Prayer as harassment: the curious case of Christian Hacking
When does prayer become harassment? That's the essential question at the heart of the recent arrest of a Christian called Christian Hacking, who was praying in a public space outside…
Man shall not live by broadband alone
Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party has pledged to deliver free fibre broadband to every home and business in the country by 2030. "What was once a luxury is now an essential utility," the Labour leader explained. "I think it’s too important…
Harry Billinge: “My generation saved the world”
There's no need to read anything or watch anything or listen to anyone else on this Remembrance Sunday: D-Day veteran Harry Billinge says it all. Listen right to the end.…
Jacob Rees-Mogg does not deserve to be pilloried for his Grenfell fire remarks
I scarcely thought that 50 years after studying the Law of Tort I should be dredging up my recollection of its principles because they would prove relevant during an election…
Politics is too important to leave to politicians
"The Archbishop's platitudes do far more to divide the country than unite it" wrote the Telegraph's Charlotte Gill in a piece headed: 'Justin Welby has no business using his sacred…
An Advent General Election won’t be a time of peace and goodwill toward men
A General Election has been called for 12th December. There are three possible, even likely outcomes: a Conservative majority, permitting Boris Johnson to bolster freedom and push his Withdrawal Agreement…
Don’t judge an archbishop by a newspaper headline
This is a very poor headline from the Sunday Times, purposely written to exasperate Brexiteer Tories and bring comfort and joy to all sorts of Remainery types. But it is…
Brexit is in limbo: a nation is bored
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has refused to accept any blame for the current Brexit impasse: the "original sin" lies with the UK, he said. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has…
Brexit postponed (again): tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope
It is tempting to move to the rivers of Babylon, sit down and weep. Boris Johnson said he would rather "be dead in a ditch" than request another extension to…
Archbishop, make me a cup of tea
The Archbishop of Canterbury visited the Diocese of Hereford for a cup of tea. It was a mug of tea, actually, but 'cup' sounds better. He had a cup of…
Trump shames America by betraying the Kurds
The Kurds have no friends but the mountains. They helped us to defeat the ISIS/Daesh death cult, but now they are being cleansed from their ancient homeland by Turkey, where…
Which gospel shall be preached this Harvest? And which will the congregation hear?
We are now well into the season when our priests planning their services and delivering sermons in churches and schools to celebrate and give thanks for Harvest time, and in…
Bishop endorses Extinction Rebellion
Extinction Rebellion say billions of people will die in the next decade or so due to climate change, so they are blockading parts of London for a fortnight, preventing people…
BBC censors Sikh history in case it offends Muslims
Lord (Indarjit) Singh has been almost as permanent a fixture on BBC Radio 4's 'Thought for the Day' as the Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines. The BBC likes a certain…
Abortion in Northern Ireland: the disabled speak out
On 10th July 2019, the UK Parliament voted in favour of an amendment to the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill which would liberalise abortion legalisation in Northern Ireland. The Act,…
Bishops urge Boris to get on and deliver Brexit
It has been a while in coming: the Bishops and Archbishops of the Church of England have to-and-froed on the Referendum result, and blown hot-and-cold on Brexit, and wax-and-waned on…
Lawfare — politics is now waged through the Courts
There is one enduring feature of all functional democracies – that of balance. Over-mighty monarchs, barons, presidents or workers' councils do not make for happy societies. If the definition of…
The United Kingdom is no longer a Constitutional Monarchy
The unanimous judgment in the Supreme Court that Parliament is not and never has been prorogued, and that the advice of the Prime Minister to the Queen was "unlawful, void…
Ely Cathedral holds a special service to bless and celebrate animals
Did any cathedral or parish church hold a service to celebrate animals before the Vicar of Dibley did so on 15th December 1994? The Rev'd Geraldine Granger was visited by…
Welby in Amritsar — damned if he does; damned if he doesn’t
The Archbishop of Canterbury visited the site of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in the Punjabi city of Amritsar. He didn't merely visit it, he prostrated himself very publicly before…