Ian Rees's Blog, page 9

Whose side are you on?

Liberal Democrat member of Parliament and pensions' minister Steve Webb made the news recently by claiming that God is a liberal. I don't want to misquote him, so here is a piece of the foreward that he wrote for the book “Liberal Democrats do God” (which you can read, along with samples of some chapters, on the Amazon “Look inside” sneek preview facility):

The fundamental reason why Christians should feel at home in the Liberal Democrats is that the character of God, as revealed in the Christ...

Enjoying the ride

A few weeks ago we took our youngest daughter to an airfield on the fens to receive her 21st birthday present – a tandem skydive. Personally speaking, it seems a little crazy to jump out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft, but she is a bit of an adrenaline junkie so this did not present any problems to her. It is probably pretty safe, actually, as there are strict guidelines that operators must follow, so, whilst we certainly weren't going to join her, we didn't feel any real worry for her....

Committed to prayer

A couple of weeks ago I asked one of the Muslim parents whose child attends our church Pre-School what Muslims do for the timing of Ramadan if they live north of the Arctic Circle. I wasn't being facetious or cynical; it just struck me as an interesting dilemma. When do you break your fast if you are in a country where the sun never sets? She said she didn't know. And the situation for those south of the Antarctic Circle reverses the question, too. What do you do about the fast if the sun nev...

The world is not enough

What do you do when you have reached the top? Admire the view? Bask in the sunshine? Climb down again? Or just hope no-one pushes you off? Andy Murray will perhaps be thinking about those this morning after his magnificent victory at Wimbledon yesterday when he broke 77 years of British tradition by managing to win the Men's Singles title. Strictly speacking, he is not actually at the top – he still has to become world number one, as well as bag the French and Australian Open titles – but he...

The good, the bad and the ugly

A few years ago someone said I really ought to watch Charlize Theron's Oscar-winning performance in the film “Monster” because it was such a powerful representation of evil. I wasn't entirely convinced, but nevertheless allowed myself to be persuaded. Fifteen to twenty minutes were enough to tell me that it was indeed a powerful performance by Theron (beautiful women can act, especially when they don't wear make-up!), but it also told me that the film subject was very definitely on the grimy...

An eye for an eye

A phrase from the Bible was heard in a new light this week when two men deliberately drove into a British soldier in broad daylight in Woolwich and then proceeded to hack him to death. When confronted by passers-by, including an incredibly brave cub-scout leader and a woman who appeared to pray with the soldier as he died, they posed for cameras and denounced British crimes of killing Muslims overseas. “An eye for an eye” is what one of them was heard to say as an explanation for the atrocity...

Don't say you weren't warned

One of the problems of saying “I told you so” is that it can sound smug, superior, condescending or just like your mum. You can probably even see the sort of expression that such a phrase creates on the speaker's face or the stance they assume – eyes rolling, head shaking, arms folded: “You didn't listen. I said it would end in tears and now look …” So I don't want to create that mental image in your mind, but I still have to say something along those lines. Given the recent confession by Stu...

Let the buyer beware!

I discovered recently that yesterday was the beginning of Scams Awareness Month, which The Guardian has marked by producing a list of the most popular (with the scammers, that is) to warn the unwary. It is a testament to twisted human ingenuity, listing as it does 27 ways you and I might be fooled into parting with money. Looking at this list you might think that you would never be fooled by such tricks, and in most cases you wouldn't, but some of them are extremely clever and you have to won...

Erasing the hard drive

There is an old proverb which compares evil words and gossip to feathers scattered in the wind; you have no way of controlling where they end up and no possibility of taking them all back. A modern equivalent would use the viral nature of tweets (feathers in a different guise?) as a warning: tweet the thing and half the world will see a copy before you can press the delete button, even if that is just a couple of minutes later. Sally Bercow is discovering the cost of not guarding her words wh...

Dancing on the graves of our leaders

It has been interesting to hear people reflect on the impact Margaret Thatcher had both on the country and on individual lives during her three terms as Prime Minister. As with any strong leader she always excited strong passions in those who supported her as well as those who opposed her, so it is not surprising that there have been calls from the Daily Mail for a full state funeral alongside plans for a party in Trafalgar Square to celebrate her passing.

For my part I confess I found her ton...