The Government and Faith

 Colin Bloom has been appointed, as the Faith Engagement Adviser at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to lead an on-line review into how best the government should engage with faith groups in England.

This seems to be a rare but valuable opportunity to let the government know how we feel about their current and on-going ways of engagement.

The review closes on 11th December 2020.

More details about how to respond to the review can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/independent-faith-engagement-review-call-for-evidence <https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/independent-faith-engagement-review-call-for-evidence>

Cornwall and deprivation in the UK

 Purely by chance this morning I watched "Cornwall with Simon Reeve" (Thursday 26 November). If you get a chance do watch it. This episode was focussed on the job market in Cornwall; amid the many second homes and upmarket restaurants it has some of the most deprived parts of the UK.

The major issues are that there are very few "career jobs" most are part-time summer jobs and so young people are leaving the county. The major industries such as mining (tin, copper and china clay) and fishing have either closed or require far fewer staff thanks to mechanisation. So many of the towns built on these industries are in rapid decline and nothing has replaced them.

It showed a group of young people who collectively ran some mobile catering outlets on the beach did manage to make a go of it this year despite the pandemic. They have made enough money to take an eight year lease on some premises and start a new restaurant - but not in Cornwall as there are no affordable sites.

Ironically the growth in working from home may be part of the salvation of this part of the country as some of the second homes (in some small towns and villages more than 50% of the dwelling are second homes) may become year round homes which will help sustain holiday towns in teh bleak mid-winter months.

There are no quick and easy answers to the problems of Cornwall and I am sure that there are other areas that have similar problems. I am not posting this to start a "social media debate" as they generally end up in hurling slogans at one another. Rather do watch this programme and think about how we can solve these major structural problems that we have in the UK.

We need a grown up intelligent debate, sadly they are few and far between these days. How we start one is the big question.

Is it me or Mr Johnson that is Bonkers?

 Am I going totally bonkers? (please don't answer that rhetorical question as I know you will say yes, those that don't will say that I am already bonkers). But what is the government (or rather the governments of the four nations that make up the UK) trying to achieve by all the lockdowns?

If you stay indoors and don't ever meet anyone else you will not get Covid-19 - but the economy falls apart. This is what is happening right now. 

If you get Covid-19 the vast majority of people in good health and who are under 70 have no lasting ill effects and the symptoms for the majority do not cause too much discomfort. Some do have long-Covid and some (thankfully very few die). Those with underlying health issues and  those over 70 are more likely to suffer complications and/or die. 

So I am coming round to the thinking that would not the best solution be to let business etc carry on as normal and put special measures, both preventative and financial, to protect those at risk? In multi-generational households those normally at work are paid not to work and stay at home so that those at risk are protected. It would be mandatory to wear face masks properly and observe social distancing when out and about. If those at risk decide that they would rather go out and about and take the risk of an early death that should be up to them not the state. Right now we seem to be taking the worst course of action with no end in sight.

I am one of the lucky ones, I have a pension, house paid for and a large garden so I am "All right Jack". For those renting/with a mortgage and have just lost your job life is hell to put it mildly. If things were opened up the consequential effects of the lockdown would dissipate. The vulnerable would have to take steps to protect themselves and shield themselves from those going out and about. They are at liberty not to do this.

I will end on the happy thought that no matter what we do we will, one day, end up in a graveyard!

Are we there yet Mr Johnson?

 I wrote the following on the 9th April this year and I wonder how much has really changed - until there is a vaccine CV-19 will still be around killing people. The major difference is that thousands of people have lost jobs and more still are less well off than they were. A few will have made 'loadsamoney'!

Covid-19 - The story so far!

I am writing this more in an effort to clear my thinking on this rather than to make any points. I would welcome comments as to whether I have got things right.

1. Covid-19 is a virus that mainly seems to attack the respiratory system.

2. There is no cure as such. All the medics can do is to treat the symptoms (often with oxygen or mechanical ventilators to help breathing) until either the auto-immune system overcomes the virus or the patient dies.

