This is a Cult. Want to Join?

My attention has been elsewhere

2009-09-01T03:05:00.001-07:00

Sorry, people. Lately I have been focusing on my other blog:

Shoes Off at the Door, Please

Terrorizer is the best music magazine ever

2009-07-23T05:40:00.000-07:00

Terrorizer is a magazine that covers extreme metal, stuff that is a bit harder than your AC/DC or Iron Maiden. I first read Terrorizer when I was 14. I was amazed at finding a magazine that was focused on death metal and black metal. I resented the way that mainstream heavy metal magazines like Kerrang! and Metal Hammer mocked death metal and black metal bands. Fourteen years later, I read Terrorizer every month.

In recent months, my respect for Terrorizer has grown even more. Two Christians had letters printed on their letter page and received sympathetic and respectful responses from the letters editor. Other heavy metal magazines have treated Christian correspondents with sarcasm and contempt.

This month, Terrorizer included a special feature on Christian exteme metal. They also included a Christian band on the covermount CD.

Spirited Away

2009-07-19T06:10:00.000-07:00

I watched the Japanese anime film Spirited Away yesterday. It tells the story of a ten-year old girl who becomes trapped in a world of spirits and gods. I was fascinated by how the film captured many of the thematic elements of fairy tales from all different cultures.

Many nations have stories about young girls who are imprisoned by a supernatural oppressor and who are forced to perform impossible tasks, yet who receive supernatural assistance from a fairy guardian.

Holiday in Hastings

2009-06-21T06:04:00.001-07:00

I spent the last week with my old folks in Hastings. I indulged my love of ecclesiastical art by visiting no less than six old churches:

St. Thomas the Matyr, Winchelsea
Charles the Matyr, Tunbridge Wells
St. Mary's, Rye
Chichester cathedral
Arundel (Roman Catholic) cathedral
St. Nicholas, Arundel

While I was away I also lead a Bible study at my parents' home fellowship on Genesis 6 and the days before the Flood.

Vive le roi Henri!

2009-06-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

The royalist anthem of France. This song gets so stuck in my head.

Some good stuff on Pyromaniacs

2009-06-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

I occasionally like to drop by Pyromaniacs. While I dislike the Calvinism and Lordship Salvation over there, they often write some really great posts, especially on the subject of Charismatic nonsense.

Recently we had a great post from Phil Johnson on the lack of modesty in evangelical circles these days and a book review by Dan Phillips on the subject of guidance. It contains a wholehearted endorsement of the position of Garry Friessen's Decision-making and the Will of God.

I actually saw one of my favorite paintings!

2009-05-31T12:24:00.000-07:00

I stayed with my lovely sister in Poole this weekend. As I love Victorian art, she decided to take me to see the Russell Cotes Gallery and Museum in Bournemouth. It housed a fantastic collection of art, as well as many artifacts that its original owner had collected while travelling.

I was amazed to find that this place housed Auroa, by Evelyn De Morgan, one of my favorite paintings and one that I have commented about on this blog before.

After going to Bournemouth, we attended the Southampton Beer Festival. We had a good time, though I was not especially impressed by the four beers that I tried.

The weather was so wonderfully warm. It was an excellent weekend to visit the coast.

Completed and Submitted

2009-05-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

I sent my PhD thesis to the university today.

The examination comes next...

I miss Worcester Cathedral so much

2009-05-25T02:17:00.000-07:00

And I miss this lovely angel too.

Reading John Frame again

2009-05-23T07:14:00.001-07:00

A while ago, I read Apologetics to the Glory of God, by John Frame. I think it was an excellent work, demonstrating the excellence of the presuppositional approach to apologetics. Despite my Arminianism, I am pretty keen on Presuppositionalism. I think Classic apologetics and Evidentialism are useful, but have their limitations.

I am now reading No Other God, John Frame's critique of Open Theism. This is a little less to my taste, as I do not share his Calvinism. I find his hostlity to the libertarian notion of free-will to be particularly misplaced. Nevertheless, like him I do not agree with Open Theism (though I still feel they make some good points). I find their rejection of exhaustive foreknowledge to be unteneable and I feel their aversion to classic theism to be as misguided as Frame's rejection of libertarian free-will.

Call an election, Mr. Brown

2009-05-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

I believe the prime minister must dissolve parliament and call an election.

The current scandal over MPs expenses has lead to a crisis of confidence in parliament. It is simply unthinkeable that the government can continue to legislate while their reputation has been so badly tarnished.

An election now would give the public a chance to respond to the shocking revelations that have been made in the last month.

Diet Irn Bru

2009-05-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

I was pleased to find that there is a sugar-free version of the weird Scottish soft drink, Irn Bru.

I don't care for the taste of many diet drinks, but I worry about the effects of sugary drinks. As it happens, the Diet Irn Brus is pretty good. It does not taste much different to the original.

Pear Cider

2009-05-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

Until yesterday, I had never tried pear cider. I have never like apple cider (that's the British alcoholic drink). But I thought pear cider was much nicer. A far more refreshing taste.

The DNA Database

2009-05-09T05:27:00.000-07:00

Maybe its my fascist streak coming out but the civil liberties lobby bores me to tears. I just don't feel any excitement or anger about the government's DNA database.

The government intends to limit the time that peoples' DNA stays on the database if they have been arrested but not been convicted of a crime. A lot of people say they have not gone nearly far enough and they should completely stop storing the DNA of innocent people.

It does not seem a big deal to me. So if you have been nicked without doing anything your DNA stays on file. If you commit a crime, you are more likely to be caught. That hardly seems a big loss of liberty. Its not like you are being locked up or being kept under a curfew.

Trends in Flip Flops this year

2009-05-09T05:19:00.000-07:00

For women, black and white seems to be dominant. Coloured flip flops seem to be out of fashion this season. Gold, silver and jewelled flip flops are still very popular.

Flip flops seem to be popular with women in their twenties and older, but not so much with teenage girls.

For men, choice in flip flops is so much better than last year. Last year, the choice for men's flip flops seemed quite limited. The dominant trend was for brown and a leather look. Most men's pairs were chunky with big soles and broader straps. The newer trend seems to be toward rubber Haviana imitation flip flops with thinner straps and thinner soles. I get the impression this trend is more in line with the flip flops that are popular on the other side of the Atlantic. Contrary to the trend with the fairer sex, coloured flip flops seem to be in for men this year.

One interesting observation I have made; you don't see many black ladies wearing cheap looking rubber flip flops. If black ladies wear flip flops, they are invariably gold or jewelled and usually in the Egyptian style with the long straps.

