Birmingham Friends of the Earth Action Briefing Dec 99/Jan 00

Oh no! It's the last Vernon's World of the Villennium!

This year is a double millennium. A millennium only comes round once every thousand years and they are all because of Jesus Christ. He was apparently born on 25th December zero AD or was that BC, well that is insignificant. What is significant is that everyone in the whole wide world, communist, capitalist, black, white, male, female, animal, insect, flora, fauna is going to celebrate his birthday on the 31st December this year.

This seemed reason enough to read his biography. It is called The New Testament, a sequel to The Old Testament. J.C. is born into a despotic regime. He does not blast his way out like Arnie or Bruce. No, he mesmerises them with his magic and his words. Well, not all because he eventually dies on the cross, but wait - he is not dead. He is resurrected. This book has had a huge effect upon our history. Think of the crusades, the Spanish inquisition and a couple of swear words. It has sold billions of copies and there have been umpteen movies. I thought why don't I cash in on the gravy train. So here is my idea for a sequel.

Stretch your imaginations for a while. Pretend that J.C. has been frozen in time and is resurrected in today's world. By some miracle of miracles he has persuaded all the TV channels in the world (including those countries that can be a bit touchy about what is broadcast!) to do a one minute simultaneous broadcast.

He had already looked around and seen that the West is like Sodom and Gomorrah, the East is confused, it does not know whether to be Sodom or Gomorrah and there is poverty and starvation in between. The world stinks, I mean literally, from all the pollution that is caused by wars, greed and capitalism. Many of the species he remembered from his time on earth were now extinct. What was he going to say to save the world?

As the cameras rolled he suddenly realised that for many he was not part of their religion. For others he was only a bit part, another prophet among many. How was he going to make them understand?

It was now 15 seconds into the broadcast, 15 seconds of silence. The viewers watched tears trickling down the cheeks of an innocent face. What was happening? Is this a political broadcast? What is he advertising? It's the old onion trick. Others had sympathy; he reminded them of an aged actor on the comeback trail whose muse had left him. Others were frustrated as he was delaying their favourite programmes.

This was not the time for a miracle, as they would only think it was a Spielberg special effect. He had to tell it straight, no allegories no trickery.

We are destroying our world. If we want to create a heaven on earth we must overcome the babel of languages, societies, regimes and religions. Let us create a whole communion through our shared roots, our shared basic needs and our shared earth. Let us be meek for the meek will... Next on ITV Who wants to be a millionaire. He had concentrated the viewer's minds, for in the short time before the next programme they all wondered Who or what is meek will?

Have a super solstice and stay strong for the New Year.

Vernon