From the BBC on 17 February. Apparently "The Church of England has a right and a duty to speak in the political debate ahead of May's general election." Really? The "church" is not a person; it has no "rights" and it certainly can't speak.

Perhaps they mean that people who work for or attend a church have a right to speak? That's certainly true, although the rest of us have a right to ignore the pontification of those who believe in mystical creatures and bizarre fantasies that are less believable than the plot of Lord of the Rings. 

What then do these "church people" feel it is their duty to speak about? Presumably sex discrimination won't be on the list, but there are a few other points they feel qualified to discuss. These include nuclear deterrence, taxation, Europe and the economy. I can't be the only person struggling to understand why a bishop of the Church of England feels qualified to offer anything to these debates or why being a bishop would somehow make their opinion worth listening to. 

The church, completely legally, avoids paying tax by claiming charity status. Maybe it feels it has expertise to offer on the use of hedge funds to reduce tax on investments - a large part of its £5 billion of investments is held in hedge funds. Presumably then they intend to lead a debate on the benefits of reducing tax payments as much as possible and adopting tax avoidance schemes. No? Seems rather hypocritical if they take a different position.