The Book of Revelation

2009-05-08T10:36:00.001-07:00

Did you know that many Christians have never read the book of Revelation?

Can you believe that? They believe that Revelation is a message from God, but they don't even open it up and read it. I just think that is mind-blowing that somebody can believe that a message has come from God and yet not read it.

They love Jesus but they don't want to read His own book.

Humour

2009-05-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed that nearly everybody you meet tries to be funny?

Our society places a very high premium on humour. Those 'lonely heart' adverts nearly always specify that the WLTM must have a sense of humour. Even job advertisments often specify that candidates must have an sense of humour.

While humour is a pleasent trait, I worry about the pressure on people to be funny so often. It cannot be easy for people who do not have a strong natural sense of humour. The pressure to be funny often means that people come up with stupid remarks and coarse jokes all the time, even when they are not really funny.

Thanks for your prayers

2009-04-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks, people.

I was informed today that I will be able to renew my tenancy. A nice speedy response there.

My neighbours will continue to be perplexed by the chaotic and terrifying music that emanate from my apartment.

If you can spare a prayer as well for a client of mine who is homeless and who will probably be rough sleeping in the next few weeks. He was taken into hospital today where he had a nasty fit, probably brought on by his heavy drinking. His needs are much bigger than mine.

Another prayer request

2009-04-26T01:51:00.000-07:00

The alcohol project I am running has got off to a good start, though it requires quite a bit of work.

I would appreciate some prayer about my housing situation. I would like to stay put. I really like my apartment and it is pretty convenient. The tenancy expires in June and I would really like to renew it. If I have to move out, it will cost me money and be very inconvenient.

If you could pray that my landlord will grant me the opportunity to renew my tenancy, that would be wonderful. Thanks.

Apologies to my Pre-Trib brethren for this post

2009-04-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

Often you hear Christians gasp with amazement when they hear about the peculiar doctrines of cults like the Mormons and JWs. They often exclaim "How can anybody believe that?"

Typically, they have not read enough of the cults material too understand the reasoning behind some of these false doctrines. Hence, when they actually meet real live cult followers, they are confounded and have no idea how to answer them.

These false doctrines have not been plucked from the air. They are supported by twisted readings of scriptural passages. They are invariably based on wrong methods of eisegesis. Yet the reasoning behind them makes sense. When they present their arguments, you can see where they are going.

Yet despite the smart arguments, you are still left with the thought in your head "How can anybody come to that conclusion?"

For all the great theology that has come from Dispensationalist theologians, my thoughts on the Pre-Trib rapture are still exactly the same as my reaction to the odd doctrines of the cults- "How can anybody come to that conclusion?"

I have read book after book by Pre-Trib theologians. Yet I am still baffled as to how people come to think that there is a pre-trib rapture. The more arguments that Pre-Tribbers raise, the more implausible there proposition seems to me.

The battle of the shirts in Thailand

2009-04-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

I don't pretend to be an expert on politics in Thailand.

Basically, the red shirts are supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawat, who was forced out of office by the army, allegedly because of corruption. For the most part they are rural poor. The yellow shirts, the People's Alliance for Democracy are fanatical monarchists who oppose Thaksin Shinawat and managed to pressure the previous government to step down. They are mostly middle-class.

It seems unfair that a government that was fairly elected should be forced out, the first time by the army and the second time by demonstors.

However, the part of me that feels nostalgia for Imperial Germany and Tsarist Russia leads me to a certain sympathy for the yellow shirts. They are supporters of monarchy and legitimate interests. They remind me of the religious middle classes who in the nineteenth century were distrustful of democracy.

The sad truth is that democracy does not always work. The previous Thai government may have been fairly elected, but was it good for Thailand? Most of its supporters were uneducated peasents. Surely the middle classes who support the yellow shirts have a better idea about the needs of their country?

Yesterday was the election in South Africa. I don't know if the results have been announced yet, but it is certain that the African National Congress will win. And it may be they will win the next election too. That cannot be good; yet that is what an illiterate electorate will come up with. The elections in Zimbabwe were certainly rigged, but even if they were not, we can be sure that many Zimbabweans would have voted for Mugabe despite all his tyranny. Across Africa, corrupt leaders have been able to exploit elections.

I am inclined to sympathize with the supporters of Thailand's elites rather than her rural poor. I guess that is the right-winger in me.

Polish Salad

2009-04-22T10:37:00.001-07:00

One of the wonderful things I have been buying from Tescos lately is Polish salad, or rather, salatka.

It is pickled in a jar and contains cucumber, carrot, onion and red pepper.

It is so convenient. The problem with fresh salad is that it goes off. This pickled salad lasts for ages. One of the wonderful things that Britain's new Polish population has brought us.

Tescos sell it on a special shelf dedicated to Polish products.

Times: Enemy of the people? No, Tesco is a hero

2009-04-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

Times: Enemy of the people? No, Tesco is a hero

Despite the recession, Tescos, the supermarket giant, is doing incredibly well. She rules the whole world, except in the USA, where she failed to sink Walmart.

I used to resent Tescos for her market dominance, but I have grown to love the place; its choice and variety.

I love the Tescos here in Stevenage. It is huge and sells everything you could need. I bought my vacuum cleaner there and I could have got my laptop from there as well.

They sell flip flops. They had a sale on recently and I bought loads of pairs. Tescos clothing is pretty good and at excellent prices.

The online Tescos is great too- they sell albums by obscure black metal bands like Hate Forest (the thought of getting an Hate Forest album from Tescos is kind of surreal).

Night of the Dead Bees

2009-04-21T06:29:00.000-07:00

The government is going to spend lots of money investigating the decline in the bee population.

Everyone seems really worried about the decline. Experts are saying that the consequences could be catastrophic.

Another doomsday scenario to add to the list.

Does anybody wonder if maybe it might be in the interests of bee experts to make people alarmed about this subject?

Is this a north/ south difference?

2009-04-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

One thing I have noticed is that lots of people in the south wear bomber jackets. When I lived in the midlands, I did not see many people wearing bomber jackets.

Is this because the skinhead scene was much bigger in the south? Or did a skinhead revival start after I moved to the south?

Bomber jackets are cool. I think skinhead stuff is cool.

Bespectacled

2009-04-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed that nobody ever uses the word bespectacled any more? I suppose they think it has negative connotations.

I think it is a shame.

Surely it is easier to say bespectacled than wearing glasses?

Too many decent English words are being lost.