3. The elderly or those with underlying medical problems are particularly vulnerable as the body's defence systems are in a weakened state.

4. The strategy for dealing with the virus is to try to limit the rate of spread of the virus so that the medical services are not overwhelmed with patients needing critical care.

5. This strategy will not affect the total numbers getting the virus, just the timing as to when they get it. The total number dying form the virus should reduce as the medical services will be treating the same number of people, but over a longer time period, so they will be able to give each individual patient better care rather than being swamped.

6. There will be increased numbers dying from what might be termed "indirect effects". That is routine operations are postponed so someone due to have, for example, a "routine heart bypass" dies from not having the bypass rather than dying from Covid-19 itself.

7. Dedicated teams of researchers are desperately trying to work on both a cure for the virus and for a vaccination that prevents the virus taking effect in the body.

8. If everybody, and I mean everybody, stayed at home for three weeks then the virus would die out as it would not be transmitted. This would however result in widespread numbers of deaths with many people dying at home - no power, no food, no carers etc etc - NOT very practical.

9. When the current lockdown is ended, the virus will still be attacking people, so the elderly and vulnerable will still need to take extra care and be vigilant.

10. Our (UK) governments initial strategy seemed to be let people get the virus. Some will die but it will be over and done with in a short space of time.

11. We have now moved to a strategy of flattening the curve.

12. Currently there is no exit strategy.

13 We should pray that the researchers soon find a cure.

Consent of the People

My daughter and son-in-law run a catering company. I have suggested that they start a cookery school and use our house as their educational establishment. I am going on the “How to open a bottle of wine course”. I would like a dozen or so friends to join me!

I can see that there will be mass disobedience if this new "rule of six" is not changed PDQ. I will be making plans and ignoring it. I am coming round to the viewpoint that life is for living. I don't mind wearing a face mask whilst out in shops on public transport etc. Yes large gatherings at raves, sporting events etc are potential "hotspots" for virus transmission. But to say that immediate family shouldn't meet is taking things too far. As The Declaration of Independence says, “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The UK government is about to lose that consent.

It needn't have been this way but the rot started when government ministers - Robert Jenrick and advisors- Cummings flouted the rules and were defended for doing so. Even staunch Johnson fans that I have met are telling me that he is the worst Prime Minister in their living memory - which is 80+ years. Now we have the government saying that it will unilaterally changing international agreements that it freely entered into. If the government can break the law then so can the people.

I really do fear for the country

A Winter's Friend

You know time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.  It seems like yesterday that I was young, just married, and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all those years went.  

I know that I lived them all.  I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.   But, here it is... the winter of my life, and it catches me by surprise... How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those "older people" were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.  

But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey... they move slower and I see an older person in myself now.   Some are in better and some worse shape than me... but, I see the great change... Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be. 

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day!  And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory!  Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so... now I enter this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!!   But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last... this I know, that when it's over on this earth... it's over.   A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets.  There are things I wish I hadn't done... things I should have done, but indeed, there are also many things I'm happy to have done.   It's all in a lifetime.

So, if you're not in your winter yet... let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think.  So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly!  Don't put things off too long!!  Life goes by quickly.  So, do what you can TODAY, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!   

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life... so, LIVE FOR TODAY and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember.. and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!   

"Life" is a GIFT to you.  The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after.   Make it a fantastic one.   

Remember:  "It is Health that is real Wealth and not pieces of gold and silver."     

~Your kids are becoming you......but your grandchildren are perfect!  

~Going out is good.. coming home is even better!   

~You forget names... but it's OK, because other people forgot they even knew you!!! 

~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything.... especially golf.   

~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.    

~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep."  

~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..  

~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"...??? 

~Now that you can afford expensive jewellery, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.

~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless?!"   

~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.  

~Everybody whispers.   

~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear.   

~But "Old" is good in some things: 

Old Songs, Old movies ...

and best of all, our dear ...OLD FRIENDS!!

Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!"  

 

What will the "new normal" be?

We are getting increasingly frantic panic calls from our beloved Prime Minister, Mr Johnson, that we should stop working from home and return to the office or else the world as we know it will die.

The question we should be asking is; "Is the old world worth saving"? As a pensioner the question of working from home or in the office is irrelevant - home is the office! Prior to my retirement some eight years ago I and many of my IBM colleagues were already working from home some days of the week. When I had to travel in for meetings either at the office or at a customers site I was usually able to arrange things so that I travelled outside of the rush hour. In fact IBM did not have enough office space for everyone to be in the office on a given day; I suspect that they were not alone in this.

I realise that I was fortunate in this, many people who work in shops, factories, cleaners, nurses, doctors, the police etc etc have no choice but to travel to work. But for others why commute?

I also know that somethings such as mentoring & training people are often best done face to face at least at first in order to build a rapport and understanding. It is not impossible to do this over Zoom but initial face to face meetings certainly help the process.

So the working form home movement has been around for quite a few years and was growing. The lockdown has accelerated the process and many do not want to return to the daily commute. Some will, justifiably, be worried about the risks of travelling although they want to return to the office, but others value the freedom and the quality of life that WAH can bring and want to continue doing so.

Yes it does affect those whose jobs were "servicing" the commuters, be it sandwich makers, dry cleaners, tailors, etc etc. But the move to work at home had started was growing, CV-19 simply accelerated it. A new paradigm was going to emerge, perhaps we should concentrate on determining what this should be rather than stop the tide rolling in.

Perhaps if all government ministers, including the PM, were forced to live at least an hours commute from Westminster they would be less keen on forcing others to the daily grind of the commute. After all the PM himself does work from home.

Day Out

 Had a good and interesting day (Wednesday), Julia and I went to see the Andy Warhol exhibition at Tate Modern. Journey there on the train was ok, not many people and 90%+ were wearing masks. We arrived somewhat early, even members need timed tickets, although they are free. As it was hot we thought that we would wait by having a pint in the Founders Arms on the embankment between Blackfriars Bridge and the Tate. In all the years I have been going along that stretch of the Thames I have never seen this pub so empty.

We must have seen about ten river buses go past as we supped our drinks and if they had 100 people on board (between them all) I would be surprised. Business for those folk who operate them is dire.

The exhibition was very good and one of the advantages of the current lockdown/social distancing is that you can really see the art as the crowds are no longer there. 

Great for us but not so good for the Tate. We had a good Turkish late lunch, a shame that the restaurant was so empty although a big thank you to the Chancellor for saving me £20.

The sad thing was seeing one the exhibits, Pink Race Riot(Red Race Riot) made in 1963 - it could have been made yesterday. We do not seem to have progressed in the past 37 years. Shame on us all.

Staycation

 Am I the only one upset and annoyed at the change in meaning of the word "Staycation"? It used to mean not going away overnight on holiday but staying at home and doing day trips from home every day. Now it seems to mean not going abroad, according to the statistics about 50% of the UK population took their holiday in the UK every year prior to COVID. Most went away overnight so it was not a staycation. I know that the meaning of words does change over time but I see no need for this change and it confuses this GOM (Grumpy Old Man) if nobody else.

Spreading False Information

Maxine Peake has been censured and Rebecca Long-Bailey has lost her political position over false stories that they perpetuated over the training of US police by the Israeli Secret Service. Basically they did not check the facts of what they posted/reposted in social media. I suspect that we have all been guilty of this. If we see something that agrees with our own world view/belief system/prejudices we will often republish without question; whereas if it is something that we disagree with we will tend to check it to prove it false or simply disregard it. 

Then of course there are the 'facts/quotes' that we all use everyday which are simply not true, much as we would like them to be true. "Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary use words" is a saying that is often used and prefaced by 'as St Francis of Assisi said'. However this saying has never been found in any of his writings. St Francis did call for his brothers to practise what they preach, that is do not say one thing and then do another. (I suspect that we have all been guilty of doing this at some time).

