My dad abhors any negative comments about immigrants. Asked him recently why he’s so strong on it: ‘Because we’re always happy to take the rich and clever ones. Which means it’s not about disliking immigrants. It’s about disliking the poor and vulnerable. And that’s a bad human instinct.’

There is a useful tracker here for anyone wanting to see specific progress on Project 2025 objectives, all fully referenced --> www.project2025.observer

Well, well, well. I wonder if his Christian nationalist supporters will still be there for him now that he has been charged? Russell Brand, The Prodigal Son? medium.com/p/russell-br...

This has sent me down a rabbit hole. Found this religious literacy quiz from from Stephen Prothero. How many can you answer? #TeamRE - are these the right qus to ask? what's missing?

Something to think about

Happy St. Joseph’s Day! A day to celebrate fathers, mentors, and those who lead with quiet strength. devotionalia.com/saint-joseph...

Today in 180AD Commodus succeeded his father, Marcus Aurlieus as Roman Emperor. He would go berserk, naming the city, months & legions after himself. One contemporary wrote that he turned Rome "from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust".

“The Church of England’s opposition to the Terminally Ill Adults Bill is rooted in the impact the Bill would have on the most vulnerable members of society." Read The Rt Rev and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, Bishop of London's full statement at cofe.io/AssistedDyingBill.

Can't quite believe this is real, but it is. It's going to get a lot worse isn't it. 🙁 Imagine giving/getting/acting upon the instruction to go and remove black medal of honour recipients and changing the url to DEI medal recipient. Staggering. www.defense.gov/News/Feature...

Chapel glow #blueskyartshow #sunlight #edinburgh #scotland #stainedglass

What is Hagiography? Miracles, Martyrdom and Morality devotionalia.com/what-is-hagi...

“Time for it to die,” said Musk, destroying USAID. “It” is hundreds of thousands of people, mahbe millions. Their deaths have begun. Here are some of their names. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

How do RE teachers navigate the emotions that arise in difficult discussions? In this insightful 4th #OracyWeek blog, Emily Shortland explores dialogic pedagogy and the teacher’s role in creating a ‘containing space’ for deep, reflective dialogue. ow.ly/n51b50VfHhz#OracyWeek#TeamRE

devotionalia.com/why-i-quit-m... best thing i ever did ❤️

An ancient and magical amber bear. Carved some 10,000 years ago, it washed up on a beach at Fanø in Denmark from a submerged Mesolithic settlement under the North Sea. ✨Merry Christmas everyone✨ National Museum of Denmark 📷 by me #Archaeology

A reminder that 'school choice' is not a real thing, especially for families in rural areas. No we can't 'go somewhere else' if we don't like it. That's why inclusion has to mean trying our best to support everyone. "The child is not for the school; the school is for the child."

A historic milestone has been reached as the first cohort of students graduates from the world’s first Masters in Reparatory Justice. This double-degree programme is a collaboration between the University of Glasgow and The University of the West Indies. Congratulations graduates! gla.ac/4gvxnWh

Heart wrenching to even imagine the level of suffering he, and others like him have gone through. I hope he is on the mend soon and back safely with his family.

I've got a theory about why some people feel #bluesky is an echo chamber. I think it's partly about being used to triggering engagement through outrage and that not really being a thing here. But also it's about viewing social media as combat rather than interactions based on your interests. 😊

‘Don’t man up…. Instead ‘…talk, cry, scream’ This is so important & very poignant from @mscaitlinmoran.bsky.social on men taking their ow lives

I wonder how many more there are that the BBC ‘know about’. Bizarre that after all these experiences they dont just deal with them properly at the time of the complaint.

South Korea: defeat of president’s attempt to impose martial law shows a robust democracy at work

We know so much about how the brain learns, regulates emotions, and adapts - yet so little of this is fully used in schools. It’s time to bridge the gap between neuroscience and education to create environments where every child can thrive. #NeuroscienceInEducation

I'll be one of the lecturers for this online course on Islamic Philosophy in January. Register at hikmat-ins.com

This is some fascinating data from 2023 regarding the question of whether the rise in trans identity is being driven by peer pressure. Even among evangelicals only 57% believe that it's completely/somewhat driven by social influence. In every other religious group, it's below 50%.

A terrific theory that pairs well with the Economist's terrific and terrifying chart of Musk's tweeting.

Some have said the assisted dying debate has been "parliament at its best". I'm not so sure. Instead I think religion has quietly played a dominant role in the debate, distorted the conversation, with few believing MPs being straightforward about why. My piece for the i. inews.co.uk/opinion/mps-...

I think that one of the reasons the right are so desperate to blame sexual violence on minorities is that the real source is usually within the community or within the family. The social structures they venerate and draw power from all fall apart when you acknowledge this

We don’t hear enough from psychiatrists in the assisted dying / suicide debate imo. Good piece by Prof @medaoh.bsky.social carefully deconstructing Kim Leadbeater’s Bill. Makes several very important points. t.co/jy6UorJIOZ

People are often surprised when I tell them this: both Twitter and Facebook/insta/threads are now specifically engineered to downgrade, hide, suppress real journalism. If this platform is different, that's a huge change

Over four decades in the NHS, I’ve looked after a lot of people who are dying, both in hospitals and at home or in care settings. Please can I reassure everyone that the vast majority of these deaths have been peaceful & not scary? If symptoms are difficult, specialist palliative care is helpful.

If you bring central London to a halt in order to campaign against catastrophic climate change then you're a "barmy" eco "fanatic" who deserves to be locked up. If you do the same to hang on to your multimillion pound inheritance tax exemption then you're a brave freedom fighter defying the odds

As much as I don’t want to live in an echo chamber, I’m so utterly bored of culture wars and vindictive and antagonistic rhetoric. It’s refreshing in here and I’m not going back. More than happy to have civil discussions and debates with those who I might politically disagree with.

A word on the Allison Pearson free speech row, and what she describes as a ‘Kafkaesque’ threat to it. We asked her on @thenewsagents.bsky.social to discuss. She said: ‘No. And if you get any aspect of the story wrong my lawyers will be watching.’ Gotta love a free speech warrior 🤷🏻‍♂️