“This is not a circular.” I knew something was amiss as I opened the envelope and I wasn’t wrong: it was a penalty notice from a private parking company for £60 (if I paid promptly) My first reaction, once I recovered consciousness, was one of puzzlement. I’m always very disciplined when shopping at Aldi – I know I have one hour free parking but even so, I’m in and out. No visits to Costa when I park in the Two Saints car park. But to make their point the parking co

The question I kept asking myself watching BBC’s Roadkill this week was “Is this really true to life or simply David Hare projecting his cynicism onto our political leaders?” Occupying a totally different world to the sunny uplands of Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing, this four part drama portrays our politicians as utterly ruthless in their pursuit of private ambition. Thanks to BBC iPlayer Jacqui and I were able to watch it over four consecutive nights rather than wait seve

The police, I know, are on full alert as we await the influx, invasion even, of those from the other side of the border. As Ormskirk and rural West Lancs Police explain, somewhat tentatively, in their Facebook posting: “We are aware that some people may be planning to travel to Lancashire (they mean Ormskirk) this weekend to watch the football.” Yes, tomorrow’s 238th derby match between Everton and Liverpool may be a top tier match but in terms of covid restrictions it i

To forgive is not to forget but to remember aright. That seems to be have one of the conclusions of the report produced this week from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. This revealed that the Church of England had failed to protect children and had a culture where abusers "could hide".  The focus was on bishops who defended alleged perpetrators instead of protecting children and young people from sexual predators. Not just bishops but an entire culture is h

Just like President Trump with the coronavirus, you can’t simply dismiss the threat of evil as if it wasn’t there. As he enters self-isolation he has ample time to reflect on his observation in February “It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.” Similarly evil – it’s there, whether we like it or not. And not just out there, somehow remote and disinterested, it’s here powerfully and purposefully working against us. To deny its presence is t