Slow Archbishop of Canterbury Joke

You've got to figure there's a certain frustration for C of E bishops.

I mean, you might reckon the equivalent level in a secular organisation would be a board director - or at least, in a retail company, a regional director. And if you're a director in such a company, the CEO typically turns over every three years. And if it's never your turn to get the top job, at least you can jump ship to another place.

The chances to jump ship for an Anglican bishop are limited. And the money's not great in the alternatives (albeit the money's not really what it's about). So you can shuffle around dioceses a bit, but once you're a diocesan bishop there's only two real promotions, and they only come round every ten years or so.

So if you keep your nose clean, and have a certain charisma, the job eventually becomes vacant. And the press mention your name, and you're at 11/2 in William Hill's. And it's not that you're ambitious, but maybe you hope you might be called.

And then the name is announced. And it isn't you. So you pack up your troubles and think, well maybe in another ten years - but you'll be too old by then. So you're left with your dreams - your "what-ifs" and your mitre beens.