Vincent Nichols - Views

Views

Once considered to be liberal, Nichols was perceived by some as having moved to more conservative positions. Some have suggested this was the result of advice early in his career from Archbishop Worlock to make himself more "Vatican-friendly" if he was to get ahead in the Church hierarchy. Before his enthronement as Archbishop of Westminster, he was vocal in defending the public reputation of the Catholic Church, notably criticising the BBC for what he called "biased and hostile" programming, which contributed to the decision by the BBC not to show the animated sitcom Popetown.

In August 2010, Nichols expressed support for the echoes of Catholic teaching emerging in the language of the new Coalition Government. In particular, he is enthusiastic at the opportunities offered by Mr Cameron’s call for a Big Society. Nichols said that “It gives us an experience of being together in a place that turns things on their head a bit”. He expressed excitement at the potential for the Coalition and reveals he had become disillusioned with the Labour administration. “The last government was too overarching. In attempting to create a state that provided everything, it ended up losing touch with the people it was trying to serve.” In April 2011, however, he was critical about the effectiveness of the Big Society, saying, "It is all very well to deliver speeches about the need for greater voluntary activity, but there needs to be some practical solutions. The Big Society has no teeth and should not be used as a cloak for masking central cuts"