“I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” is said to have come from Voltaire. It is not from Voltaire, the 18th-century philosopher, but it was a paraphrase from a biographer named Evelyn Beatrice Hall of what she thought Voltaire was thinking. So Voltaire never said one of 'his' most famous quotes.

This can then lead us onto the discussion of is there such a thing as objective truth? There are objective facts, the earth is spinning on its axis, but are there objective truths or does truth depend on our world view?

Thoughts on Statues

 I realise that I speak from a position of white privilege but some of the BLM protestors seem to be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Someone like Colston, a slave trader, has no place in being honoured in any way. Yes slave trading was legal at that time, but it resulted in many men and women dying in appalling circumstances at sea and thrown overboard. These are crimes against humanity,. Whether the statue should have been removed in the manner that it was is debatable, but it should have been removed many years ago. 

But other people that they are protesting about, Robert Peel is one example did nothing wrong to the best of my knowledge. Peel's "crime" is that his father delayed an anti-slavery bill. To the best of my knowledge that was nothing to do with Robert Peel, yet he is being vilified. 

Henry Tate is coming in for some stick and there are some calls for the Tate Gallery to be renamed. Yet Henry Tate was not born until 1819, the slave trade was abolished in England in 1807. He started out as a grocer and eventually sold up and bought into a sugar refinery in 1859, slavery in the West Indies was abolished in 1833. So although he was involved with sugar refining it was not until 25 years or so after slavery was illegal. So this is why I believe that some people think that too much fuss is being over statues, particularly when there are40 million plus in forms of modern slavery.  An Indian friend of mind has pointed out to me, rather wryly, that three of the worst  offenders, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh once formed part of the British Empire.  

When we move to times closer to home the picture becomes murkier. Sadiq Khan a couple of years ago unveiled a statue of Millicent Fawcett the suffragette; yet judged by modern standards she was racist - should her statue come down? The are others such as Baden-Powell who are also being pilloried, I do not know enough about him to make any sort of comment but I think that you catch my drift. Slaver traders of any sort should not have any sort of honour, but some of the others that are being vilified biggest crime is being born when they were. A lot of the English upper class treated the "lower orders' of any colour , white. black, blue etc appallingly, it was the way they were brought up. It is not right and hopefully things have improved although to hear some politicians speak they are by no means perfect. 

Slavery still exists

Everybody seems to be "getting their knickers in a twist" about statues of imperialists (Rhodes) and slave owners/traders. Yet there is hardly a murmur about the 21 million to 40 million (dependent on your definition) of slaves that are in the world today. It is truly dreadful and I suspect that many of us, me included, are wearing items of apparel that were made by modern day slaves. We may no longer have the wooden hulks plying their evil trade across the seas but people are in similar or worse conditions than slaves in the plantations.

Removing statues and changing street names might make some people feel better, but surely it would be better to stop the abuses that are taking place today - or am I missing something?

Click here to learn about slavery today.

Judging the Past

Apart from being engulfed by the CV-19 pandemic we are now caught in the maelstrom of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and all the protests initially caused by the murder of (black) George Floyd by a (white) policeman Derek Chauvin. The protest movement appears to have taken on a life of its own and in a few instances has been subverted by people more interested in rioting and looting than by those trying to right a great wrong.
Nevertheless the vast majority of the protesters are focussed on righting the wrongs of the past and those that are still happening today in many (all?) countries across the globe.


