Jude Smith

One of my earlier childhood memories is hiding down a ditch watching my family walk past. They were, at that point, oblivious to my running away. It was a New Year’s Day, a sunny crisp one that had been accentuated my my Grandma’s divine roast potatoes. I was about seven. And I wanted a dog. The refusal to engage in the conversation (“you are not having one”) was the trigger for my flight. I wasn’t going to stick around with this group of unreasonable people who wouldn’t let me have an adorable waggy tailed friend. And thats when I found myself becoming part of a travelling community of dog lovers, roaming the world entertaining the masses. *insert screeching end of day dream sound* No- I don’t recall how it ended but I was back at my grandparents in time for one of those post feast teas where everyone stuffs white carbs into their overloaded bodies. We never got a dog as a family. And so two years ago, when I moved here, I resolved to get a dog. I have the perfect ...

Not sure why I'm blogging on this today but hey ho.. There is a new French law which bans supermarket chains from throwing away food. It has to be reused in one of several ways. Its a great idea but there is a dilemma in all of this, because despite the (processed to one degree or another) food going to better use than landfill: we would do better if it never made it to the shelf. What? Bear with me a moment. We produce too much: I’m sure there is a calculated formula by supermarket strategists to work out how much you have to buy in to make sure you never run out. And it means they buy too much in and too much is wasted. And then we applaud as we waste more energy reusing it. All of this, it seems to me, is made worse by us. Yes us. The consumer. Because supermarkets know we will go elsewhere if we keep finding that our supermarket of choice doesn’t have the whole asparagus that we so desperately need (I’m parodying). I think I am being logical in thinking that tha...

Apart from not winning. I’m intrigued that the debate has swung to Trident today. Its no mistake: there are a raft of events about scrapping Trident coming up next week and they might get some national press. Its the moment where the SNP get to dealign again from the whole UK parties who are all committed to renewing Trident (quite why is a mystery). It seems to me that that the Tories are trying to position Labour as only being able to win by pairing up with the SNP. Which must mean they are hearing things that suggest Labour might edge it. Its a tad desperate to be going after Labour on defence- maybe they are hearing that the economic safety isn’t winning. This is getting more interesting by the minute (or it would be if we didn’t have to live with the consequences).

(* a little riff on "its the economy, stupid" for those who are.. ) Its Maundy Thursday. Ready for the Easter weekend, the Conservative's message calendar has clocked that now is the time to talk about religion. DC is in Premier Christian Magazine. Michael Gove is in the Spectator. Now I am tired, so I can't claim to have read their thoughts in great detail. But I was struck by one thing. They have managed to bluster away about faith being important (to make you do your duty apparently) without mentioning JESUS. Mr Gove suggests that reading Augustine and people might be a helpful thing, but what about reading about Jesus. And as for Mr Cameron: well I'm not even sure of what he was saying, apart from its about lifting people up. (the wife carrying festival is later in the year if thats what you are referring to). The heart of the Christian faith is not about lifting people up. Its Jesus. Its the Jesus who, although he could behave like a King, cho...

There is no hashtag on the front of this: mainly because this isn’t a piece about a one day wonder of prayer following something tragic. This is a piece about the alarming trajectory of Russian foreign policy and how I might respond. A caveat. I don’t know enough about Russia to write this entirely from intellect. I do know a bit about twentieth century world history though. Anyway: A UK minister has warned about Russia’s expansionist ambition: suggesting that the Baltic states are next after a comprehensive subjugation of Ukraine. The same day, RAF jets are scrambled to get a look at Russian aircraft off the Cornish coast. This is the second time in a couple of months that UK airspace has been titillated by Russian jets. The last time they caused considerable disruption to UK air traffic. So far so Top Gun. As I’ve said, I don’t know much about Russia: please recommend some books.. But, I know that in some Russian thinking, the greater Russia (the old USSR) has never been...

I've held off from talking about my thinking on the Green Report: mainly because I haven’t read it. However, I’m dipping my toe in the water of comment because of today. Today, I spent the morning presiding at a communion for a Church Of England Academy where I have been invited onto the trust board. From there I went 200 yards up the hill to one of my parish buildings where I talked with the congregation about reimagining church there. The archdeacon and I talked about how we might rework the building: what sustainability means, how we might need to get a change of use from the council. We are trying to find a way to meaningfully minister to part of the parish without losing a building to what would inevitably become flats. Then into the diocesan office for training where I caught the diocesan secretary and the registrar about the same issue. We talked about terms of lease, whether its faculty or chancellor jurisdiction. The training itself was on running a PCC and APCM...

Imagine a school classroom: an old school one before the days of a smart board and ipads. this one has a chalkboard dominating and contaminating the teaching space. A lot of people think its obsolete and unnecessary but there it sits, a home for wisdom and feedback; for instruction and rebuke. In one particular class a kerfuffle broke out one day: as a student, invited to the front to write some feedback on the board, clips its surface with the edge of a watch (it could equally have been a nail or an especially squeaky piece of chalk). The sound, familiar to many and almost universally uncomfortable, resounded through the classroom and before anyone could notice, a previously quiet and serious child in the class sprang to their feet shouting “I’ll kill you!”. As you can imagine it took some time to restore order into the room. The scribe seemed shaken- but defiant that all he was doing was writing. Later at the staff meeting, teachers gave a variety of responses. The senior lead...