Not drinking much

2009-04-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

I only had one beer this week. I have not bought any beer since the previous weekend.

In my job I see the bad side of alcohol, in fact that is the main thing I am dealing with. That does not really put me in the mood for drinking much, even though I enjoy beer.

A few weeks ago, I was drinking a bit more than was good for me. I have totally slowed down lately.

I think it is important that if I am helping people to cut down their drinking, I am not enslaved to the stuff myself.

Times: The Church must stop trivializing Easter

2009-04-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

Times: The Church must stop trivializing Easter

by the Very Rev. Tom Wright, bishop of Durham

Wright may be an Anglican and therefore a promoter of false ecumenicism and his views on justification may be deeply unsound, but he has been stalwart in his defence of the historicity of the resurrection.

It is wonderful to see the evidence for the resurrection being brought to light in the Times.

Visiting St. Albans

2009-04-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

My parents came to visit today. We decided to visit the pleasent medieval town of St. Albans. So far, I had only been there for work purposes.

Thankfully, it is a beautiful spring day.

We had lunch at a nice restuarant bar. I had a steak with spinach, potato wedges and fried cabbage. At this restuarant bar they had Franzikaner, a German wheat beer that I am quite fond of.

St. Albans cathedral is a mixture of both Norman and Gothic architecture. It was nice, but it lacked the magnificence of truly gothic cathedrals.

Details

2009-04-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

I am listening to a punk rock band who shared the same name as the organisation I work for.

I can actually think of another punk rock band who shared the same name as a British charity.

I can assure you its not the Sex Pistols or the Dead Kennedys.

I prefer not to say too much about my exact job, in case I breach anybody's confidentiality or compromise my service in any way.

I am Right-wing or Left-wing depending on my mood

2009-04-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

I am Left-wing when:

* I listen to Punk rock music.
* I hear about the plight of asylum seekers and refugees in this country.
* Politicians talk about welfare reform.
* People make mean comments about single mothers.
* I read blogs by American conservatives who have the mad idea that free healthcare is a bad thing.
* I see cool people with pink hair and facial piercings.
* I meet Daily Mail readers.

I am Right-wing when:

* I listen to military marches from the Kaiserreich (Wagner's Kaisermarch is one of my favorites).
* I see anything to do with Tsarist Russia.
* I hear people worshipping Nelson Mandela.
* I hear talk about abolishing the Act of Settlement.
* I read articles in the Guardian arguing that too many people are sent to prison.
* I listen to black metal music.
* I see photographs of Sarah Palin.
* I see environmentalist protestors on the t.v.
* I hear trade union representatives speaking on the radio.
* I hear Liberal Democrats talking about rich people paying more taxes.
* I look at paintings by William Adolphe Bouguereau.

I have the urge to get my nose pierced again

2009-04-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

I had my nose pierced when I was 18. It has since healed, leaving only the tiniest of scars.

A lot of people in my line of work have their noses pierced and I keep getting the urge to have mine done again.

Somebody with taste

2009-04-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

Somebody complemented me on the pair of flip flops I was wearing today. Usually my colleagues in drug services either humour or ridicule my habit of wearing flip flops nearly all the time.

No to Popery!

2009-03-28T01:15:00.000-07:00

I am disgusted that our prime minister is seeking to end the Act of Settlement and therefore free the heirs to our throne to marry Roman Catholics.

We are a Protestant nation with a Protestant nation with a Protestant heritage that we must defend.

I am particularly disgusted at the way our weak and incompetent prime minister is trying to curry favour with Rome and Catholic voters. Just look at how keen he is to have the Pope visit the country.

Update

2009-03-21T07:25:00.001-07:00

I have started doing what I have been employed to do. I won't go into any detail about my role, but it involves working with people with drug and alcohol problems, primarily the latter.

Things are going well. Thanks for all your prayers.

Surprise, surprise

2009-03-06T06:32:00.000-08:00

I did an assesment today with a client who might be described as a hippy. Very into the drug and drop-out culture.

She addressed me as man. She told me I was very chilled out.

How to be a Drugs Worker Part 2

2009-02-25T06:03:00.000-08:00

Always address your client as man.

When speaking to clients use hippy terminology, such as heavy, far out and groovy. Always refer to money as bread.

Another prayer request

2009-02-25T03:34:00.000-08:00

I am feeling frustrated at the moment because I have not started the main function for which I was employed. I am in the post, but I cannot do the job until a certain agreement is made with another organisation. A result of this is that I am travelling a lot further to work than I am supposed to.

Please pray that this agreement is finalised and signed.

Thanks for all your prayers, people.

Drug Tests

2009-02-24T07:17:00.000-08:00

I am temporarily based at the service in Watford.

Today I learned how to carry out urine and swab tests for drugs (for clients on probation). Not something I will ordinarily be doing, but it is good to learn new stuff. When doing the urine test, you have to watch the client do their business.

New Car

2009-02-24T06:52:00.000-08:00

My parents got me a new car on Saturday. I am picking it up next Saturday.

Its a second-hand Hyundai Get.

I have to drive to the outskirts of London to pick it up. I am a bit nervous about the journey so I would appreciate your prayers.

Moderate or Good

2009-02-20T03:45:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not I am setting my radio alarm really early these days so I can listen to the shipping forecast.

I just love the shipping forecast! Like every other landlubber, the shipping forecast means absolutely nothing to me, yet that is why it so pleasurable to listen to. I can just lie in my bed and let these mysterious announcements wash over me and be glad that I don't have to worry about it. It has such a soothing effect.

Meanwhile the captain of a ship somewhere is bracing himself for a terrible storm.

Organising a formal debate

2009-02-19T07:46:00.000-08:00

I was due to lead the structured day programme today. This is a programme of group activities for people with drug and alcohol problems. The activity that had been planned for the group had been cancelled and so my boss asked me to come up with an activity for the clients.

I suggested getting them to do a formal debate and she liked that idea. She got them to debate the causes of addiction:

Addiction is due to personal choice

v

Addiction is caused by society.

A great subject because it addresses questions of blame and responsiblity.

The clients found the activity very challenging, but they nevertheless had a really good debate.

I bet you never realised how diverse drugs work can be.

Cooked Breakfasts

2009-02-18T03:59:00.000-08:00

For over a week I have been eating cooked breakfasts every morning. Not a full English breakfast with all the trimmings, but sausage sandwiches or black pudding (by the way, if anybody thinks Christians should not eat black pudding, see on of my earliest posts).

The great thing about cooked breakfasts is they give you so much energy to get through the day.

