Jots and Tittles

The gifted entertainers at Christian Voice, some of whose merry antics have been noted here before, are continuing the good fight against the axis of evil which launched Jerry Springer: The Opera upon the unsuspecting citizens of a pious nation. Stephen Green, the director of Christian Voice, and his disciples are trying to overturn the refusal by a City of Westminster magistrate to prosecute Mark Thompson, the director general of the BBC, which broadcast the show nearly three years ago; and they are also trying to prosecute Jonathan Thoday, the producer of the theatrical version.

Green's lawyer claimed that the show "crossed the blasphemy threshold", whatever that may be, and that "neither Mr Thoday nor Mr Thompson felt the least inhibition in ridiculing God, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, the sacrament of the Eucharist and Christian belief". Presumably this means that Christian Voice is aiming for a prosecution under Britain's law against blasphemous libel, which I seem to recall New Labour did not repeal on the grounds that nobody uses it any more. To their credit, the BBC are not arguing that no offence was intended, or even that Jerry Springer did not attack the Church of England (the only sect protected under the blasphemy law); but that "the magistrate acted within her powers in refusing to issue summonses, since freedom of expression was integral to British society", except for lyrical terrorists and anyone within earshot of the Houses of Parliament, of course.

Green himself called the show "an offensive, spiteful, systematic mockery and wilful denigration of Christian belief" and claimed that no-one would dream of making such a spectacle about Islam. Well, if only more Muslims would condescend to take part in our extensive culture of self-inflicted humiliation and emotional pornography, instead of hiding behind those silly beards and burkas, I'm sure someone would be happy to give it a try.