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THE MORAL RIGHT
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THE DEBATES
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- Experts and Lobbyists
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Why should we care?

Because if the Moral Right will have its way, there will be one morality, one God and one truth.

The biggest controversy recently was the TV screening of Jerry Springer: The Opera on BBC 2 in January.

Keith Porteous Wood, National Secular Society

It triggered more than 45,000 complaints from religious groups – some allege a small group of vocal protestors were behind this – that it ridiculed Christianity.

Two BBC executives, whose details were posted on Christian Voice's website, received threats.

Protestors burned TV licences outside BBC's offices in White City. The play's subsequent shows across the country were cancelled when the venues were threatened with protests.

National Secular Society's Executive Director Keith Porteous Wood says it was "thuggery” and accuses the government as "complicit.”

"Where people are demonstrating, destroying goods or threatening people but whose motives are religious, they never get prosecuted."

"Short-run moral panics"

BBC Director-General Mark Thompson, himself a Christian, defended the screening at a conference.

"Our duty is not to be swayed by short-run moral panics or claims about this trend or that trend but rather to consider the issues around broadcast as objectively and dispassionately as we can."

In December, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre was forced to cancel Behzti, a Sikh play, after protestors stormed into the building, destroyed property and injured police officers.

In October, a hard-line Christian group protested in Bournemouth over the town's burgeoning homosexual community.

Pro-life issues also reared its head when Michael Howard's comments on reducing the upper limit of abortion were seized by both the press and moralists.

Head of Roman Catholic Church Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said abortion should be an election issue and hinted some six million Catholics in the UK to vote Conservative.

Moral groups and Whitehall

Moral groups' closeness with Whitehall became evident during the 2005 election campaign.

All the main party leaders attempted to court voters by participating in Christian group Faithworks' lectures, publicly back faith schools and welcome the Muslim Council of Britain's active participation.

Lobbyists believe the upcoming incitement to religious hatred bill is a sure sign of Downing Street's new alliance with moral groups.