One of the symbols of the protests has been focussed on removing statues and place/street names honouring people who were slave traders. It has been pointed out that some of the slavers did many philanthropic acts; this is countered by so did Jimmy Savile but we don't erect statues to him. It should of course be pointed out that what Jimmy Savile was illegal whereas slavery was, at that time legal (still abhorrent and an affront to any decent human being). Slavery might now be illegal but if anyone believes that it is abolished they have not being paying attention to events around the globe.
So this leads onto the question of should we judge the past by the standards of today? There are thousands if not millions of people who were punished for committing acts that were illegal at the time but which are legal today. Homosexual acts spring to mind; over the centuries may people were imprisoned for carrying out these. Some have been posthumously pardoned, Alan Turing springs to mind. He did break the law and was cruelly punished. Should he have been and should all the others that were similarly barbarically treated be pardoned? They knew that what they were doing was illegal at that time and were caught and punished. In some cases the cruel incarceration gave rise to great art, De Profundis and the Ballad of Reading Gaol are two works by Oscar Wilde that spring to mind.
Cecil Rhodes is now coming under attack and there are increasing cries for his statue to be removed from where is is sited in Oxford.  Oriol College did not remove the statue when it was asked to do so in 2016 and said the figure "was a reminder of the complexity of history and of the legacies of colonialism".What will happen today is anyones guess, although if I were a betting man I would bet that it will be removed.
So how should we judge the past and how we should we teach it? How many today are taught about the Tolpuddle Martyrs? Their great bravery helped lay down the foundations of the trade union movement and the great reforms in working practices that are still prevalent today, although under constant threat. The present is built on the past for good or ill. We most certainly should not forget it or else we will be destined to repeat it. 


Many people were transported to Australia for committing acts that today would warrant no more than a slap on the wrist at the local magistrates court. Turing and some 50,000 others including Wilde have been pardoned, but this doesn't ease the pain and degradation that they suffered at the time.

Easing the Lockdown - Stupid Beyond Belief

I really cannot understand the stupidity of the government with the way it is going about easing the lockdown. It is to be expected that scientists will have differing opinions as 'when' is the right time. I was listening on the TV this morning (Saturday 30th May) and some scientists thought that we were rushing things; no doubt others disagree and at the end of the day the government has to make a political decision.

What I do not understand is and what beggars belief is the way that they make these announcements. It is right and proper that they give some days notice before shops and businesses (why not churches?) can open. They will need time to put in place the correct measures to ensure safety to staff and customers. But why or why do they need to announce ahead of time when restrictions on social gatherings are easing? Saying that the rules will change on Monday when the weekend before is forecast to be one of the hottest  of the year is asking for  trouble. What is going to change between now and Monday that will make it safe to gather in larger groups? People will think if it is safe on Monday it will be safe today - so they will flout the restrictions.The government is lurching about like a ship with a drunken sailor at the helm. I actually question whether there is anyone at the helm.

They obviously have no idea as to how people think and behave. If the government wants to change the rules on social gatherings on Monday then they announce it late Sunday night. I have no doubt that this weekend the TV screens and news bulletins will be full of people flouting the rules. This puts the police in an impossible situation, telling people off on Sunday for doing something that they are allowed to do the following day. Is there nobody with any common sense advising the government? It would appear not.

The Dominic Cummings Saga Continues

I am no supporter or fan of Dominic Cummings and I think he should resign or be sacked by Boris Johnson. However from various sources I believe that his son is autistic and from experience of friends who have autistic children they do present special challenges. It could well be that for this reason he and his wife felt that local friends and relatives were not suitable to care for their son and the need to travel to Durham.

It is to DCs credit that he did not use the autism as an excuse for the trip. So whilst there could well be a genuine need to go to Durham the excuse for the trip to Barnard Castle is, to quote his boss "piffle"! So he should go as he is now the story and this is hindering the country's recovery from CV-19.

What is totally unacceptable is the media circus outside his house. This appears to be the norm today, whenever someone is in the news for whatever reason the media think that they have a God given right to harry them at every available opportunity. If his son is autistic the poor lad must be terrified. So yes, Dominic Cummings should complain to his MP although rather ironically he is Jeremy Corbyn.

Dominic Cummings - written before "That" Press Conference

I thought that I would try and collate my thoughts on this sorry saga and separate the facts from the fiction. Not quite sure where this will lead but here goes.