ATM Cash Machines

2009-02-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

Did you know that if you exceed your overdraft limit on an ATM cash machine, the screen flashes the message:

Think again, pal. Your shelf is empty!

Actually, I just made that up. But it would be cool they did.

Monkey: Journey to the West

2009-02-13T04:56:00.000-08:00

I have been listenting to some amazing music.

Remember the BBC theme tune to the 2008 Olympics? The amazing cartoon with the monkey? That was a remix from Damon Albarn's most recent musical project.

Damon Albarn, formerly of the rock band Blur, surprised everybody recently by composing a Chinese opera based on the Chinese epic, Journey to the West, by by Wu Cheng'en. This music is absolutely amazing. It makes use of electronic music elements and a little bit of rock music, but it utilises the Chinese pentatonic scale rather than western musical structures.

I started reading Arthur Waley's translation of Journey to the West and am really enjoying it. It tells the story of Prince Tripitaka, a Buddhist monk who journeys to India to retrieve sacred scriptures. He is accompanied by three strange characters, the deified monkey king, a pig-like creature and a river demon. If that sounds a little familiar, it may be that you have seen the 1970s Japanese tv series based upon the story.

Journey to the West is an epic story, with fantastic monsters and creatures to rival Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Yet it is a story on an even more cosmic scale, taking place in heaven as well as earth.

The story contains some hilarious political satire. The Chinese believed their gods were organised along the lines of their own society. Journey to the West reflects this by portraying the celestial realms as being run by divine, but small-minded and incompetent bureaucrats.

Part of the reason I love this work is that it is based on a supernatural cosmology. The various beings of earth interact with heavenly beings who have a definite physical location. The tragedy of modern science is that it has left the west with a cosmology that is entirely physicalist and materialist. It sees only a vast material universe of decaying stars and cold, dead planets. Christianity has largely abandoned the idea of a definite place called heaven. Theologians are often quick to insist that there is no heaven 'up there.' If that is the case, then we have a real problem making sense of the Ascension of our Lord.

We have to recover the idea of a cosmos composed of regions celestial, terrestrial and infernal, populated by spiritual as well as earthly beings.

First male client

2009-02-13T02:56:00.000-08:00

Usually drugs services treat more male than female. Strangely, enough I only did my first male client assesment today. So far most of my clients have been alcoholic ladies with child protection and domestic violence issues.

Professor Nutt had a point

2009-02-10T03:16:00.000-08:00

Outrage was expressed in parliament yesterday over comments by one of the government's senior drugs advisors, Professor David Nutt. Nutt had pointed out that horse riding caused more deaths annually than the drug ecstasy. The home secretary, Jackie Smith demanded he apologised for the comments.

It is unfortunate that our leaders are so quick to miss an obvious point; that is that ecstasy causes only a small number of deaths in comparison with activities that are seen as perfectly normal. If the sole reason for keeping ecstasy illegal is that it is dangerous, why are other more dangerous activities permitted?

The home secretary has made it clear that she will dismiss recommendations by her scientific advisors that ecstasy shoiuld be downgraded from a class A to a class B drug. This raises the question of what the point is of having advisors if government ministers announce they will ignore their recommendations.

How to be a drugs worker

2009-02-09T04:13:00.000-08:00

I say to the client:

I forbid you to ever take drugs again.

The client goes home and never takes drugs again.

Travelling in bad weather

2009-02-05T04:04:00.000-08:00

I just made an horrible journey to Watford in this dreadful weather. I made it here, but I still got to drive back.

You've got a Brrrrgrrr?

2009-01-27T04:02:00.000-08:00

I have a colleague with a really strong Scottish accent.

Last week I brought in a burger from the sandwich shop next door. The Scottish colleague said:

You've got a brrrgrrr?

On seeing my brrrgrrr, she proceeded to buy her own brrrgrrr.

I am talking like a Southerner

2009-01-27T03:56:00.000-08:00

I am starting to talk like a southerner.

I can't tell the difference between how people sound in London, Hastings or Stevenage, but I am talking like one of them now.

Prayer Update

2009-01-26T06:30:00.000-08:00

The job is going well. Thanks for your prayers. I got to carry out my first client risk assesment today.

Please pray for my car. I am having an hard time starting it. This is a worry, beccause I need it to get to Hemel Hempstead. Please pray that the garage gets it running smoothly tomorrow. Thanks so much.

Update: The fault seems to be electrical and I need to go to another garage.

Yet more expence

2009-01-22T08:22:00.000-08:00

My car would not start today. The battery had run out. It was old and needed replacing anyway. I had to call out the breakdown service before I could go to work. So I had to pay for a new car battery and I am going to lose my 'no-callouts' discount on the breakdown cover.

Working in Hemel Hempstead at the moment

2009-01-21T04:29:00.000-08:00

I have started work. I am based in Hemel Hempstead for the moment. It is just under an hour's drive from Stevenage.

I have not started my proper work yet; I am currently shadowing another alcohol and drugs worker.

This is going to be a challenging job, but I am glad I am onboard.

Should be starting work Wednesday

2009-01-12T06:52:00.000-08:00

I should be starting work Wednesday. My boss will confirm tomorrow.

I will probably working quite a bit in Watford at first, which will require a bit of travel.

Thanks for your continued prayers.

A 2 Minute Wonder!

2009-01-10T04:53:00.000-08:00

Women in Art by Eggman913

This is really worth watching!

I am OK

2009-01-08T06:38:00.001-08:00

Things are going fine here in Stevenage, but I am itching to start work.

Please pray that I can start work next week and that I glorify Christ in my job.

Shoes Off at the Door, Please: Luke Skywalker has a Shoes-Off Rule!

2008-12-25T12:02:00.000-08:00

Shoes Off at the Door, Please: Luke Skywalker has a Shoes-Off Rule!

I decided this week to pick up a Star Wars novel after a long break from Star Wars novels and found something thrilling.

"Please Take Off Your Shoes" Door Mat

2008-12-25T11:15:00.000-08:00

I promised myself that when I got my own place, I would buy this door mat that says 'Please Take Off Your Shoes.' It was expensive, but I did. Mine is in brick red, with black letters. You can buy your own shoes-off doormat from Mats4u (UK)

I have not had any visitors yet, but I am sure I will in good time.

Moved in

2008-12-25T11:09:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this week.

I moved into my apartment last Saturday. Many thanks to those who prayed for me.

It is a great apartment. I did not bring the computer and I don't have internet, so I have not been able to post any news.

