Diane Clutterbuck

Trump: "The person who actually got the Nobel Prize called today, called me, and said 'I'm accepting this in honor of you, because you really deserved it.' A really nice thing to do. I didn't say 'Then give it to me, though.'"

Today a building housing a long-established health clinic of our partner PMRS was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike. The building was home to Gaza’s largest lab, supporting hospitals with medical tests. We utterly condemn this attack. Healthcare facilities must never be a target.

Let this sink in…

We drove back last night to see St George flags hanging from various motorway bridges and discussions all over social media about the flags that have been painted over roundabouts all over the country. Now, I'm one of the wokest people that ever woked, so I should clarify a few things. I love being British. I love scones, and British sarcasm, and coastal towns. I love the beauty of the Lake District and the vibes of London's South Bank. I love that I went to a school older than several countries. I love it that I can accidentally walk into someone and the person I walked into will apologise. I love pagentry, military marching bands, and the fact that when the Queen died we had to have a queue for a queue. I'm a former Royal Naval Reservist, and singing the National Anthem at Remembrance Day Parades always makes me want to cry, thinking about all those who gave their lives for the ideals of the country mentioned in that anthem. I'm not convinced that painting flags on the roundabouts is a particularly sensible use of time or resources, given it's illegal, but I have no problem seeing St. George's flags wherever anyone might want to put them. It becomes problematic, however, when the flags are being abused to represent a view so antithical to Christianity so as to become almost evil. I do not believe that the majority of those concerned about immigration are racist. I suspect some may be misinformed, fed lies about "illegal assylum seekers" (it's never been illegal to seek assylum) flocking to our shores to seek benefits (I'm really not sure the £6 a day they receive is worth it). We hear that Britain is swamped with refugees - we take in fewer than most countries - and that assylum seekers are all young men here to commit crimes - a view there is very little evidence for - and that they take precedence over local people for housing - not true. And so if you're in a situation where you feel disempowered, where you see resources endlessly being diverted away from those in most need, where foodbanks are contiunally being opened and people feel happy about that (the stated aim of the Trussell Trust is to work themselves out of a job because they don't want anyone to be in food poverty), where it's impossible to find the right education for your SEN child and resources are being squandered left, right, and centre, I can see it's easy to be taken in by the lies. Because let's be honest, mostly they're pedalled with most interest in deflecting from their own wrongdoing. So hang as many St. George's flags as you want. Go nuts! But let's let it stand for more than blaming the most vulnerable for systemic failures of governance. Let it stand for a country in which we hold our culture with pride, celebrating all those who contribute towards it, wherever they're from. Let it stand for a country where all are welcome, where all are respected and valued. Let it stand for a country where misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, racism, ableism, and all the other evils that seek a way to blame people for being "other" are challenged. Let it stand for a country with accountable leaders making decisions for the vulnerable, rather than to line the pockets of the already rich. Let it stand for the Greek speaking Roman soldier with Palestinian parents it was meant to originally represent - our patron saint himself, if he existed, was a migrant. If you're one of the people, who I genuinely believe are in the minority, who are using these flags to promote racist views, who are merrily posting on social media suggestions about setting fire to migrant hotels or bombing small boats, if you're one of the people treating others with violence and disrespect - I'm sorry that life has treated you in such a way that you think this is ok. You are mistreating the very image of God in the other, and that's never a good idea. Please don't talk about Christian values until you've had a rethink, because honestly, that's just blasphemy.