"Tonight, Dispatches explores how fundamentalist Christians are trying to transform society ... Drawing inspiration from the religious right in America, Britain's hard-line Christians are mounting fierce campaigns around a range of issues ... Christian fundamentalists could be just beginning to exercise their power."

So began a prime-time Channel Four documentary in May 2008 by David Modell.

Modell is not alone. Articles talking about the emergence of a US-style religious right in Britain have appeared in The Independent, Independent on Sunday,  The Guardian,  The Observer,  the New Statesman, The Times , and the Daily Telegraph  over recent years. Not all have been as certain or alarmist as Channel 4 but the overall message is clear: Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Nick Spencer and Andy Walton | Read this article in full at www.politics.co.uk