What is in Kelvin's Head?

Predictions 2023 – How did I do?

31/12/2023

1 Generative artificial intelligence will become significantly disruptive of many sectors this year. Education practices will change quickly as a result of this but education will be but one of many areas of life to be affected.

Happening all around us (even to people who can’t see it happening around them) – prediction fulfilled.

2 No progress for those seeking marriage equality in the Church of England. There will be a lot of talk about moving towards some form of official blessings for same-sex couples which would have the effect of thwarting those seeking actual equality, making it more difficult to achieve. Further division amongst pro-gay activists in the Church of England.

Happening exactly as predicted. The recent developments following the LLF project make equality more even further away – prediction fulfilled.

3 Indyref 2 will not happen on 19 October 2023 as Nicola Sturgeon had hoped, which is a shame for those seeking to separate Scotland from the rest of the UK as the autumn will be the high water mark for the Indepedence movement. It will be downhill into the next General Election after that.

Happenning but not quite as I expected. Indryref didn’t happen but Indy polls are indeed riding high. However I didn’t see the mess the SNP would get itself into along the way. Prediction Fulfilled.

4 Trump and Biden will both declare that they intend to run for the US presidency in 2024 and American politics will continue to be all about Donald Trump.

Exactly as I said – prediction fulfilled.

5 Covid recovery remains bumpy, particularly through supply-chain problems due to mismanagement of Covid in China.

Pretty much as I said – we’ve largely forgotten the supply chain issues that continued from the end of last year into the new year and the spring. Prediction mostly fulfilled.

6 No conclusive end to the war in Ukraine this year.

Alas. Prediction fulfilled

7 Governments in Westminster and Holyrood will announce some kind of “new deal” for the National Heath Service.

Holyrood here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/programme-government-2023-24/pages/5/

Westminster: Pay – here https://healthmedia.blog.gov.uk/2023/07/14/government-accepts-recommendations-from-nhs-pay-review-bodies/
Westminster: Medicines here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/landmark-deal-to-boost-nations-health-and-save-nhs-14-billion

Prediction fulfilled.

8 – UK Government will not succeed in blocking Scottish Gender Recognition Reform.

I remain surprised that the Scottish Governnent gave up on this. Prediction not fulfilled.

9 Liam McArthur’s bill in the Scottish Parliamant to allow doctors to participate in the killing of terminally ill patients will fail to receive parliamentary approval but will receive more support than similar proposals have before.

Bill hasn’t received approval but hasn’t gone to a vote either. Large levels of support in the media. Prediction partially fulfilled.

10 Changes announced to the UK honours system, perhaps at the time of the Coronation, to remove references to empire. OBE becomes Order of British Excellence.

Not happened yet. Prediction not fulfilled.

Result – about 7 1/2 out of 10 this year I think. Not bad.

7 responses to “The Bishops’ Instruction on Fasting and Abstinence”

Rosemary Hannah

09/02/2016

I think it is helpful – but in our time, abstaining from meat is easy – not particularly a hardship. So much really good veggie food around.

What also needs said, sadly, is that any practice which makes living a good useful life or showing love to others, or damages your own health is a no no.

But fasting on Christmas Eve? Far too far out of step with today’s cultural norms.

Reply
Eamonn

09/02/2016

The Lenten regulations of the (RC) Archdiocese of Dublin used to include the immortal phrase, ‘custom sanctions the use of an egg’.

More seriously, though, I see little point in imposing rules about the kind of frugal, focussed living that should be characteristic of Christians all the year round.

Reply
1. Rosemary Hannah
  
  09/02/2016
  
  The thing is – ‘we do it all, all the time’ soon becomes ‘we hit a kind of median’. People should rejoice, feast, fast, mourn. We are most helped, I think, when we do these things of different occasions. There is a time to remember we are dust with limited responsibilities and abilities. There is a time to remember the suffering we bring to the world. Another time to remember the utter joy of rebirth. Trying to get them all into one day is beyond our abilities.
  
  Reply
Mary Wallace

09/02/2016

Its a very good reminder of what we should or could do, however, perhaps we should concentrate on the doing rather than the not doing, at Holy Trinity Haddington we are trying something different by following the booklet “Love Life Live Lent” – “Be the change”, with a different small task every day in the hope that after 40 days those things will become a habit and our community a better place for it.

Reply
Tod

09/02/2016

I’m a U.S. Episcopalian. And I belong (vestryman, even!) at the second oldest black Episcopal church in the U.S. –I hear from old members and those that were raised in the Caribbean that none of these edicts are followed or even explained anymore-in our church or the wider church. I’m 49 and I lament the same thing.

There is no Benediction service at our parish any longer. It was done away with when they were short of staff in the 90’s–although they had an awful lot of staff. People I guess weren’t attending the evening service so it was excised. I’m sorry but showing up on a Sunday for a 1.5 hour service is not enough. And doing ‘good works’ in the world is not either. Where is the discipline? Where is the deep teaching and appreciation for our faith?

Thanks for posting this, culturally I am very liberal and theologically but liturgically there must be some refusal to stop GUTTING the essence of Christianity. I don’t think most people at our parish understand why the choir genuflects at the St. Elizabeth chapel when they recess out of the church! It’s because the HOST is there. Christ in that little box. Show some respect!

Reply
Thomas Rees

11/02/2016

Ah – Benediction! I used to drive 30 miles to serve as an acolyte on Thursday afternoons, put on a cassock and surplice, and take charge of the thurible. There were rules (rubrics?) about how many times to swing it, but I forget – that was 40 years ago! It was about honouring what Donald Trump calls “the little cracker” and we call the Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ. And when the Bishop of Los Angeles showed up…

Reply
1. Tod
  
  11/02/2016
  
  Love this story!
  
  Reply