The Poppy Appeal: Politicising Memories

I thought maybe I’d try writing this despite how taboo criticism of wearing poppies has become in recent years. That our way of remembering the tragedy of death in war should be so totally controlled by one organisation is something we should be concerned about; memories are personal, but also disputable, and the singular, and highly selective branding is hugely problematic to myself and many others.

What if Nick Griffin really changed his mind?

Remember that bit on Question Time (which apparently is on tonight, but there’s no protests, so I can’t be bothered to watch it) where Nick Griffin claimed he had changed his mind on the holocaust but couldn’t explain why for fear of being locked up for discussing it? What if he actually has changed his mind?

Look away and Blair’s back

Some of you will have managed to notice that I haven’t written a post in over a week. Life got a lot too hectic. This means I’ve had to play catch up with the news, and to be honest, most of its been a bit depressing, but then I found myself living a nightmare a few days ago: Brown to back Blair for EU President. “Oh crap!”, I groaned, “make it all go away!”.

Understanding the American balance of Power

We’ve had a couple of rounds of griping at Obama again. People this side of the Atlantic in particular seem rather disgruntled by the lack of outcome on certain key issues, and possibly even confused by the outcome of some of the others, and in several cases I think this comes down to one thing: American politics is more complex and less dictatorial that we imagine.

Where Science and Politics collide

In an era when we’ve become used to Science running the Political landscape, last week’s sacking of the government’s chief drugs advisor was a kick in the teeth for anyone who thought we had entered an era of “rational government”, where science was the true deciding factor on all matters of government policy.

Cynicism is the death of humanity

I used to have this slogan on my wall as a fresher, displayed as if it were some kind of ward against a disease. I’m not convinced it did me any good, but I can certainly see the value in making the statement right now, as I seem to have been overcome with an immense amount of this destructive emotion. Almost everything my mind turns to becomes framed with accusations of shallowness, of being out of touch, of being motivated in selfishness; myself, those around me, initiatives that I’m variously involved with, and several that I’m not. It sucks!

The BNP, Free Speech, and BBC Question Time

A senior government member has struck out at the BBC’s Question Time for its invite to BNP leader Nick Griffin, who is currently due to appear on the 22nd October edition of the program. Peter Hain wants the BNP’s invitation rescinded because they aren’t a lawful organisation, due to a court ruling over their constitution.

Poll: Topical Matters

Time for another poll. I took some of the most common categories, bundled a few similar ones and want to know which people who read this blog want to hear about the most. This isn’t so I just focus on them, and to be honest, I’m more curious than anything. Anyhow, here it is…

Blog Action Day: The Environment

Its proving rather difficult to work out what to write about with regards to the environment today. I suppose I really ought to, seeing as I signed up for Blog Action Day months ago, and I voted for this very subject to be included. But the environment is a big thing, a powerful force in our lives, but to one extent a very fragile one. For decades, people have been calling on others to “do it for the planet”, but we still manage to make things worse to the extent that Climate Change now threatens humanities very existence.

Transcendence comes of age

Many of you will know that I spend some of my time working on a monthly service called Transcendence in York Minster, a blending of traditional high church worship with modern ambient music, mood lighting and interactive prayer activities. For all its newness, Transcendence is threatening to become routine, or it was until last Sunday.