24 May 2008

The Westminster Stakes: A Late Entry

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Movement, and yet another Dominican enters the fray. Bishop McMahon enters at 8-1, and with the exception of Fr Radcliffe (in whose candidacy I steadfastly refuse to believe), everybody's odds, including Archbishop Nichols', begin to lengthen. Bishop Malcolm: the golfing Dominican; and even if he is a tad too keen on winning, he is the sort of religious Bishop whom the secular clergy warm to, as he feels like one of them. Not the manifesto I would have chosen, but a few punters have obviously gone for it already. (To be honest, it feels like floating a speculative tenner in the direction of David Milliband in a different context, and I wouldn't do that.)

How many Dominicans are there in England and Wales? How come three of them are on our list?

Rt Rev Vincent Nichols 2-1 (7-4) (2-1) (7-2)
Fr Timothy Radcliffe 6-1 (10-1) (6-1)
Dom Hugh Gilbert 8-1 (6-1) (4-1)
Rt Rev Malcolm McMahon 8-1
Rt Rev Kevin McDonald 8-1 (6-1) (5-1) (7-2)
Bishop William Kenney 9-1 (8-1) (15-2) (6-1)
Rt Rev Alan Hopes 10-1 (8-1) (6-1) (11-2)
Rt Rev Arthur Roche 10-1 (12-1) (10-1) (12-1)
Fr T Finegan 10-1
Cardinal Pell 12-1 (10-1)
Rt Rev Peter Smith 12-1
Fr Aidan Nichols 14-1 (12-1) (11-1) (5-1) (6-1)
Archbishop Michael Louis Fitzgerald 16-1 (14-1) (12-1) (10-1) (12-1)
Rt Rev Patrick Kelly 16-1 (14-1) (12-1) (10-1) (12-1)
Rt Rev Bernard Longley 20-1 (16-1) (14-1) (12-1)
Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue 20-1 (16-1)
Bishop George Stack 20-1 (16-1)
Fr Christopher Jamison 20-1
Rt Rev Michael Evans 22-1 (20-1) (16-1)
Bishop John Rawsthorne 25-1 (20-1)
Bishop John Patrick Crowley Non-runner (33-1)

5 comments:

the mother of this lot said...

As long as Bishop Kelly's odds keep lengthening, I'm not bothered.

On the side of the angels said...

I'm very bothered !
But I ditto mother's Kelly proviso and raise her a Hopes [shudder!] and why in the name of all sanity is 'fr' Timothy Radcliffe on there ?
Bishop McMahon does seem to be liked as a people's bishop [He once did an honest day's work !]
We need a miracle - I honestly have no idea how His Holiness is going to pull this one off ; but I believe he can find a diamond amidst all this ash.

As for Milliband ? I said over eight years ago that Douglas Alexander was destined to take over from Gordon but that was when Blair was supposed to go in 2005, not 2007 - So he looks a busted flush now ; but Milliband's father was highly, highly Bevanite/Bennite [like yours truly]and despite all the New Labour trimmings a lot of people are frightened there's actually red blood flowing in his veins and he might actually be a socialist. I don't think it will happen.

the mother of this lot said...

Off topic: Sorry, but I am offended. Make that mortally wounded. Wythenshawe? SOUTH Manchester? Wash your mouth out!! It's in God's own country - North Manchester. And we do get buried in Moston. Although it's true we never lived in Collyhurst. We lived in Ancoats.

Time to get that Almanac out!

the mother of this lot said...

Okay, I'll let you off. Don't do it again!

But it did get me wondering about you. You commented last week 'tell her to resanctify Town'. The use of a capital letter means that you give the city centre its correct title of 'Town'. This immediately places you on the right side of the flyover, otherwise you would use that most irritating of all phrases 'I'm going into Manchester' which makes normal people want to hit the offender in the face.

So, somewhere in the North...

Here are my three guesses:
1. St Clare's or Mount Carmel (same place - counts as one guess)

2. St Dunstan's

3. I am drawn to St. Patrick's, possibly of St. Malachy's descent, but that could just be the Collyhurst comment.

Of course, I may be completely wrong and you could be in exile in Leicester or Middlesborough. I hope not though.

Let me know how if I'm getting warm!

Anonymous said...

The next Westminster incumbent? Should that not be Tony Blair? With his recent move from one religious party to another and his surmon on globalisation, what better person is there to maintain the so-called Catholic church in England for a few more years before it finally sinks. As for that list of poseurs and time-servers that comprise the hierarchy, it makes not one jot who leads the Westminster set. They all reflect the meaninglessness of modern life and fully deserve what is in store for them.