I saw this video the other day.
I was struck by a comment that Chris Wickland makes in it. He warns that people may find that they have been taking the wrong side. It’s easy to do this, not out of malicious intent but out of naievity.
In fact in a sermon just a few days previously, Wickland had a bit of a rant about rumours the government were about to try and bsn X (twitter).
Now, I’m not convinced of either the wisdom or practicality of such a ban, nor indeed is this in the government’s sphere of influence, it’s a matter for OfCom. However, Wickland severely misunderstood what the reason for concern was. It had nothing to do with people saying mean things about Keir Starmer or fact checking the government. Rather, the issue is right do with Grok, the AI tool within X, which is being used to generate images of women and girls in sexualised poses and states of undress. I’m not sure we want to be standing with pornography and misogyny in our preaching.
Returning to the other video. Wickland’s main argument focuses on NATo. He claims that the organisation has overreached and is no longer q force for good or peace. I’m not sure what evidence he has to back this up. NATo probably remains the main deterrent against an escalation and widening of the war in Ukraine.
But Wickland’s words seem to reflect the attack lines of two people. First, President Trump who seems happy to see NATo break apart in his desire to acquire Greenland. Does Wickland really think it is a good thing for presidents to be going round threatening their allies and seeking to blackmail them, seemingly because noone gave them a medal?
The other long term critic of NATo is Vladimir Putin. His great desire is to see the alliance fragment. It has long been the claim of Putin and his allies that NATo’s expansion into eastern Europe makes it an aggressor. Yet it is Putin who has frequently used military force alongside sabre rattling blackmail to threaten neighbours.
Do we really want to find ourselves on the same side as Putin, the man who has sent thousands of young Russians to their death in Ukraine?
Faithroots 