I am not an huge fan of Stevenage. It is a pretty boring town. It seems like how I would imagine an American town, with no real centre and made up of lots of dispersed suburbs. It seems like the town grew rather too fast without enough planning and development. But I have been living there for less than a week.

I am still awaiting a date for starting work. I would appreciate prayer that I will be able to start soon, ideally next week, or the next week if not.

Stressful

2008-12-18T07:47:00.001-08:00

I am moving on Saturday and feeling stressed about it.

How to do theology the Matthew C- way

2008-12-18T05:13:00.001-08:00

1. Adopt the most controversial view.
2. Change your position if people start to agree with you.

Guardian: It is ludicrous to compare modern Russia with the old Soviet Union

2008-12-17T02:11:00.000-08:00

Guardian: It is ludicrous to compare modern Russia with the old Soviet Union

'We are a fully integrated part of the global economy, and we respect our neighbours' borders'

by Dmitry Peskov

A spokesman for prime minister Vladimir Putin responds to charges by a Guardian article.

On relations beyond our borders, we are accused on the one hand of expansionist ambitions and having designed a "blueprint to bring back the Soviet Union's geography", and on the other of "becoming increasingly isolationist". It seems we can't win. And it is wrong to state that "Russia's territory now includes Abkhazia and South Ossetia" - they have both made clear that they are determined to retain their hard-won independence, something we are committed to respect.

Guardian: MigrationWatch is twisting the truth

2008-12-17T01:27:00.000-08:00

Guardian: MigrationWatch is twisting the truth

'New figures reveal that immigrants are not taking British people's jobs – despite what Sir Andrew Green's thinktank says'

by Philippe Legrain

Whichever way you look at it, immigrants are not taking British people's jobs. On the contrary, they are helping to provide vital public services and keep small businesses going. Not for the first time, MigrationWatch's xenophobic prejudice is causing it to twist the truth. Andrew Green should be ashamed of himself.

I am a Substance Misuse Project Worker

2008-12-16T08:05:00.000-08:00

I finally got my contract today. The salary is very healthy, though the job description is perhaps a little on the vague side.

I am not sure when I am starting, but I am going to move into my apartment in Hertfordshire on Saturday.

Daily Telegraph: Bible-bushing

2008-12-16T03:14:00.000-08:00

Daily Telegraph: Bible-bushing

How wonderful to be able to lay these charges at Christianity's door. What more evidence could you possible want for keeping God out of politics? Ok... Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, the Middle East generally, Northern Ireland, and Bosnia... but apart from that?

How frustrating, then, to learn that Bush is not the rigid, fanatical, Darwin-trashing, Bible-bashing fundamentalist we had all assumed. Apparently, he is not convinced that God wanted him to be president. He believes "there is an almighty that is broad and big enough and loving enough that can encompass a lot of people" (rather than just conservative evangelical Americans). God did not tell him to go to war in Iraq but, rather, he based his decision "upon the need to protect the American people from harm". He does not think evolution and the Christian faith are incompatible.

by Nick Spencer

Angels don't appear today

2008-12-16T01:28:00.000-08:00

At the prayer meeting last night we read Hebrews 13.

I managed to generate some heated discussion on verse 2:

2 Be not fogtful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

I argued that the author was not suggesting the possibility that Christians might entertain angels, he was merely alluding to the incidents of Abraham and Lot entertaining angels.

Eisegesis kicked in and some people insisted that it was 'obvious' that the author thought entertaining angels was a possibility.

I argued that there would be no purpose in Christians entertaining angels today. Abraham and Lot entertained angels on the momentous occasions of God revealing His purpose and executing judgment on Sodom. No events of such magnitude were going to happen to believers today.

A gentleman argued that Christians in Africa had regular experiences of a supernatural nature. In contrast Christians in the west had become blind to the spirit world because of materialist assumptions. People in the west do not expect to see angels therefore they do not see them.

I pointed out that the expectation of seeing angels should have no bearing on whether we see them or not; people in Bible times who saw angels were generally taken by surprise!

Surely we need to take our understanding of the spirit world from Scripture, not the alleged experiences of Christians in Africa. One problem with African Christianity is the widespread ignorance of Scripture on that continent and hence the possibility of confusing superstition with truth about the spirit world.

Of course somebody had to mention an 'angel testimony.' Every church has somebody who has a story about meeting some mysterious stranger who they believe was an angel.

When it comes to angel testimonies I believe we need some sanctified skepticism. It is clear that God has ordained the cosmos in such a way that we do not see angels. We know they exist and I believe they exercise a governmental role over the cosmos, yet their world and our world do not interact in any visible way. When angels did become visible, it was always related to the revelation of God's governmental purposes. Now that we have a final revelation of these purposes, there is no need for angelic visitations until the end of the age. we must therefore exercise some commonsense about alleged appearances of angels and conclude that there must be a better explanation for them.

Guardian: Rights and responsibilities bill is all wrong

2008-12-15T01:27:00.000-08:00

Guardian: Rights and responsibilities bill is all wrong

"Perhaps Straw has veered towards Mail-think, which would be sad. Whatever Straw really believes, a British "bill of rights and responsibilities" is not an answer. Adding responsibilities to rights will not create a "balance" as he claims; it will create a nonsense. The basic flaw is that rights and responsibilities do not logically belong to the same family. They are different animals. They cannot be set off against, or complement, one another. It makes no sense to say: "Here is a right, let's have a responsibility to balance it." If you have a legal right to something and you are denied it, you can go to court and demand it be restored, or that you are compensated.

But most responsibilities or duties are not of that ilk: they are more akin to statements of desirable behaviour by good citizens. That is not something the courts can, or should, be asked to rule upon."

by Marcel Berlin

I am fed up of being grown-up

2008-12-13T13:07:00.000-08:00

As well as chasing up contracts and sorting out start dates for my job, I am making arrangements to move into my apartment. As well as having to get my car tax renewed.

I hate being grown-up. Too much work involved.

Prayer Update

2008-12-11T03:08:00.000-08:00

I got through to my prospective team leader this morning.

I now understand the reason for the delay in getting my contract. I also pleased to find out that my prospective team leader is just as desperate for me to start as I am.

However, I do not have a start date yet. The situation still needs to be resolved, but I will get there.

Thanks for your prayers.

(Hope in the Prison of Despair, by Evelyn De Morgan)

Yet another prayer request

2008-12-08T06:53:00.000-08:00

I am really wanting to start my job. However, there seems to be some delay that is keeping me from getting my contract.

I am finding this really frustrating.

