LOTS of people will agree with Colne rector, the Rev. Peter Mott, who backs the Archbishop of Bishop of Canterbury's campaign on morality by criticising the trend for people to set their own standards of what is right and wrong.

And he is right: society will fall apart if this prevails.

For the value is selfish and ultimately anarchic.

Without a common basis of morality - as summed up spiritually by the Commandments and secularly by the law - society has no bedrock.

But while the cult of individualism and self-reliance can take much of the blame for these vital codes being overlooked, as people preferred to do what is right in their own eyes, it is fair to wonder whether the church has assisted in that departure - and is worrying a little belatedly at what has come to pass. For it is not as if the objective standards that Mr Mott and Archbishop Carey seek to restore disappeared.

Rather, were they not neglected by churchmen - in that they were more concerned with understanding those who might have transgressed the code than condemning them?

The instance comes to mind of the Archbishop being interviewed recently on the radio and of him preferring not to comment - at least, not then - when posed questions on the royal divorce.

It is, then, of only limited use if churchmen point out the existence of a common basis of morality, but are not fully prepared to use it as a weapon by being bold enough to censure when they believe the code is transgressed and so give society examples of what is right and wrong.

Otherwise, as has happened, the message is watered down.

The irony of the situation is that many people, if a recent poll is to be believed, would actually prefer to be given a moral lead. And if the church is not to give it, who is?

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