Ann Widdecombe

 A few years ago, in the early 2010's Julia and I were on holiday in Devon and went to the local Catholic Church in Okehampton summer Garden Fete. It was held in the grounds of one of the parishioners house in a nearby village. We parked the car and were walking to the house when we saw this lady carrying a couple of bags going the same way. I helped her with the bags and we started chatting. It was only when we got to the house and they thought that we were "part of her team' that Julia and I realised that the lady was Ann Widdecombe.

She had brought some of her books with her, proceeds going to the charity that the Fete was supporting. We had a cup of tea with her and an enjoyable chat. She had no "airs and graces" strong views certainly and a wicked sense of humour, someone whose company we enjoyed.

It is so sad that she has had her life brutally cut short. What makes it worse is that some are saying such vile things about her and others trying to make political capital. We live in strange times.

Julia and I will pray for her.

Frustrations with our transport systems

What is up with the transport system in the UK? Last Wednesday evening, 15th July 2026, I was driving from Bromley to Lamberhurst in Kent to see a friend installed as the vicar of the local C of E church. I was picking up a friend and it took me, at about 5:30pm over twenty minutes to drive less than two miles to pick them up. There appears to be roadworks on all the roads into/out of Bromley. Eventually we made in time and saw an interesting and joyous service. After the installation and commissioning there was a gathering with food and drink - elderflower cordial for me as I was driving.

We left about 9:30 and the church is less than a mile from the A21, the main road to take us back home. Only problem is that they had closed that part of the A21, no marked diversions, which left us and others driving around that part of Kent seeking a way home. Satnavs were not much help as the systems were not set-up for the main road being closed. We kept finding routes only to find them closed off as they led to the part of the A21 under repair. I realise that roadworks on main routes have to be done at night as they are so busy during the day. But not to put in diversions is beyond the pale.

There was one amusing episode where I took a road and found that it ended in a farmyard - only to find four other vehicles following me! Eventually we made it home safe and sound.

Then Thursday evening I was off to the Askean Association AGM and dinner. I thought that bus seemed the best option as I suspected that alcohol might be involved! We were about a mile from where I was going when the driver opened the inside door of his cab yelled something incomprehensible and shot off in the "wrong direction". Looking back I think he said diversion road closed - but no prior warning. It was not registered on any of the transport apps leaving me with a mile and a half walk to work up a thirst.

Something similar happened on the way back. The bus was diverted and the journey doubled in length. I was travelling with a friend, and we were using different bus routes as we knew that the way we used going was "up the Swanee"! Again no mention on London Transport apps.

Perhaps these are simply first world problems; but judging by pictures and reports of queues at airports, ferry ports etc it would seem that we are slowly (or should that be rapidly) grinding to a halt.

Back in the Days

Back in the days of tanners and bobs, 
When Mothers had patience and Fathers had jobs. 
When football team families wore hand me down shoes, 
And The T.V had only two channels to choose

Back in the days of three penny bits,

when schools employed nurses to search for your nits. When snowballs were harmless; ice slides were permitted

and all of your jumpers were warm and hand knitted.

Back in the days of hot ginger beers,

when children remained so for more than six years.

When children respected what older folks said,

and pot was a thing you kept under your bed.

Back in the days of Listen with Mother,

when neighbours were friendly and talked to each other.

When cars were so rare you could play in the street.

When Doctors made house calls and Police walked the beat.

Back in the days of Milligan's Goons,

when butter was butter and songs all had tunes.

It was dumplings for dinner and trifle for tea,

and your annual break was a day by the sea.

Back in the days of Dixon's Dock Green,

Crackerjack pens and Lyons ice cream.

When children could freely wear National Health glasses,

and teachers all stood at the FRONT of their classes.

Back in the days of rocking and reeling,

when mobiles were things that you hung from the ceiling. When woodwork and pottery was taught in schools,

and everyone dreamed of a win on the pools.

Back in the days when I was a lad,

I can't help but smile for the fun that I had.

Hopscotch and roller skates; snowballs to lob.

Back in the days of tanners and bobs.

