Radical Thinker

Type the name of Giles Fraser into the Radio 4 search box and a host of programmes comes up. The man who has been described as a ‘media tart’ appears on ‘Any Questions’, ‘Start the Week’, and ‘Free Thinking’ as well as frequently on ‘Thought for the Day’. For the most part Dr Fraser’s views are predictable to anyone familiar with the thinking of the liberal establishment. Nigel Biggar’s name did not come up once when typed into the same search box. Perhaps his duties as Regius Professor of Pastoral and Moral Theology at Oxford prevent him devoting as much time to the media as the Vicar of St Mar y’s, Newington, but his opinions are usually radical, stimulating and ver y different from those held by most C of E dignitaries. In the current issue of Standpoint he ventures where no Scottish church leader has dared to go and criticises the Scottish Nationalists. Professor Biggar sees solid advantages flowing from the union between Scotland the rest of the UK. After pointing out that Scotland’s secession would kindle a degree of mutual hostility ‘these islands have not seen since the 18th Centur y’, he follows Gordon Brown in arguing that a sense of solidarity means that wealthy Londoners do not complain when their taxes are used to support poorer regions in the UK. Unfortunately too few Scots are listening to the likes of Professor Biggar. Latest polls show Nicola Sturgeon riding high and increased support for independence even though falling oil prices mean that the Nationalists are forced back on faith-based promises (nationalism is a faith) when asked to say how they would meet the bills.