Operation Yellowhammer: political advantage trumps right to privacy
The end of prolonged conflicts can be both brutal and swift. The American Civil War ended with Sherman’s brutal 'March to the Sea' and the First World War ended with…
World War I
Beyond the Odds: Providence in Britain’s Wars of the 20th Century
"At many times in the two World Wars, Britain was saved from disaster in circumstances that defied probabilities," we read on the cover of 'Beyond the Odds', a new book by John Scriven with Tim Dieppe (Wilberforce Publications). "There were…
Project apocalypse: Welby calls the nation to prayer over Brexit
In his 'State of the Nation' address to the General Synod of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury is calling the nation to prayer because "social divisions feel…
National Secular Society equates Anglicans with Islamists baying for blood
While the Church of England was preparing to lead the nation in a corporate commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day 1918, the National Secular Society issued a tweet.…
Armistice 100: They shall not grow old…
Black and white is another world: they do not feel because there are no tears; where blood is grey, there is no pain. The grainy ghosts are trapped in trenches…
Remembrance Sunday: ‘Goodbye, Old Man’
'Goodbye, Old Man', watercolour, by Fortunino Matania (1881-1963), depicts a British soldier saying farewell to his dying horse. It was commissioned in 1916 by the Blue Cross animal welfare charity,…
Centenary of the Battle of the Somme: yesterday's youth died so that today's youth might be free
They didn't really stand a chance. They were sons, husbands, fathers, friends and boys – some as young as 18 – ordered over the top into the direct line of…
We will remember them, won't we?
We will remember them. We intone it ritually every year. We even make a chronological covenant: 'At the going down of the sun and in the morning..' There have…
Westminster Abbey acknowledges Mohammed in succession of prophets
"Peace be upon all auspicious prophets of God, from Adam, Noah and Abraham to Moses, Jesus and Mohammed Mustafa.." That wasn't quite how the prayer was rendered in Westminster…
Pope Francis and the Armenian slaughter he didn't call genocide
Pope Francis delivered a speech at St Peter's in Rome to commemorate the slaughter of 1.5million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks during the First World War, a century ago.…
The Queen of peace and reconciliation
"For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role model of…
Remembrance Sunday: Sacrifice, Freedom and Peace
Who would have thought a hundred years on that we would still be arguing over the shady causes of World War One; debating whether the lions were led by…
Welby: we wrestle not against ISIL, but against Jihadi principalities and powers
We are, once again, a nation at war. And, rather like World War I, it won't be over by Christmas. The Prime Minister has identified our target: "We should be…