A personal reflection on Pope Francis (Written 2nd March 2025)

 As I write this Pope Francis is seriously ill in hospital and the Catholic world is praying for him. During the past hundred years or so the proportion of Catholics has remained fairly steady at about 16% of the world’s population which has trebled in number. However, the centre of balance of the Church has dramatically changed. In 1910, Europe was home to about two-thirds of all Catholics, and nearly nine-in-ten lived either in Europe (65%) or Latin America (24%). By contrast in 2010, only about a quarter of all Catholics (24%) were in Europe. The largest share (39%) was in Latin America and the Caribbean. (Figures from Pew Research)

 

This change was reflected by the installation of Pope Francis, the first non-European pope for over a thousand years with his different. As the first Jesuit pope he has a charism of being grounded in love for Christ, a focus on discernment and animated by the spiritual vision of St. Ignatius of Loyola, to help others and seek God in all things. It is unsurprising that his modus operandi has come as shock to many in the west. 

 

His first encyclical  published in the year 2013 the Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium”, is the true ‘guiding manifesto’ of his Pontificate, in which he called for a new evangelization characterized by joy, as well as the reform of ecclesial structures and the conversion of the papacy, so that they may be more missionary and closer to the purpose intended by Jesus. For this reason, also in 2013, the Pope established a “Council of Cardinals” whose task is to study a project to revise the Apostolic Constitution “Pastor bonus” on the Roman Curia, dating back to 1988.

 

Since this beginning he has published other encyclicals dealing with the family, “Amoris Laetitia,” and the duty of care that we owe to the world, “Laudato si’ on Care of our Common Home.”

 

Like all of us Pope Francis is not without fault, but nobody can doubt his determination and zeal to carry on with the work and mission of his predecessors who have sat in the Chair of Peter to evangelise the world. His determination to carry on with his work can be seen by the start of his “Synod on Synodality” that is still evolving and transforming how the Church functions.

 

What has Pope Francis achieved? To start, the pontiff has achieved a great deal by living simply, speaking his mind, promoting frugality, and working for peace and justice. Pope Francis makes the news regularly with his reforms and proclamations. He has simplified annulment rules, threatened to shut down the Vatican Bank if it didn't embrace transparency and reform, and moved toward liberalizing the Vatican's stances on the environment, and the economy. He has also placed women in high positions within some of the Vatican departments. In the process, he's angered conservative and traditionalist Catholics around the world, who feel he's going too far, too fast. 

 

Personally, I think that Pope Francis is what the Church needs in this day of age. Sadly, I fear that his days are numbered. I hope and pray that the changes he has instituted are allowed to fully develop by his successor which I suspect will be before the year end.

Barry Mellish 2^nd March 2025

Who is responsible for the single old folk?

 I have a situation with an elderly cousin, or rather elderly widow of a cousin of mine. We are coping more less OK; but this situation is I suspect not uncommon and is part of what I feel is a major situation - care of the old and vulnerable and who is responsible for single old folk?

My cousin, we will call her "Mary", is a childless widow in her mid-nineties. She has no family members physically closer than a two hour plus drive away. Who would have been her closest relative, her sister,  has died as has one of her sister's two children. The other child is in his early eighties, suffers with Parkinson's, and is a four hour drive away! So in terms of blood relatives who could help we are down to great nieces and great nephews who are working, have their own families and are at least two hours away.

Her nephew and niece on her husband's side are in their sixties, do not have good health and are a four hour drive away. So we are left with folk like me, her husband's cousin and we are a two hour plus drive away so we cannot just "pop over". She has LPAs in place for Finance and Health & Welfare. (I am one of the two attorneys)It is easy enough to keep her finances in order using online banking and fortunately money is not an issue. But Health & Welfare LPAs do not kick in until the person has lost the capacity to make decisions and although she is in the early stages of dementia she does not cross the loss of decision making capacity threshold.

She has carers and they are very good but I cannot help feeling that her quality of life could be so much better if there was someone who could gently persuade her into doing things. Neighbours help with shopping and do the odd "handyman" job and there is a local tradesman who is trustworthy and reliable who does bigger things.

Maybe I shouldn't worry, but I do. I understand and accept that people shouldn't be bullied into doing things. Just because something is not what I would like doesn't mean it is wrong for other people. "Mary" says that things are fine, but she is slowly deteriorating and it is sad to see it happen. Talking to carers they themselves have similar issues with their own parents who live a distance away.  I guess that all we can do is let "Mary" make her decisions and we support her as best we can. At least she has us and others who visit when able and phone regularly. What about those who literally have nobody and have financial issues? 

Political and economic issues will ebb and flow. Leaders come and go and the shock waves that they cause will fade. But there will always be an ageing population who deserve our love and support.

The real existential question for 2025

 What will happen sooner; The End of the World or the completion of HS2?

Happy New Year

What's the point of Ruby Football?

