Apart from posting scripts and personal stuff, I haven't had time to get back to the sort of blogging that provokes or responds or interprets.
The latest personal news is today's receipt of an Honorary Fellowship awarded by Bradford College. Following on from an Honorary Doctorate from the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität in Jena last Tuesday (and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bradford last December), this is a great honour, and the ceremony was very generous. I love seeing students getting their academic awards – the fruit of their labours emanating in pride and celebration. This college is doing excellent work in an excellent city, and it's new main building has to be seen – an icon of confidence.
But, here are three points about what is going on in the wider world:
1. Ukraine remains on the brink and the rouble is plummeting. But, Russia is made of people who are not afraid of sacrifice – indeed they see their history almost entirely in terms of suffering and sacrifice. I am not convinced they will cave in to material deprivation driven from the West.
2. Gordon Brown is standing down as an MP next May. Watching him has been like watching a Shakespeare drama: the prophetic moral courage of a brave man compromised by the sort of “vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself” (Macbeth). To hear him speak about poverty and international injustice was like listening to an Amos or Jeremiah: articulate passion, acute judgement. Parliament will be poorer without him.
3. When the media's attention moves on, the money also seems to dry up. 1.7 million Syrians face hunger because the UN funds are drying up. When the next photogenic massacres or horror stories hit the screens, no doubt we will all wake up again. (At least the base and dehumanising consumerism that was 'Black Friday' demonstrates that horribleness runs close to the surface of most human beings – wherever they are…)
OK, that's enough. Having just read Do No Harm (brilliant account of brain surgery) and Stasiland (brilliant account of life in and under the Stasi in the GDR), I am now reading Rochus Misch's account of his life as Hitler's telephonist, courier and body guard: Der letzte Zeuge (The Last Witness). And Neil MacGregor's Germany. And a million papers for work.
Goodnight.
December 2, 2014 at 8:59 am
No one hearing Gordon Brown addressing the assembled bishops in the gardens of Lambeth Palace during the Walk of Witness during the 2008 Lambeth Conference, could have been unmoved by his passionate involvement in, and commitment to the Millennium Development goals – it just shows how, when addressing issues beyond a four-year parliamentary term, good politicians rather than self serving careerists have the power to do good and influence society beyond the limited tenure of the political term. Hopefully freed from the limitations of sterile political debate, Gordon Brown can fulfil his obvious influential leadership role
December 2, 2014 at 3:41 pm
I’ve just subscribed here, I hope it will give some of your news http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs054/1103337379516/archive/1110350129070.html That is WYAD e-news
December 2, 2014 at 3:49 pm
Gordon Brown – there is another house, not that Mr Blair has been admitted yet. Gordon Brown is a son of the manse who saw more of what poverty does each weekend than than David Cameron has seen in his lifetime. Not to be party political, I would say the same of John Major. Deserves a knighthood as Defender of the Union
December 2, 2014 at 8:48 pm
Reblogged this on hungarywolf and commented:
includes comment on Gordon Brown’s decision…
December 2, 2014 at 9:22 pm
I was amused at the first sentence of your latest blog because if anyone disagrees with you you never really address the issue unless it’s with a sweeping statement like “lived realities” or a sarcastice comment,you obviously don’t reflect on what anyone says,mind you as most of your responses are sycophantic you must think your always right.Perhaps you only take notice of those you know in which case why don’t you just send them an e-mail.
So you were disgusted with the behaviour of people on Black Friday so I’m assuming that you and all your congregation will do the “Christian”thing and not spend money on presents this year but send the money to Syria instead.
Also,I know this is rather late but I’ve been in New Zealand for the last 3 months and was rather busy.The blog where you wrote about the song Rivers of Babylon you totally changed the meaning of psalm 137 by using only part of it.The captives are talking about Babylon the great,false religion,and when the talk about them singing about ‘smashing babies heads against the rocks’they are actually singing how happy they will be when Babylon will be despoiled along with all those(children of Babylon)that were part of Babylon the great.
December 3, 2014 at 9:28 am
You are spot on about Gordon Brown. I have always thought that he was a good man flawed in the Shakespearian mould. Unlike most of our politicians, he has always understood the importance of the common good and the public realm which are anathema to many today but are surely fundamental to our sense of a Christian community. He has been monstered by the press but in fact he did a great deal of good in ways that many people ignore.
I can imagine that you are weighed down with work but I do hope you can keep blogging. You are one of the few people in public life with a perspective beyond these islands and a sense of Europe which lifts us out of the parochial..
December 3, 2014 at 9:42 pm
I can’t believe UN funds have dried up… why , why, how? How can money dry up, when expenses such as hotels and spanking new wagons etc seem to be free flowing? Heaven help them all..
December 4, 2014 at 12:38 pm
For a former GCHQ Soviet SME I’m surprised you don’t see the link to why the fall of the Berlin Wall happened. The Cold War was won not but military strength but by the £ and $. Put simply over time we had it and they wanted it more and more. Our lifestyle. Some there have tasted while others haven’t but longer term they have moved on and in the final analysis they will not in ever want to move back. Ban the Russian super rich from London and see how quickly the dynamic would change. We won the Cold War by being Manoeuvrist and if needed we will do it again. Decadence and profligacy, not suffering and sacrifice, are and always will be the Russian achilles heel.
December 4, 2014 at 8:45 pm
Have sent a reply and hope it reaches you! Iris Nerurkar
December 5, 2014 at 1:20 pm
I remember a comment at the time about Gordon Brown that he was the man who saved Europe during the crisis of 2008, doing the right thing at the right time, just in time. Things were still pretty bad, but I guess they could have been much worse. I don’t know the details of it, but as an outsider somewhat to it all, I had the impression that he was a good man who didn’t quite know how to play the game so people could understand what he was doing. Maybe a bit like Jimmy Carter in the States..who seems to have blossomed and done amazing things once he got rid of the Presidency. Perhaps we can hope for the same for Gordon Brown.
December 6, 2014 at 4:42 pm
Simon, you might be right. We’ll see.
December 6, 2014 at 4:44 pm
Sandra Phillips, I leave it for others to judge your comment.
December 6, 2014 at 11:09 pm
I’m quite sure Nick that what I said will either be ignored because it touched a nerve or most of the type of people who use your blog will think I’m hateful but that’s okat it’s what I’d expect ,after all “If you are part of the world the world will be fond of what is it’s own……Jo 15 v19 and you Nick are definitely part of this world.