Ben Wood /|\🔶️🌿✝️

Dad’s books are full of empathy, common sense, and a healthy suspicion of the powerful. But at its heart his work is also about how systems keep people poor while pretending it’s their own fault. So I hope Kemi’s taking notes as well as reading the jokes.

Mary Renault

'There’s always one more war to win, or one more election, before the good life; meantime they wrangle about the good, those who still believe in it. So we dream. Of what? Some man sent by the gods, first to make us believe in something' (Mary Renault, The Mask of Apollo)

I recently wrote to the Chancellor after hearing from constituents worried about private finance returning to the NHS to ask what considerations the Treasury is giving these concerns, and what safeguards are being put in place.

2/2 And lest you think I'm being boringly partisan, Orange Bookers (and Orange Book enablers) within the Liberal Democrats need to take responsibility for appalling spending decisions between 2011-14. These Blue Orange birds have now come home to roost. But who wants to take responsibility?

1/2 Re. Robert Jenrick recording ("no white faces"). People have ignored the earlier part of his statement. He describes the area of Birmingham he visited as 'like a slum". There you have it. This lot had 14 years to arrest social decay. But when Conservatives see it, its nothing to do with them.

Autumn colour this morning here in Glastonbury.

My autistic friends and family do not need to be fixed! What needs to be fixed are hearts, communities, practices, and structures that make it needlessly difficult for autistic folks to fully participate and be cherished as their beautiful, authentic selves.

I’m a strong advocate of ancient languages, but it seems dangerous to overpromise…

A courtyard next to Ely Cathedral, its historical buildings boasting large Romanesque arches.

Next to majestic Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire can be found the remains of its medieval monastery, including the 12th-century Prior's House and parts of the infirmary complex. These are now regarded as the oldest collection of monastic buildings still in daily use in Britain. #MedievalMonday

2/2...the Tories' traditional electoral base want the Libertarian transhumanist future promoted by Silicon Valley elites? It comes of a party that when all is said and done has become 'very online'. Its stopped looking at the world outside its tiny little ideological bubble.

1/2 There's a more humdrum critique of the Tech Bro stuff coming out of Tory circles. Most voters couldn't give a toss about 'humanoid robots' or 'artificial brains' but are worried about 14 hours waits in A&E & whether their elderly parent can get access to home help. Also you're not telling me...

Mel Stride talks about how Britain is built on 'decency, tradition, and heritage' and how it the UK 'made the modern world'.

6/6 Stride talked about 'tradition and heritage', but then declares 'we made the modern world'. So what do the Tories want? Tech Utopia or roots? Dynamism or closed borders? Stable values or constant change? These issues face all parties, but the Right especially.

5/6 The Silicon Valley ethos is all about fluidity, openness & rapid economic change. The Tories refuse to grapple with the fact that a commitment to revolutionary Capitalism might not be compatible with borders, social conservatism, or sovereignty. How much control will there be in the tech future?

Boris Johnson in 2016 with the slogan in the background: "Take back control".

4/6 'want to take back control', people who want a predictable, structured and bordered world. The contradiction leads the party into adopting socially conservative stances about gender identity, but having no qualms about 'humanoid robots'. Blade Runner fine. Trans people, not so much!

A humanoid robot

3/4...regarded as a good in itself. This is the techno-optimism of the Tony Blair Institute. It has little do with Conservatism understood through a longer time frame. And yet the Party which is getting enthused by the transnational power of Tech Capital are trying to appeal to people who..

Benjamin Disraeli

Mel Stride praising projects in creating 'simulated brains'.

2/4 There's no hint of Disraeli's notion of evolutionary change here. Stride praises the 'revolution in Artificial Intelligence' & companies building 'driverless cars', humanoid robots' & 'simulated brains'. This no evaluation of the wisdom of these endeavours. Technological power is...

Mel Stride telling Tory Conference how Silicon Valley yeans for 'faster, better, stronger".

1/6 Philosophically, I find Mel Stride's speech fascinating because of the light it shines on the intellectual contradictions within UK Conservatism. Stride begins his speech by telling the conference about his trip to Silicon Valley & its 'constant yearning for faster, better, stronger'.

Captain Janeway in her ready room with the caption: "fuck it, send".

Postgraduates at the end of the PhD.

Badenoch says ditching net zero will not cost jobs (BBC News).

Given the uncertainty about her own job prospects, I suggest Kemi should be a bit more circumspect regarding the future of others.

Ecology and Belonging: In Search of a New Political Space | NIAS the Ecology and Belonging Theme Group seeks an understanding of belonging that is 1) deep enough to connect people to the environment; 2) powerful enough to draw support from across the political spec...

Ecology and Belonging explores how to create a sense of belonging that can stem the tide of fascism: nias.knaw.nl/themegroup/e...

What does the future of ecology & belonging look like? From indigenous & decolonial perspectives to conservatism & eco-fascism.

Join Dr Timothy Stacey @godsandsods.bsky.social as he explores possibilities for a new political space.

📅 Book your free place: www.tickettailor.com/events/faith...

This is such a great story!

Finally managed to walk to my local stone circle

Happy new week! A nice bit of sparkle to start Monday off with. Taken this morning at the base of Glastonbury Tor, shortly after sunrise.

Good morning from the Welsh Marches. Autumn leaves colouring up well. The acer even kept its leaves during the high winds.

My approach will pay off eventually, says Kemi Badenoch - BBC News The Conservative leader defends her leadership as the party's conference begins in Manchester

I think Kemi's assertion is doubtful. Her strategy is to go ever further Right (on law & order, migration, & Human Rights) to outflank Reform). How many voters sit in that space? Not 35% I'd wager. She needs to explain why her Party lost so many seats in the South. I'll give her a clue: Brexit.

'Tories invoke Thatcher legacy in search of a comeback' (BBC News)

A political party that continuously recycles a single political myth (preferring old dragons to real problems) is dying. The Tories don't need "another Thatcher". They need minds of their own.

Quakers and Creeds: The Legacy of Nicaea - Woodbrooke In this session, we’ll explore key questions such as: • What happened at Nicaea? • How far was Nicaea successful? • How do we understand the relationship

Join me and Janet Scott tomorrow night for an exploration of the Council of #Nicea. What was it? What did it decide? And what should #Quakers make of it today?

If there's one dichotomy I would like to expunge from modern politics it's the hard/soft duality (with 'hardness' synonymous with force, unflinching certainty & swift action). What hardness doesn't signify is empathy, reflection, or effectiveness. It's the sign of someone who has stopped thinking.