Channel 4 about the asylum protests.

 On Channel 4 there was a programme about the asylum protests across the country entitled England Till I Die and in particular Crowborough, Kent. The leader of the opposition was a chap called Liam. But these protests are not limited to Kent - there is widespread anger with successive governments about the number of asylum seekers. They are disproportionately unskilled men aged between - 16 and 25 of the Muslim faith - crossing the English Channel in boats. This disquiet - stems from an assumption about displacement - white indigenous people out populated by Muslims. The government is on the back foot and playing - catch up. Unless there is a dramatic change in the number of asylum seekers to the country - the Labour government could be kicked out and Reform and Nigel Farage, will have the - keys to Downing Street. Time to wake up and smell the coffee. 

A lack of knowledge about the King James Version (KJV).

 I was like many children of my age - I went to Sunday school, back in the late forties and early fifties. I enjoyed the weekly ritual and routine - slowly imbibing the stories of Christ and his disciples and of course the Old Testament. So I read with some sadness in The Spectator this week an article by an Oxford academic Gwion Wyn Jones, the fact that a - knowledge of the bible and its stories and parables are not known by many of our fellow citizens. According to 2014 Bible Society research of British children: 61 per cent were not familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan and 87 per cent didn’t know about the conversion of Paul on the Road to Damascus. These stories are part of the very - backbone of our collective knowledge of the bible. How is it possible that this - basic understanding and assumptions about the bible is lacking? I find it profoundly depressing and I’m not a Christian. 

Is AI a threat or not?

 Over recent weeks there have been dire warnings about the dangers of AI - from those in the vanguard of the industry. Is it - hype or is there something - to worry us all? According to The Daily Telegraph ‘we are  running out of time before AI kills us’. On the other hand, apparently Bill Gates has a plan: ‘to keep the world safe from AI oblivion’. For those not in the industry, it’s impossible to know - fact from fiction? Are we all - doomed or not? Quite candidly - I don’t know if I - should be fearful or not? 

Discrimination against LGBTQ+.

 A cruise ship The Scarlet Lady - has been refused entry to Turkey and now Egypt. The destination was for 10 days at sea from Athens to Venice, stopping off at various other destinations. The police in Turkey, have arrested a number of people for - undermining ‘traditional family values’. Needless to say this has caused great concern and anxiety in the LGBTQ+ community. This particular incident is an indication of how - combustible this political issue has become. It would appear - that we are witnessing a regression to more - reactionary and prejudicial attitudes and behaviour. This is a - right wing political ideology and we should be very worried by this turn of events. How much - lower will it go? 

Getting divorced.

 On Monday the respective leaders of - Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, signed an Agreement of Understanding - regarding their respective countries going independent from Britain. Could this spell the beginning of the end of the United Kingdom? There is plenty of - water to pass under the bridge before then, but the government in London, must take the potential threat seriously. For too long there has been friction between - London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast. It’s been wrongly assumed the status quo would last forever. This will be a wake up call to - politicians in Westminster. So we may see in the next few years - the various political parties in the divorce courts. All divorces are unhappy affairs - and this will be no different. 

Sir Salman Rushdie.

 In a fascinating interview with Sir Salman Rushdie on the New Society podcast - is worth listening to. His book Knife has been made into a film and he collaborated with the director. The film will be released in the UK on 30/9/26 and is directed by the American filmmaker Alex Gibney. Of course Rushdie is no stranger to controversy and had to - go into hiding for many years following the publication of his book The Satanic Verses. 

A close call.

 After a security meeting in Ukraine a train was heading towards Poland and had just disembarked its - top security personnel, including Boris Johnson and the governments National Security Adviser (NSA) Jonathan Powell. It’s thought the Russian secret service were monitoring the situation very closely, but hit the wrong train. Had it hit the correct one - a whole collection of senior intelligence officials would have perished - it was a close call.