The world has changed since I was a youngster some 70 years ago when, holding my dad’s hand, he took me to watch rugby every Saturday afternoon. He had officially retired from playing but was all too easily persuaded to turn out for one of lower sides (‘Combe ran 7 or 8 teams in those happy days) if they were short. I went to a rugby playing grammar school, having passed the 11plus, and started playing when I was eleven. There was no mini-rugby back then. 

 

I went on to play the club game until I was in my mid-thirties and then coached mini-rugby. I played for, Westcombe Park the family started playing for them in the early 1920s, Canterbury where my wife and I lived in the seventies and the odd game for Askeans (my old school). Was I any good, not really although as my contemporaries pass away, I am getting better. Before too many years pass, I would have been on the verge of an England trial if circumstance had been slightly different, at least that is the way I will tell it! 

 

The key question is why did we play, why did I play? I enjoyed all forms of sport although not very competent at any. Firstly, you had to enjoy playing the game, the physical activity, the sheer thrill of it all. There was the camaraderie of being in a team of like-minded individuals, the testing of your, and the team’s abilities against the opposition and last but not least the friendships forged over a pint or three in the bar after the game. It didn’t really matter what team you were in, the 1^st XV or the Extra B, how good or bad you were. The key factor being that you were a rugby man, no ladies playing back then, and you would find a welcome in practically every club in the country. Apart from the playing and helping run the club the high spots were going to Twickenham to see England play or perhaps going to see the All Blacks or other touring team play ‘London Counties’ or the like. The vast majority of spectators at these games were either player/ex-players perhaps with children and/or with an enthusiastic lady in tow. There was no need to make the game more attractive, we all understood the laws even if the referee didn’t!!

 

We cannot go back to these ‘golden days’; the professional genie is well and truly out of the bottle. Back in the day when I started the RFU was proud of the concept that Rugby Union was “one game” from the pinnacle of the international team to the lowest level one set of laws applied and anyone, given the right talent, would be able to make it to the international team. The days when Wade Dooley who made it to the England team whilst playing for a junior club, admittedly a very good junior club, Preston Grasshoppers, are long gone. Incidentally Preston Grasshoppers must be doing something right as they, according to their website, run 5 men’s teams, a full selection of underage and mini teams plus a women’s XV and a Girls U12.

 

For better or worse, society has changed. Saturdays are no longer reserved for sport if you are an adult man. There are myriad competing distractions and commitments. Today’s players are no longer willing to commit nine months of weekends to their local team as their fathers might have been. The benefits of modern communication are counterbalanced by the cons. One coach has described WhatsApp as the “worst thing that could have happened to grass-roots rugby” because now you can cry off with a two-second message rather than a phone call to an angry team secretary or coach. It seems to me ludicrous that you can only play for the club that you are registered to, particularly in the lower teams. All players want to do is play. If the away team has only twelve players, but the home team has eighteen why not play a fifteen aside game. Having substitutes stood on the touchline also reduces the number of teams that a club can run. I for one would have rather played a game than have been a sub for the team above. 

 

I am sure that the top players today enjoy the game and the camaraderie just as much as I and countless others did. They do have to consider their earning potential and due to their sheer size, speed and fitness they face more chance of injury than we did. When you hear the top brass talk about growing the game, they mean increasing the number of spectators and getting more revenue from TV rights, not how many people are physically playing each Saturday.

 

So, what is the point of Rugby? At the top I would suggest that it is in the entertainment business as is all professional sport. Whether there are enough spectators willing to pay to watch the game every week to fund the salary bill of the top players is another question. My personal view is no, at least in the UK. Football is to firmly entrenched as the mass spectator winter sport. Rugby will always be a distant second at best.

 

The laws should be modified to recognise that the professional game is different to that played by the majority of players. They do not want and cannot cope with a fast non-stop game. They need a breather as they slowly walk/jog to the next scrum where the ball is put in straight down the middle and the hookers actually strike! Substitutes and leagues should vanish, the county cup competition should be the highlight in the fixture calendar. As people are unwilling to commit to every weekend there is a game perhaps the season should be split into smaller blocks with a couple of weeks off at the end of each block so that players can do other things with their families. 

 

Perhaps this is all a pipe-dream and I am just Don Quixote tilting at windmills. No matter what happens in the future at the age of 77 I will probably not see the demise of Rugby Football Union, or if I do, I will probably be too far gone to care. But if things don’t change the game will surely fade away. That will be a great pity, not for me, but for my grand-children. I would simply like them to have as much fun from rugby as I have had.