Devout Catholic Des Browne is once again displaying the extent of his Christian values this morning:

Embatttled Defence Secretary Des Browne has threatened to sack whistleblowers who expose Armed Forces’ budget cutbacks and embarrassing confidential information.

I wonder if this undignified scramble to cover his and his department’s grotesque shortcomings will extend injured Royal Marines. The undignified scramble certainly extends to shortchanging:

Mark Ormrod of 40 Commando was blown up by a landmine during a foot patrol in Helmand province on Christmas Eve. The 24-year-old has spent the last three months in intensive care and rehabilitation and will return soon to his home in Plymouth. But despite the extensive nature of his injuries, Ormrod has been offered £214,000 in compensation, rather than the maximum MoD package of £285,000.

Any Catholic, recovering or not, can tell you that Jesus was (allegedly) put on this earth as an example. He reached out to the sick, he helped the less fortunate.

Sure, like Des, he agonised over his career, particularly near the end when he was facing dismissal, but he never put the job first. If his disciples had been forbidden to spread news, as Des’s are now, Catholicism would have died with the Saviour.

They’d be as dead as Des’s Christian values in fact. He’ll be in church this morning no doubt, giving thanks for the risen Lord. And fretting about those poor little sacs of cellular mitosis. If these embryos don’t become active citizens, there’ll be fewer soldiers for his successor to shaft in about twenty years.

Happy Easter.

(Links via the mighty Sunday PaperRound)