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Alternative Queen’s Speech
Here is an Alternative Queen’s Speech – the things that I’d have liked to hear from the Queen in the House of Commons today and what I’d have asked Her Majesty to say if I were the Prime Minister. My Lords and Members of the House of Commons, my government will work in the year…
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The Visitation and an Anniversary
Today is the Feast of the Visitation. It also happens to be the anniversary of me coming to St Mary’s 8 years ago. Those who were around then will remember that my ministry started here with a hugely exciting service of induction and installation. I had to be made the Rector and I had to…
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Off sick
Have had an extraordinarily quiet time over the last couple of weeks, unable to really enjoy being on holiday as I was still trying to get over a bronchial infection which has gone on for weeks and weeks. Back to work for half a day yesterday showed me that I’m still a long way from…
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Politics Just Became More Interesting
There’s a lot of soul searching going on in the UK over the European Election results. Here’s my take on it all… Those complaining most about the low turnout need to think about what they want to do in order to stop low turnout. The best thing to do is to join a political party…
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Glasgow School of Art Fire – video of what I saw
Here’s a video of what I saw yesterday afternoon at the Glasgow School of Art. Despite news reports today which are playing down the damage, the Mackintosh interiors, particularly the library, were very obviously completely gutted.
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Glasgow School of Art Fire – eyewitness report and pictures
As I sit down to write this, my clothes and hair smell of smoke. I’ve just witnessed a profound tragedy – the fire at Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh building. There’s huge sadness in the city. I saw people openly weeping in the streets. This was more than just a building. Iconic in terms of…
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Church of Scotland rejects biblicist position on sex and marriage
It is going to be important not to underestimate the significance of the votes in the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland today. A last ditch attempt was made to get that church to commit to the idea that sex belongs only between a married heterosexual couple. That idea was comprehensively rejected. People with…
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I believe in Europe
I believe in the European Union as a great positive in our lives because it is in the process of minimising two things – roaming charges for mobile phones and war in western Europe. And a whole lot more of course too. But that seems to encapsulate why I care about Europe. I want forms…
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International Day Against Homophobia
Today is the International Day Against Homophobia. I’m not going to say much about it except to point towards a youtube video – one of the most articulate speeches of recent years about the topic. It is an unlikely person speaking in an unlikely location – a drag queen called Panti Bliss speaking at the…
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Heresy hunting
One of the big differences between the theological training that I received from the university and the theological training I received from the church was that the former was interested in heresy and the latter wasn’t interested at all. It may be that things are different now, I don’t know. But quite a lot of…