Background 
1. DC does enjoy playing the "Mr Nasty Hardman" image, witness his disdain for the conventional in the way of dress and conduct. David Cameron famously described him as a "career psychopath". He does not suffer fools gladly and is also outspoken regarding senior politicians, examples are describing Nick Clegg's proposals on free school meals as "Dreamed up on the back of a cigarette packet", and David Davis as "thick as mince" and "lazy as a toad". This in itself is not a crime although perhaps goes someway to explain antipathy towards him.
2. In 2012, a senior female civil servant received a payout of £25,000 in a bullying case she took against Cummings and a senior member of Michael Gove's team, when Cummings was a special adviser at the Department for Education.
3. In August 2019 Cummings fired Sonia Khan, one of the Treasury's special advisors, without the permission or knowledge of Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid.
4. He has a great capacity for hardworking and attention to detail

CV-19 and the Trip To Durham
1. DC and his wife Mary Wakefield contracted symptoms of CV-19
2. The took a trip to Durham where DC's parent live to provide back-up childcare for their child whilst the parents recovered from the illness
3. Mary Wakefield wrote a New Statesman article on what their experiences were of recovering from CV-19; no mention of the trip to Durham.
4. A New Statesman interview with DC's parents mentions the death of his uncle on the day they travelled to Durham. No mention of need to provide childcare by his parents.
5. Article in Australian magazine mentions that DC's son is autistic - https://theweeflea.com/…/letter-from-australia-44-cumming…/…
6. DC's dad called the Durham Police
7. Other people have resigned or been censured for having broken lockdown rules - details of some of them can be found here https://www.itv.com/…/the-high-profile-figures-who-have-br…/

Speculation/Not proved
1. DC made two trips to Durham
2. DC made a trip to Barnard Castle some 30 miles away from Durham which would have been strictly against all guidelines
3. DC and/or his wife have some real dirt on Johnson that they have threatened to reveal if DC is sacked

Latest Information
1. Boris Johnson gives unstinting support to DC
2. Majority of UK press and some Tory MPs wanting DC's dismissal
3. Some of the members of SAGE have stated that Cummings actions have made enforcing the shutdown harder and sends out mixed messages - "Not Helpful" to say the least

Questions
Did Dominic Cummings really think that he could keep his trip to Durham secret?
Why has a simple timeline of Dominic Cummings movements not been issued - this would clear up all the speculation and rumour.

Thoughts on VE Day

My mum was inside this building which was flattened in an air raid early on in the Blitz. When they first found her body they thought that she was dead. Then they went back for a second look and recovered her.

Her legs were so badly broken that they wanted to amputate them, but she wouldn't let them. She spent the next three years in and out of hospital having multiple operations. She smelt so much, her legs were encased in plaster, that they allowed her to smoke to hide the smell.
She was able to walk again although she could only walk with made to measure shoes as her feet could not lie flat on the ground as her tendons had been shortened.
They said that she would never be able to have children, so she had me instead!

War is terrible, everyone slain or injured, on both sides of the conflict, is someone's loved son or daughter. Is someones mum or dad or sibling. Is a husband or wife.

We say we have not had war since, but look at what happened in the former Yugoslavia. What happened in the "troubles" in Ireland. What happens in every act of terrorism. What is happening today in parts of Africa, in parts of the Arab world. Have we learnt nothing?

Even today with Covid-19 the language used by all political parties verges on the violent rhetoric. Have the Tories made mistakes in the handling of the pandemic? Undoubtably. Would Labour have made the same mistakes? No - but they would have made their own different ones. We all err, we are all human. No one person or party knows all or has all the answers.

As we remember those that have fallen let our fitting tribute to them be a renewed desire and willingness to work together for the common good.

St Teresa of Calcutta said: “I used to pray that God would feed the hungry, or do this or that, but now I pray that he will guide me to do whatever I'm supposed to do, what I can do. I used to pray for answers, but now I'm praying for strength. I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us and we change things.”