Please pray that this situation will be resolved so I can plan my move to Hertfordshire.

Times: The peculiar case of middle-class benefits

2008-12-08T00:38:00.000-08:00

Times: The peculiar case of middle-class benefits

'So it's bad for mothers to stay at home on welfare but it's OK to get state aid for your big mortgage?'

by Ross Clark

"When is a scrounger not a scrounger? Answer: when his state benefits are helping to keep him in a nice house with a £400,000 mortgage. I have been trying to square the Government's tough new proposals on welfare reform, which will involve slashing housing benefit and forcing single mothers of one- year-old children out to work, with its announcement last week of a mortgage rescue plan to allow homebuyers to take a two-year holiday on their mortgage repayments if they suffer a loss of income."

I am not sure I disagree with the mortgage rescue plan, though I do see its inconsistency with the welfare reform proposals the government is bringing in.

Parchment and Pen: Zane Hodges (1933–2008)

2008-12-04T03:02:00.000-08:00

Parchment and Pen: Zane Hodges (1933–2008)

A tribute to Zane Hodges by Dan Wallace.

Guardian: Mayor Boris, the liberal

2008-12-04T02:46:00.000-08:00

Guardian: Mayor Boris, the liberal

'The left thought Johnson too posh, daft, and of the cartoon right. In office he is proving an elusive foe'

by Dave Hill

Boris Johnson's administration of London has so far been refreshingly liberal. It points to an healthy direction for the next Conservative government.

Times: You're dumb if you think we're all dumber

2008-12-04T01:41:00.000-08:00

Times: You're dumb if you think we're all dumber

'The evidence is all around us that intellectual standards are rising and that we shouldn't believe the doom-mongers'

by Tim de Liste

A Neo-Kuyperian Assist to the Emergent Church

2008-12-03T03:12:00.000-08:00

A Neo-Kuyperian Assist to the Emergent Church

'How does the legacy of a Dutch intuitive genius intersect with the phenomenon of the emergent church? The aim of tonight’s presentation is to suggest that neo-calvinism’s emphasis on common grace offers the same vital support to the postmodern-friendly emergent church as it did to the late nineteenth century Dutch reformed church that sought to engage every area of life while maintaining fidelity to orthodoxy. First, I will introduce the emergent church and highlight a particular emphasis that provides the potential for an intersection with neo-calvinism. I will then introduce the doctrine of common grace, and finally discuss how it can be articulated in a way that will benefit the emergent church.'

by Vincent Bacote and Daniel Pylman

A really interesting article exploring common themes between the Emergent Church and Abraham Kuyper's Neo-Calvinism.

It is refreshing to read a discussion of the Emergent Church that is not one-sided criticism. That said, I have as much theological difficulty with Neo-Calvinism as I have with the Emergent Church, particularly the idea of a 'cultural mandate.'

Mary is the Theotokos

2008-12-02T03:37:00.000-08:00

In his sermon this Lord's day, the pastor denied that Mary is the 'Mother of God.' He explained that Mary was the mother of our Lord's humanity.

While we must rightly oppose the abuse of the term 'Mother of God' by Roman Catholics and while 'God-bearer' is a more literal translation of the greek theological term, Theotokos, I do get irritated when evangelicals make a straight denial that Mary is the 'Mother of God.'

We believe that Christ's human and divine natures are joined in one person. They cannot be separated. That is why we are able to say that Jesus is God.

If you say that only Christ's human nature was born of Mary, then you are unable to consistently say that Jesus is God. Jesus of Nazareth is that man who was born of Mary. In Him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead.

Church Thanksgiving Meal

2008-12-01T01:02:00.000-08:00

Our church held a special dinner yesterday during which we had the opportunity to speak about the things God had done for us.

Reluctantly (I hate talking about myself in public) I went to the microphone and spoke briefly about my new job.

I then spoke about the prayers of my global internet friends and the encouragment of the hymn 'The Day Thou Gavest Lord is Ended.' I then sang it (I don't often sing solo and unaccompanied).

The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended,
The darkness falls at Thy behest;
To Thee our morning hymns ascended,
Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.

We thank Thee that Thy church, unsleeping,
While earth rolls onward into light,
Through all the world her watch is keeping,
And rests not now by day or night.

As o’er each continent and island
The dawn leads on another day,
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strain of praise away.

The sun that bids us rest is waking
Our brethren ’neath the western sky,
And hour by hour fresh lips are making
Thy wondrous doings heard on high.

So be it, Lord; Thy throne shall never,
Like earth’s proud empires, pass away:
Thy kingdom stands, and grows forever,
Till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.

Times: Swiss voters back £14m-a-year health scheme to give addicts free heroin

2008-12-01T00:56:00.000-08:00

Times: Swiss voters back £14m-a-year health scheme to give addicts free heroin

It is encouraging to see the Swiss have a sensible and realistic approach to substance misuse policy.

Christoph Buerki, a doctor at the clinic in Berne, which has 210 patients, said: “Their average age is 40 now and they have an average of 13 years of heroin addiction before they enter this programme. Basically we are aiming at a group of people where everything else has failed. We have medicalised heroin in Switzerland. It has the image of an ugly illness, and that is why, I think, numbers of new addicts are falling.”

This is the right approach.

The 'War on Drugs' is a colossal failure and we need a new approach in the UK and the US.

A video with some great advice about coping with asthma and allergies

2008-11-29T09:31:00.000-08:00

The Expulsion from Eden in a Worcester Cathedral Window

2008-11-28T02:03:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite window scene at Worcester cathedral.

I love the way the cherub looks so grumpy- being ordered to put out Adam and Eve that day must have put him in a really foul mood.

Prayer Update

2008-11-27T03:30:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to those who are kind enough to keep me in their prayers.

I can't wait to start work, but that is not necessarilly going to happen next week. The big problem with working for a big organisation, especially a state-funded charity, is that it has lots of layers and departments. Lots of boxes need to be ticked in and forms need to be filled before I can start work.

The big wait at the moment is for my contract to be sent. That is taking some time. Please pray this happens speedily.

On the housing front, things are looking good. I found a lovely apartment in Stevenage. Two weeks ago, it had been taken by somebody else, but they changed their minds (remarkably as they had already paid a fee). I have paid the admin fee for this apartment and hopefully will sign a tenacy agreement soon.

Guardian: Shock news- Christmas isn't banned

2008-11-27T01:16:00.000-08:00

Guardian: Shock news- Christmas isn't banned

'Once again, as the build-up to festivities begins, newspapers are reporting non-stories designed to enrage Middle England'

by Dave Hill

It is so tedious when every year, the popular press run out the usual scare stories about the government wanting to 'ban Christmas.'

