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A Hymn To Him?
Yet again, the use of the English language is on my mind. On this occasion, it is because of a perceived inclusivity deficiency in the Church of England. A group of clergy wishes to introduce gender-neutral hymns and prayers. God, they argue, is neither male nor female, so it is, therefore, not appropriate to use…
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We Are All Hypocrites
Last weekend, I enjoyed the book, Confessions, the autobiography of the broadcaster and journalist, Edward Stourton. You may recall my mentioning him with regard to accents a couple of months ago. Amid all of the tales of his early years spent in various British colonies on the cusp of independence, his prep school (the now…
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The Game of the Name
Do our names say anything about us? Or do they reveal more about our parents? Do parents consider the consequences of the names they bestow on their progeny? The easy answer to the former question is I don’t know. The answer to the latter is probably not. Consider the names that celebrities choose, such as…
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No Mates
What’s in a word? Can an attempt to be friendly, or to describe someone, truly offend, or do them harm? I don’t mean pejorative terms, but ordinary, everyday language, where no malice is intended. The reason I ask, is that material has been leaked to the Guido Fawkes website, pertaining to a presentation given one…
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Whole Lot Of Shakin’ … Not Goin’ On
And so, dear reader, the day has not only come, but it has gone. The publishing event of the year – or the decade, or century, or epoch, or possibly the most important one since Moses came down the mountain clutching is collection of stone tablets – has happened. After what seems like an indecently…
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Time And Food Wait For No Man
In the late 1950s, the American activist, singer and songwriter, Pete Seeger wrote the antiwar song, Turn! Turn! Turn! It remained a fairly obscure folk song until the Byrds had a worldwide hit with it in 1965. Apart from the refrain, and six words at the end of the song, Seeger lifted the text, almost…
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And The Winner Is …
It must be acknowledged that politicians, as a species, are not only distrusted, but heartily disliked. People express their dislike in all kinds of ways, especially on social media. They use a politician’s ideology as a pejorative term, doubt his or her parentage, accuse them of lying/being greedy/corrupt/self-serving/out of touch simply because they are a…
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Guide Dogs And Englishmen
Given the fact that blindness is mentioned in the title of this blog, it seems reasonable that from time to time, I should write a post which has something to do with it. As I have only mentioned blindness once since I started bombarding you all with my weekly witterings, and then only in passing,…
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Quid Est Veritas?
In 1970, the country music star, Johnny Cash, released a song entitled What Is Truth? A very good question. For an increasing number of people in the dying embers of 2022, the answer appears to be whatever anyone believes it to be. Let me explain what I mean, and point out how utterly absurd people’s…
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Call A Spade A … Shovel
If you have read these outpourings before – thank you for coming back – or if it’s your first time, but you already know me – where have you been? – you will have gathered that I am rather a logophile. Or if you prefer, a lover of words. If, however, this is, by some…
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