One of the incidents in the Olympic opening ceremony that caused most controversy was the decision to create a tableau mimicking Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper and featuring drag queens. The incident was seized upon as offensive to Christian viewers around the world, something that the organisers have since accepted whilst denying that this… Continue reading Offended?
Category: Opinion
Imagine: The Paris Olympics and how a song and a ceremony offered the only message they could
The idea of an opening ceremony for something like the Olympics seems fairly straight forward. You welcome the contestants, spectators and referees/umpires, you declare the event to have begun and then you let everyone sit back and enjoy the spectacle to come. The thing about sport is that it is an incredible visual spectacle and… Continue reading Imagine: The Paris Olympics and how a song and a ceremony offered the only message they could
The future of the centre right
At the General Election, the Conservatives were reduced to a rump of 121 out of 650 MPs. If we consider Reform, or at least their voters as belonging to the centre-right too, then we are still only looking at 126 seats. However, that’s one part of the story. Whilst barely 24% of the electorate voted… Continue reading The future of the centre right
How did we get here and where next – preliminary reflections on the General election result
As I write, there are 5 seats left to declare. Labour have won 411 and are expected to win a few more, the Conservatives have been reduced to a rump of 119 meaning they’ve performed even worse than the Exit poll projected though slightly better than some of the polls were suggesting they might. The… Continue reading How did we get here and where next – preliminary reflections on the General election result
Journalists should stop trying to be the mediators
Whatever our views of individual politicians, good political debate can be helped or hindered by the journalists reporting, interviewing and debate moderating. I think Nick Robinson modelled reasonably well how to do it when interviewing Sunak but suffered from time constraints. I’m sure previous elections have seen a longer format. The moderating of the BBC… Continue reading Journalists should stop trying to be the mediators
Is John Stott’s successor my friend?
Evangelicals Now reports that the rector at All Souls, Langham Place, Charlie Skrine has said in a speech in Sydney that “Justin Welby” is not his friend. Looking on as an outsider to the Anglican scene, this strikes me as yet another example of why the internal Anglican debate and even more so the debate… Continue reading Is John Stott’s successor my friend?
Rishi’s bigger mistake
This may surprise you, but I don’t think Rishi Sunak’s biggest mistake was his decision to come home early from the D-Day commemorations. Of course, it has prompted a thousand memes and jokes. Yes it caused outrage, some of it genuine, some of it faux and it has definitely put his campaign on the back… Continue reading Rishi’s bigger mistake
Sunak v Starmer: The Election Debate and wearing your heart on your sleeve
Did you watch the election debate last night between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer? What did you make of it? Were you motivated to vote for either party or were you turne doff? I must admit I fell more into the latter camp and the result was that I literally turned off after a bit. … Continue reading Sunak v Starmer: The Election Debate and wearing your heart on your sleeve
Farage returns -what should we make of it?
So, what are we meant to make of that? It’s the start of week two of the General Election campaign and Nigel Farage has gone from insisting that he would not stand for Parliament this time round to not only standing in Clacton but being appointed leader of his party, Reform UK at an “emergency… Continue reading Farage returns -what should we make of it?
Russia-Ukraine and the elephant in the room
The Ukraine-Russia war rumbles on. In the early days, it looked like Ukraine might be quickly overrun. Then a gallant fightback and western support along with significant failings and weaknesses on the Russian side led to the balance shifting in Ukraine’s favour. However the counter offensive was largely ineffective and now, once again the balance… Continue reading Russia-Ukraine and the elephant in the room
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