Perception and context. It's important [to skull_bearer] to be seen LOUDLY PROTESTING CATHOLICISM when you're trying to rally protesters. But in the context of any protest, there's plenty of things you don't want to be lumped with and it's important to be perceived as fair, sporting and overall not a complete dick. Perceived fairplay is deadly important to Brits. Much more important than consistency.

You can see it as cognitive dissonance or a very romantic and selective world view.