> I think it's appropriate that anyone who is seen as a 'leader' of any group, be it religious or otherwise, > is given the opportunity to speak a few words on these occasions should they so desire. To refuse > the church or anyone else a voice on Armistice day would be (in my > opinion) disrespectful to all those who we are supposed to be remembering. An interesting point but I'm not quite understanding. Instead of one voice speaking for everyone we could have representatives from eight religions and denominations of religions, five locally-active political parties, four pressure groups, seven charities, three uniformed organisations, two anti-war organisations and a partridge in the pear tree! I lead a local group, do I get to speak? Freedom of speech is one thing, having the state sponsor your message is another thing entirely. Liz