What SS Joseph & Swithun Parish is doing

We, that is the pastoral team of consisting of our PP, Assistant Priest, three deacons and pastoral assistant are busy doing our best to ensure that everyone in the parish database - 650+famillies has at least a phone call. Those that I used to take Holy Communion to I try to call every two /three days. We have Zoom Alpha, Zoom baptismal prep and zoom prayer groups, zoom bereavement group. We are doing our best to ensure nobody feels left out. No doubt there will be one or two that get missed, but we are doing what we can.
If there is anybody that we have missed and you feel we should contact please Message me with their details. God bless - Barry Mellish

And of course our priests are saying Mass each day and this is recorded and is posted up on Youtube channel SPUD 01

What sort of world do we want?

The sad news of the loss of 9000 jobs at Rolls Royce came through yesterday. Including their families that will be at least 30,000 people directly affected. If you include the loss of jobs in the supply chain to RR and the impact on the surrounding areas there will be at least 100,000 people severely impacted. What will they do?

Julia and I were talking about this and we both recall articles written in the sixties imagining a world where we did not have to work - mechanisation would replace people. Instead we would be able to concentrate on the "finer things of life" whatever they might be; the arts, leisure activities etc.

The question is have reached that point yet? We judge the success of countries and people purely in economic terms. Bigger is seen as better, we must work or we are seen as some kind of scrounger or weirdo. We must get a job to have the house, the car, the partner of our dreams. But is that what life is meant to be all about?

The communist system doesn't work, witness the USSR and some of the South American countries that have flirted with it. Unfettered capitalism doesn't work it just increases the divide between those that have and those that don't. The countries that emerged after years of colonial rule started out with such high hopes; yet in many of them the ruling class that emerged clung onto power and the money that passed through and became totally corrupt with massive accounts in offshore banks.

In many countries in the west we have a form of regulated capitalism that sort of works but still leaves many on the margins. Today, thanks to the Covid-19 lockdown many have been "enjoying" a slower pace of life. We are finding new ways of working. I like many others are getting fed up with the isolation, but not with the peace and quiet. Not hearing the roar of traffic or the overhead planes. Pollution levels are dropping and for once "we can see clearly now".

I don't have any answers just a nagging feeling that there must be a better way of doing things than we did. If we don't learn from our past mistakes then we will repeat them. The problem is that those in power are caught up in the CV-19 crisis and wondering what to do next. Nobody is taking a long term strategic view and I have probably been isolated too long!

Mellish Christmas Letter 2019

Well, we have made it through 11 months of the year at least! A few more aches and pains, extra pounds around the waist, well Barry’s, and fortunately no great family dramas. Julia, at long last, had her leg operation in March. It was successful although she still has to be careful not to knock them. 

Andrew & Gaew were in Japan for some of the Rugby World Cup, although the England v France game was cancelled due to the typhoon. They said that it was rather scary and that they were glad that they were safe in their hotel.

Lawrie had the great “pleasure” of guarding Donald Trump and helping police the Extinction Rebellion protests!

Hélèna and Sam’s business is doing well. They were second in the northern finals of the National Street Food competition and they were joint National winners in the Food Sustainability awards, a great accolade. The grandchildren Henry and Georgia continue to thrive. Henry is doing well at school, football and most importantly rugby! 

This is being written before the General Election in which Hélèna is standing as a Green Party candidate in her constituency in Stockport, so by Christmas there might be a Mellish once more in the House!

The great sadness has been the recent death of our college friend Martin whom Barry has known since 1966. We have met up three or more times a year ever since college. He was a great man, it is a great loss.

We had no foreign travels this year, but several trips to our lodge in Devon and a trip to see family in the north of England. This included a visit to Tommy Banks restaurant in Oldstead, Yorkshire. Fabulous food at a fabulous cost!

We trust that you and your loved ones are all thriving.

Wishing you peace, prosperity and Good health in 2020.