Daily Telegraph: Death of pubs will be death of UK

2008-11-27T01:03:00.000-08:00

Daily Telegraph: Death of pubs will be death of UK

'Today the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) and the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) is launching a campaign to "Save the Great British Pub" with an "axe the beer tax" campaign.

But in truth it is more in hope than expectation. Last week Camra reported that it expected a "bloodbath" of pub closures following the traditionally busy Christmas period. It predicts 7,500 pubs to vanish by 2012.

The British pub is unique. It is an iconic institution as much loved at home as it is admired from abroad. (Look at any bumf tempting visitors to Britain and the pub is right up there with the Royal family and Swinging London.)

As Dr Johnson pointed out "nothing has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn".'

By Adam Edwards

Free Grace Theology: The Passing of One of the Greats - Professor Zane C. Hodges

2008-11-25T06:20:00.001-08:00

Free Grace Theology: The Passing of One of the Greats - Professor Zane C. Hodges

Two Kinds of Science

2008-11-25T05:43:00.000-08:00

In my opinion, one of the greatest Calvinists ever was Abraham Kuyper. Not only was he a pretty smart theologian, but he became prime minister of the Netherlands.

One of Kuyper's great insights was that because there are two kinds of people in the world, regenerate and unregenerate, there are two kinds of science. There will be science that is done by people who recognise the reality of God and that which is done presupposing the non-existence or at least the irrelevance of God.

I think those of us who reject the theory of evolution would do well to take on board this concept.

In their haste to criticise evolution, Christians are often very quick to try to find flaws in the theory. They attempt to prove that evolution is bad science and therefore even the 'reasonable' atheist or to reject it. I would suggest that this is a flawed strategy.

One of the things I have noticed about most Evangelical Christians is that they do not know much about evolution and do not understand it. They too quickly try to criticise what they don't understand.

I would venture to suggest that evolution is good science within the framework of modernistic, anti-theistic presuppositions that govern academia today. Evolution provides a reasonably coherent explanation for the development of life on earth. It would be eminently rational for the unbeliever to accept the theory of evolution.

Christians will ever throw out perceived problems with evolution, yet many of these flaws arise from misunderstandings of the theory. Many of them can be resolved. It is important not to forget that science is all about solving puzzles. The more possile flaws are pointed out with the theory of evolution, the more scientists can apply their creativity to trying to resolve and explain them.

I would suggest that the strategy of trying to prove evolution to be 'bad science' is a dead end. Such a strategy fails to recongnise that a difference in presuppositions will inevitably produce two kinds of knowledge, and thus two kinds of science.

Instead, Christians should attempt to throw doubts as to the viability of atheism or agnosticism and the influence of such worldviews on scientific conclusions. A good question to ask the evolutionist would be whether she would still believe in evolution if she knew for certain whether God existed.

Guardian: Out of the mouths of babes

2008-11-25T03:10:00.000-08:00

Guardian: Out of the mouths of babes

'Do children believe because they're told to by adults? The evidence suggests otherwise'

by Justin L Barrett

Very interesting article. It appears that children have an innate ability to receive and understand the concept of God.

"Children doubt that impersonal processes can create order or purpose. Studies with children show that they expect that someone not something is behind natural order. No wonder that Margaret Evans found that children younger than 10 favoured creationist accounts of the origins of animals over evolutionary accounts even when their parents and teachers endorsed evolution. Authorities' testimony didn't carry enough weight to over-ride a natural tendency.

Children know humans are not behind the order so the idea of a creating god (or gods) makes sense to them. Children just need adults to specify which one."

My favorite sneakers

2008-11-22T09:47:00.000-08:00

I got my favorite pair of sneakers at the bargain price of £12, from the discount menswear store, Officers Club.

They are canvas slip-ons (I no longer wear laces- they inhibit shoe-removal at the door). They are black in colour and decorated with the skull and cross bones motif.

My sister said they were rather 'Emo.' I suppose they are, but I don't wear anything else that is 'Emo.' My mother said they made me look like a pirate (the skull and cross bones). A former colleague of mine said they reflected my fondness for Death Metal music.

I don't actually wear sneakers so often, as I prefer to wear flip flops as much as possible.

Cold Saturday?

2008-11-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

Some people think me crazy for wearing flip flops in November. However, today I decided to wear socks and sneakers, as it was supposed to be really cold this weekend. Strangely enough, I saw three people wearing flip flops and even a few people wearing shorts. Maybe it had something to do with the clear skies and bright sunlight. In any case it was very cold this evening.

I went to the White Rock Hotel, which is one of my favorite bars in Hastings. They had installed a new bar in a more modern style. I am afraid to say it was not the same. It did not have the same Fawlty Towers charm. I had a pint of Boadicea Ale, a beer I had not tried before (amber coloured, slightly hoppy. Nothing special) and the Grolsch wheat beer, which I had also not tried before (a bit sickly).

Another answer to prayer

2008-11-21T03:03:00.000-08:00

In order to do anything about getting accomodation in hertfordshire, I needed to know what my salary was. Some people think I am a bit silly accepting a job offer without knowing the salary. However, I had a good idea how much it was going to be and in any case, when you have been out of work for a few months, you don't take a job offer lightly.

I was having a frustrating week, waiting to hear back as to what my salary will be.

If you ever have to wait for anything, I recommend a good mental exercise- list all the Bible characters who had to wait for something. You will quickly realise that nearly every major Bible character had to wait for something.

Thankfully, I heard back from my boss yesterday and the salary was more than I had budgeted for. So I can rent a particular apartment that I wanted.

I celebrated my good news with a meal at the local Witherspoons pub. I would have gone to the pub anyway; after all that waiting I needed to de-stress with a couple of beers. I had a mixed grill (steak, sausage, lamb chops, pork chops, ham). Unfortunately, they did not ask me how I liked my steak. It was raw and bloody, while being a philistine, I like my steak burned to a crisp. They had an interesting cinammon-flavoured beer that I had not tried before. That was quite nice.

