The Winter of Discontent
September 12, 2007

Garbage piled up in the streets - the Winter of Discontent 1978-79

I can remember it as though it were yesterday and it was almost 30 years ago; the Labor government of Jim Callaghan was in serious trouble, elections were just around the corner and a political party that was hand-in-glove with the unions was no longer able to count on the unions' support. Almost everyone was on strike. Garbage filled the streets. The fire-men, wouldn't work either. The army was called in, fire-engines from museums were called out, Britain was in serious trouble! It was a cinch that Margaret Thatcher, the charismatic leader of the Conservative Party would triumph in 1979 as indeed she did.

The months of turmoil were dubbed the "Winter of discontent" as all sides knew a new beginning was needed to fix the malaise in the country. Thatcher struck a cord with the British people, much like FDR and his "New Deal" in the times of the US depression. Ironically Mrs Thatcher quoted the words of the prayer of St. Francis before entering the PM's residence of 10 Downing Street. The irony was, that when she left office, the country she wanted to unite was never so polarized as before.

One might aptly apply the term "winter of discontent" to the current state of the Catholic Church. The malaise in this case is more than a decade in the making (as was the case with Britain). Here we have been suffering close to 4 decades of fracture within the Church. A new Pope is at the helm, slowly and methodically he is beginning to address the crisis within.

There are, however, those who would seek to convince us that the Winter of Discontent is without end. I wonder why some Trads want to assure us that everything is as it was ? Some Trads almost seem to want the crisis to continue! Where would the British people have been if Margaret Thatcher had continued the policies of the Labor government ? Why was she called the "Iron Lady" ?

A week or so ago we had the travesty of Loreto-stock. I referred to it in this column. Interestingly enough, although Vatican TV had listed the events for broadcast on the Vatican web-site, nevertheless not one second was broadcast at all over the internet. Yesterday we learnt that Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos (the Trad Czar in Rome) will offer the Tridentine Rite on Friday of this week when the MP goes into effect. What venue did he choose to offer this Rite ? You guessed it: Loreto !

I find it interesting to note that Rome chooses Loreto do begin to turn the tide with the revival of the Traditional Liturgy ! One step at a time and the Winter of Discontent is indeed turning to Spring ! It is time for us all to come out of the ghetto mentality and find ourselves alive to the joys of new life !

+TF

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