I thought it was about time I did some serious culture, so on the recommendation of a glowing review in the New York Times, I bought Daniel Kraus’s novel Angel Down, winner of this year’s Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The subject matter appealed to me: a novel set on the bloody battlefields of the First World War. I thought it would tie in rather neatly with the current series of The Rest Is History podcast. However, as soon as I started reading, I realised that this was no ord

So, we wait anxiously to discover who Thomas Tuchel has selected for England’s World Cup squad, just as the tournament prepares to take over our lives. One player not going is Manchester United’s centre-half, Harry Maguire. Apparently, he’s gutted. “I was confident I could have [sic] played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had,” Maguire tweeted. “I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision.” Not mildly disappointed. Not philosophical. Not “t

Who was the first person in recorded history to condemn slavery as an institution? Chances are, you have never heard of him. So let’s hear it for Gregory of Nyssa — 335–394 — who argued: “You are condemning to slavery human beings whose nature is free.” Radical stuff for the fourth century. Gregory was a bishop in what is now central Turkey. I had a vague understanding of him as one of the so-called Cappadocian Fathers — those three great theologians who helped shape ou

As I write this blog, one of our neighbours is anxiously awaiting the vote count at the Burscough Wellbeing and Leisure Hub. This is her first foray into local politics, and I called round last week simply to thank her for standing as our local councillor. For to stand for public office today is to raise your head well above the parapet. It can mean facing abuse, hostility, and even the threat of physical violence. As Security Minister Dan Jarvis has warned, harassment and in

Nowadays, I’ll wear anything. It wasn’t always the case. Nearly fifty years ago — gosh — we were being rehearsed for our ordination in Liverpool Cathedral when the Dean, the redoubtable Edward Patey, strolled past. Hearing us discussing our robes, and what we would be wearing on our big day, he exclaimed that this was where the Church of England was at its most exciting. You may need some background here. In those far-off days, what you wore said a great deal about ho