I know that one of the cornerstones of liberal democracy is that you respect the rights of others to believe anything they want, but its hard not to look at the front pages and laugh. I profoundly disagree with dr Williams, of course: correct me if I’m wrong, but he seems to be advocating that some people be exempt from certain laws based on their faith; that, to some people, sharia law should apply. While we live in a multicultural society – which is a good thing – if democracy is going to work all laws must apply to everyone equally. It is absurd to have laws based on faith, or else someone could, in a murder case, claim that his religion dictated he kill. The idea that everyone is equal in the eyes of the law would fly out the window.

Quite what the archbishop of Canterbury was thinking when he said these things I don’t know. It just deepens my belief that religion and religious leaders should be kept well away from politics.