I have not felt this down and disheartened about the land of my birth since January 6th. This is another step into a more dangerous world.

www.theguardian.com/education/20... There is literally no such thing as an oversupply of educated people. It’s an impossible concept. I will die on this hill.

I feel like I haven’t even been properly lied to about the purposes of this war

US foreign adventures always seem to start with ‘overwhelming and successful’, but usually don’t stay that way. And this sort of unilateral action will give Putin comfort in regards to Ukraine and Xi comfort in regards to Taiwan.

I already agree with this in principle - citizenship is an untouchable status or it is nothing - but also for reasons of prudence. “The Home Sec can revoke citizenship when he/she deems someone’s online output sufficiently offensive” is a v dangerous precedent to set with Reform leading all polls.

Judging by what's cited in sermons, too many clergy have a taste in poetry* that ranges from the bad to the astonishingly conventional. *It is possible that good poetry does not lend itself easily to sermonic use, which may, in turn, be because we have a poor concept of the sermon.

The thing I took most from re-reading The Dark is Rising? A reminder that the intuition that terrible forces of hatred destruction threaten us and must be stood against is not a false one. Be more Will Stanton.

No photos, but a frosty dawn with Goldeneye, great garrulous crowds of Wigeons, and hedge rows bursting with Redwings and the odd Fieldfare. The momentary red gold light of dawn on willow bark. The Fox caught in the open in an orchard, each of us staring, waiting for the other to move.

It was the incense that caused me to drop an octave on ‘Hark’ last night. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

I saw in the first minutes of Christmas in a church that’s stood over a millennium. That’s a thought. A blessed Christmas to all.

Christmas Reading: Poetry - GC Waldrep's 'The Opening Ritual' Essays - Rebecca Solnit's 'Field Guide to Getting Lost' Fiction - Susan Cooper's 'The Dark is Rising' (semi-annual Christmas re-read)

Low’s Christmas album is still a thing of numinous wonder.

On of the best parts about working in higher education is playing the ‘can I get eduroam here?’ game.

Spent part of this morning in a hide on a dim midwinter fen, writing down observations on the habits of Lapwings and Wigeons. Great clouds of Lapwings.

Mary Shelley: “Definitely not a real goth. SMDH.” Ralph Ellison: “Oh god, not them again—quick, hide!” Jack Kerouac: “Even I think this guy is a bit much.”

So, a university can host a gender critical feminist, allow her to speak, provide security, and still get sued for failing to protect her free speech because their students exercised their free speech rights to protest. And they us snowflakes?

The one good part about silly TikTok song mash-up memes is rediscovering what a great song Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Silver Springs’ is, and realising how much your mom played ‘Rumours’ when your dad bailed, and why.

So Bari Weiss’s first real editorial intervention at CBS is to repress coverage of American concentration camps.

The power of wealth is the power not to see, not to acknowledge, others, the ability to look right past them or treat them as nuisances in your way. It is a demonic power. I think it’s why Jesus warned so consistently about the dangers of wealth.

‘Everything ceases to be real only when you pay for it: this is why nations go to war. ‘ GC Waldrep Sometimes a poet nails something on the head

No one’s trying to cancel Christmas. No one’s really tried since the 17th century, and that was by Christians worrying it wasn’t Christian enough.

We all know Clarke's "sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" Well we have corollary:

So yesterday, after years of living here, I became a British citizen. It was weirdly emotional. I didn’t realise how much I thought of myself as a foreigner in someone else’s country.

‘My confusion is daily before me’. My signature Bible verse.

Today I learned how much Robert Frost disliked TS Eliot, almost taking the Wasteland as a personal affront.

Left the house in a disoriented and hassled rush this morning. Came back to find I'd never locked the door. I want to say how grateful I am still to have a stereo, passport, TV, etc.

Instead of banning trans women from places, let's ban the woman who was playing Pump Up the Jam through her phone speakers in my swimming pool changing room this morning

Happy Advent!

I am vaguely uncomfortable with my country doing war crimes. By 'vaguely uncomfortable' read 'horrified', 'disgusted', and 'ashamed'.

The two moods of Advent: 1) Sooner or later God’s going to cut you down. 2) Stollen is breakfast food.

Going to try to start a rumour that the original themes of the Advent candles were Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell.

Well, William Nye going a bit 'German Christian' in his choice of books of the year in the Church Times is a thing.

My general rule of thumb is that anyone who uses 'woke' as an easy insult or derisive term goes on probation. It is possible they are ignorant, but it is likely they are an asshat.

‘Smart Casual’ is a tool the upper middle classes use to confuse and frustrate middle and working class folk. It’s class warfare as dress code.

I good rule of thumb is that numbers never speak for themselves, and when someone tells you they do it's time to become suspicious.

Things I've actually said out loud to myself while reading some Barth today: 'Great f**king line Karl!'

I am going into a meeting for which I have written a pre-circulated report. I will not 'speak to' this report. I will assume people have read it and ask if there are any questions and queries. Think how much of human life could be reclaimed if more people did this simple thing.

I wish some Democrat lawmakers would wake up, smell the coffee, and recognise that this is existential for democracy. Playing by the normal rules won't work when the guy you're playing against doesn't do rules. Or morality.

A concentrated attempt by the funded and organised right to undermine the BBC is not beyond the realms of possibility.

I think we need to stop calling it empathy and go back to calling it decency. It isn't a favour you're doing someone else, it's you proving that you aren't a fucking ghoul

Here to tell you that making progress in therapy isn't always as much fun as it sounds.

The temptation to just invent words and throw them into conversations with fellow academics to see what happens is stronger than it should be.

The new Florence and the Machine album may really be that good.

Happy Reformation Day to my Anglican friends in total denial of their Protestantism. All the scares today.

I’m really starting to suspect that most of the tech bros haven’t actually read Tolkien, as they certainly don’t understand it. The gentle hobbits save the “hard men” of Gondor, largely through compassion and selflessness. Not the other way around. The Christian parable is barely hidden!

If you are clergy or a congregant in the CofE, you could sign this. www.inclusive-church.org/llf-open-let...

I watched House of Dynamite last night. Perhaps they should warn people with cardiac conditions before viewing.

I know it's more likely cockup than conspiracy, but if I wanted to enflame racial tension and embarrass the government in service of the hard right, I'd 'mistakenly' let a high profile asylum seeker convicted of a sex offence go free. I hope that's in the possibility set they are investigating.

The look of betrayal you get from a cat you've just treated for fleas is something else. I expect that our usual evening bonhomie (where we all sit on the sofa together) might take a day or two to come back.