The Law and the Profits

At the time of year when a few people still celebrate the humble birth of somebody in whose name churches have long preached the virtues of poverty for others, the City of London Corporation has run up against an irritating hindrance to its doing of St Paul's Cathedral's dirty work. The high court judge who is hearing the case has postponed his verdict until January, despite the fulminations of the City's counsel, who described the occupation of the cathedral's yard as "simply intolerable". The cathedral has had to be closed, people are losing money, worshippers and staff are having to rub shoulders with riffraff, people are losing money, services are being cancelled and people are losing money. "We do not," the City's lawyer pointed out, "live in a system under which even the most passionate protesters can decide what detriment others should be prepared to tolerate"; that privilege is reserved for bankers and their chums.

For his part, the protesters' counsel criticised the cathedral registrar for committing pious fraud in the name of passionate well-meaningness, and pointed to the absence of cathedral officials from the courtroom as evidence that, despite being Anglicans, they lack "confidence, inclination and courage", even when it comes to calling out the riot squad.