Dr John Sentamu said that problems such as homelessness showed that it was time to reassess the basic values on which our society is based. He argued that it is clear that the British is “not happy” and that “fairer” countries such as China, Japan and Netherlands also have more contented populations.

Well, yes, we know where he’s getting this idea from, that’s from The Spirit Level, that wonderful gift to lefties which claims that more equal but poorer makes everyone happier. So there’s no problem with nicking all the money from the rich to give to the poor even if it does make everyone poorer: they’ll all still be happier.

Leave aside that the book is very badly written, doesn’t prove what it claims it does. What’s really worrying is that the Lord Archbishop doesn’t even seem to have read it, or not understood it if he has.

“If you look at the figures globally, China is happiest, then Japan, then the Netherlands – because they are the most equal societies.”

China most definitely is not the happiest society on the planet. And it’s also most definitely not one of the most equal either.  In fact, China is one of the most unequal countries on the planet. As you can see here. It’s considerably more unequal than either the UK or US for example.

It  might be tiome to try and strike a deal here. we who know little about the details of the Sky Fairy business promise not to pontificate on hte differences between consubstantiation and transubsuch. And those who do know and care about such differences shut their gobs on the things they know nothing about. How about it Archbish? A deal or what?