William Campbell-Taylor
It’s no secret that The Hackney Preacher and Councilman, William Campbell Taylor (aka “Father William Taylor”) has his sights set on being Lord Mayor of London some day. The problem is, the job description for that position doesn’t include deception, blackmail, harassment, and immorality. Unless of course, the city fathers want to broaden its scope to accommodate a future candidate who brings to the table all that and more.
We await the legal precedent that will be set in a pending court case in which the good Vicar alleges he’s been “caused distress and alarm” by a lowly vulnerable male victim whom he had asked for a blow job. Said victim revealed this information in a public forum in Parliament, causing the Vicar as perpetrator, embarrassment in front of his wife, colleagues, and fellow clergy. We are left pondering just what happens when it’s all over?
The first possible scenario includes the conviction of the accused, and his subsequent penalty, whatever it may be. What’s left after that is one British Vicar, politician, and future (mayoral?) candidate who now can add a litigious nature to his illustrious list of character flaws. Woe to anyone who might deal with him in the future. So just what will the City of London have gained by the good Vicar’s misuse of the judicial system? Will a rampaging criminal have been taken off the streets and the public finds itself a bit safer because of it? We think not. We surmise that the city council will have become just one idiot closer to a nuthouse, and the man convicted becomes just another of William Campbell Taylor’s notches in his own ever-growing belt of people he’s preyed upon.
This leads us to the second possible scenario. Suppose the court listens to all the pertinent testimony and realizes the full weight of just what the witnesses have to say, and considers the ramifications of letting the courts be used as an instrument to silence those who dare to speak the truth when an elected public servant has done wrong. What will everyone concerned learn? First and foremost, that the courts are not to be used as some kind of blunt force instrument to silence any and all citizens who are victimised by those in power. Secondly, that London’s public servants should conduct themselves with the dignity and integrity as set forth in the code of conduct governing public servants. And thirdly, that London still is a leader in the world and holds a place in history that all Londoners can be proud of instead of being viewed as a place sullied and plagued by indecency, scandal, and corruption.
The crux of the matter is there’s no doubt that William Campbell Taylor asked for a blow job of another man. The real issue is what should be done about it. He’s a Church of England Vicar, he’s married, and while he has a few little minor indiscretions on his record, such as an illegitimate child (which didn’t stop him from being ordained), the attempted blackmailing of another Councillor, and various and sundry provable spoken inaccuracies (we’re trying to be polite here), what’s one more little itsy bitsy character flaw among friends, right?
Harriet’s Place hopes that no such precedent is set and that the prosecutor and judge come to realise that a miscarriage of justice of this kind will have lasting consequences well beyond the next day’s headlines. We promise.
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. Edmund Burke
Irish orator, philosopher, & politician (1729 – 1797)
Editor’s post script: Given what we’ve found out about London’s current Mayor, Boris Johnson, we hope the city fathers have learnt something by reading this post.
Time to turn London around, don’t you think?
