Jude Smith

I confess that I don't know a whole lot about the North Africa/ Middle East protests. I'm going to buy some kind of articulate magazine that might fill me in later. But (since when has lack of knowledge stopped me speaking).. this reminds me of those months in 1989-91 where every time we turned on the news the map and the countries had changed. Contagious protest, old leadership threatened, a new day. When it happened at the end of the Cold War we rightly celebrated an end to oppression, even if we replaced it with another tyranny of greed. I think I am a bit worried that this time we will have half an eye on the economic ramifications if poor people all over the Middle East rise up. The spectre of oil raises its head again. I don't know how it will shape up but I'm praying for justice and peace. I'm praying as people prayed thirty years ago for bloodless change.. (and if anyone knows about it more do keep me posted).

I have just done a bit of browsing through friends' blogs. Lots of folks reflecting on the last year and planning for this year. And I have to confess that I am jealous. Not jealous of people's life as such: I'm pretty sure that I am doing as God would have me do. What I'm jealous of is people's book lists. I love reading but I can count on one hand how many books I have managed to get through in the last twelve months. I miss the days of commuting when I could get through a book in a couple of days.. But I'm not going to wallow. I'm going to try and do something about it. I'm going to try and read for an hour a day. I have no idea if I can actually do, and I know that something has got to give if I am going to do it. But lets face it, you only need to watch a half hour of breakfast telly and I can eat and read at the same time.. Watch this space for book reviews..

This happy little typo is stuck to the front door of a local house here. As I delivered Christmas publicity the other day I was in part amused and in part intimidated by the sign. These things are often accompanied by a large hound waiting to eat anything that dare to venture beyond the rubber seal of the letter box. As I've reflected on the last few days, and as I caught the last episode of the BBC Nativity, its all hit home a bit harder. When Mary and Joseph sought somewhere to stay this was the response they got. The BBC producers and directors have hit on something in their sense that Mary and Joseph were too scandalous to receive welcome. And so as John pens; the light had come into the world but the world could not receive Him. Arriving in scandal and misunderstanding the Christ child is told to, well I refer you to the picture. This Christmas, Christ comes to us, still mired with the controversies of those who bear Him into the world. My prayer is that somehow He may ...

I think I was funnier this morning..

Now normally in my role the word kettle would be used in a sentence that goes something like: "shall we put the kettle on?". However, that would be far too dull to blog about so as you may have gathered this is about 'student' protests and kettling. It seems to me that kettling has to stop. As much because it doesn't work as any issue of human rights. To use a tactic that was I suspect finely honed in dealing with football fans, really is not going to work. Some students broke off the official route because they didn't want to be kettled. As to the violence. Not acceptable or helpful full stop. Unwise but instructive as to an underlying tension. What became clear to me is that we actually have two issues. The media, because it reminds us of our own student days?, will major on tuition fees at higher ed level. But the anger I want to suggest is among those who have already had their EMA cut. EMA helps poorer kids to be subsidised through further educat...

Given that I will be so caught up in Royal Wedding joy (sense the irony) nearer the event, I thought I would chuck in my thoughts on AV now.. I'm anti. It seems to me that AV gives an excuse to not reform constituency boundaries which is something which the country needs. It still bases an entire system on constituency MP's, which whilst honourable is actually somehow unworkable.. (its very difficult to be a good constituency MP if you have Government duties: not impossible.. my MP does it but its hard). However my fundamental objection to AV is that its a validation of the notion that we should the least repulsive. Ultimately in AV the middle wins. It becomes safe and dull.. In any kind of tight race it will be the the person who gets most second choices who will win. And that is a triumph of mediocrity. I don't think it bodes well.. I could refer to the era when the Church of England was run by the second choices, second sons who were safe and all that.. We still bear...