Guardian: A bureaucratic kicking won't help lone parents into work

2008-11-20T03:27:00.000-08:00

Guardian: A bureaucratic kicking won't help lone parents into work

'The new child benefit rules make a mockery of Labour's rhetoric on choice and hurt those who most need support'

by Libby Brooks

"So welfare-to-work has its limits: more than half of children living in poverty already have a parent in employment. And these proposals also subscribe to a middle-class agenda which assumes that all mothers - and the vast majority of single parents are women - are desperate to return to meaningful, well-paid jobs which fulfil their sense of self beyond the home. While the majority of single parents in this country are in employment, the ones who remain on benefits are by definition those who need much more than a bureaucratic kick up the arse to get them behind the till at Tesco. Credit crunch or not, it makes no sense to remove support for the people who choose to concentrate on the hard work of parenting in difficult circumstances."

Guardian: The fortress Britain myth

2008-11-18T01:30:00.000-08:00

Guardian: The fortress Britain myth
It's easy to believe that we are united by ill will to refugees, but the spirit of 1943 suggests otherwise

by Jeremy Seabrook

Guardian: This frenzy of hatred is a disaster for children at risk

2008-11-18T00:57:00.000-08:00

Guardian: This frenzy of hatred is a disaster for children at risk

Britain has one of the best records on child deaths. One case blasted out of all proportion can undo years of good

by Polly Toynbee

Sorry, I have been busy

2008-11-16T12:19:00.000-08:00

I have been a away from the computer a lot.

After seeing my PhD supervisor, I spent the week with my grandmother in Worcester. I indulged my love of medieval churches with visits to Hereford Cathedral and Malvern Priory.

This weekend, I looked at apartments in Luton and Stevenage. I did not put down a deposit for any. I will probably stay in temporary accomodation when I start my job.

Summoning

2008-11-08T05:03:00.000-08:00

A lot of Black Metal has been influenced by the works of J.R. Tolkien. For me, Black metal and Tolkien go together, as I got into both when I was 18. Summoning, a band from Austria, have taken this too the ultimate extreme and based all their songs on Tolkienesque themes.

Summoning differ from most Black metal bands in that rather than simply making use of keyboards, their whole sound is dominated by them, almost to the exclusion of guitar riffs.

In my opinion, Dol Guldur (name after the fortress of Sauron in Mirkwood) is their best album. This album ought to be awful. It makes use of some really cheap and tacky sounding synthezisers (they sound like Cassio keyboards). Yet somehow, out of these cheap-sounding keyboards, Summoning manage to produce complex layers of sound in the style of Kraftwerk. The medieval sound really captures the creepier aspects of Tolkien's Middle Earth.

Elfstone is my favorite song from Dol Guldur:

In more recent years, Summoning have written Midrautas Vras, a song entirely in Orcish on their last album, Oath Bound:

Oath Bound differs from previous Summoning albums in being made after the Lord of the Rings movies. I think that is reflected in the sound. One can hear elements of the LOTR soundtrack in that album.

There is power in prayer

2008-11-07T10:25:00.000-08:00

On Monday I prayed that McCain would win the election in America. Yesterday I prayed that Labour would be defeated by the Scottish National Party in the Glenrothers by-election. For whatever reason those things did not happen.

Nevertheless, I can praise God that He has answered the prayers of myself and many kind brothers and sisters in Christ.

I was offered a job today. It will involve running a drugs and alcohol project in an hospital in Hertfordshire.

Many thanks to everybody who prayed for me to get a job, especially my brethren in Germany. I don't know the words to the German anthem, but I can at least sing Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken to that tune (the best tune for that one). Thanks everyone.

There are still things to pray for. I need to pray that I can start in reasonable time, that I find a place to live in Hertfordshire and a Bible-believing church and most importantly of all; that I glorify Christ in this job.

My message to the Republican party

2008-11-06T01:05:00.000-08:00

We Tories have been there.

Back in 1997, the Conservatives were booted out of power when a young and charismatic leader, Tony Blair gained a landslide majority.

Under William Hague we moved to the right, putting out a strong Eurosceptic tax-cutting message. In 2001, we were defeated by another Labour landslide majority. Some people started to wonder if the Conservatives would ever be in government again.

After that, we took another right-wing leader, Iain Duncan Smith, sticking with the right-wing platform. Smith lost the confidence of the party and was replaced by a veteran Conservative politician, Michael Howard. Few people expected him to win the election in 2005, but we knew we could rely on him to be a credible loser who would restore something of the party's strengh and reputation.

Michael Howard campaigned on an unbelievably right-wing platform, focusing on immigration and other 'dog-whistle' issues. Back then I remember being slightly physically sickened when Michael Howard chose to make Gypsies an election issue.

As expected, Michael Howard reduced Labour's majority and gave us a renewed sense of confidence. But he was an old man and was not the one to lead the party. We also felt a certain lack of vision in the party.

In the leadership contest that followed, David Cameron charmed the party into following him. He was young, fresh and in tune with the modern world. He pointed out the need for the party to change its image; to become more inclusive and in tune with the liberal mood of modern Britain. Cameron shifted the gears by opting for more consensual politics, supporting some of Blair's programme. The party dropped promises of tax cuts and focused on delivery of effective public services.

Now we are strong. We have a real chance of winning the next election.

The Republican party will have to decide whether to move to the right or to the left. For us, going back to the tried and tested right-wing ways was an utter failure. Britain had changed and the old mantras no longer had the same resonance. We needed a leader who was different and spoke different language.

The Republican party needs to recognise that America has changed. It is a more liberal and more diverse society than it used to be. If the party is to address contemporary America, it has to be able to communicate with the people who adore Obama and saw him as a beacon of hope.

The Republican party needs to find a new liberal voice.

Times: The not-so-strange birth of liberal America

2008-11-06T00:46:00.000-08:00

Times: The not-so-strange birth of liberal America

'The US is no longer a conservative nation. The Democrats have won a powerful mandate to move the country leftwards'

by Anatole Kaletsky

Voters resoundingly rejected the Republicans' single-minded focus on low taxes and small government. Having elected Mr Obama, the American people will demand big economic changes. And given the urgency of the financial crisis, Mr Obama would do well to signal these changes within days, rather than waiting until he is inaugurated on January 20. With luck, he will quickly appoint a team of experienced officials who understand that free enterprise is perfectly compatible with regulation, a moderately redistributive tax system and a stronger safety net than Americans currently enjoy.

Daily Telegraph: John Bolton- Letter to the next president

2008-11-05T02:18:00.000-08:00

Daily Telegraph: John Bolton- Letter to the next president

I may be a liberal, but I sure like John Bolton.

Obama

2008-11-05T01:16:00.000-08:00

I saw a picture of Obama in the newspaper the other day.He had a really cool pair of flip flops. But he was wearing horrible short shorts. I really don't like short shorts. I prefer either long shorts or cropped trousers.

That is all I have to say about Obama.