difficult situation."


...not sure the Bearded Bard (Arch of C.) himself ever ventures into Tesco as such for the week's shopping. See him more as a farmer's market sort of green cove if and when attending to his own domestics.

Leaving though that aside, the advice is probably sound in as far as it goes - which is not very far indeed. Forsooth, it's hard enough encouraging chaps and chappesses to wear the badge of trade in the place of work itself - Church, Chapel or how so you - so anything that further tends to advocate mufti is not that welcome.

Are we really to beat the retreat for fear of a sound beating? I hope not, though owning that clerical assault is rare not rife in The Wolds.

But then again, were one blind or sight impaired - as one now says - one wouldn't here not carry a white stick for fear of it drawing down violence.

And could that be, you ask, anywhere? Well, sadly yes. Two young feral thugs have just been sentenced for murdering a disabled man. They beat and kicked him to death. (Hardly news anymore - and how wretched is the world become that one can say that?)

The victim, who was partially sighted, was asked by one who came to help him after the attack that was the next day to be the cause of his death from brain injury, why he didn't carry a white stick.

'Tried that,' he said. 'But had to stop because people took it as a signal to hit me.'

No, I shall not be desisting from the dog-collar out of fear, and should someone wish to pick a fight on that basis then they will be learning hard and fast the true meaning of 'muscular Christianity'!