The truth is while the State can be a great parent, it can also be a really bad one — in fact, sometimes so negligent that it would risk having its children taken into care if it was an actual parent
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England
What she has proffered is a mealy-mouthed “politician’s apology”, which can be abridged to “I did something you didn’t like, and I’m sorry you didn’t like it.” This is in complete contrast to a true apology, which is along the lines of “I did something I shouldn’t have done and I am sorry I did it”
Steve Colbey on the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, Guardian letter
As a nation, we stand by our allies and friends through the hardest times. Right now, countries made vulnerable by both Covid-19 and the impact of climate change are looking to the UK for that help more than ever. . . Reducing our commitment to support developing nations at this time sends the wrong message to nations around the world at the very time when it is essential that we show strength and leadership on the global stage
Nick Holtam, Bishop of Salisbury, letter to the Prime Minister, 24 November
Great photo guys. If you two enjoy handling groceries so much, we’ve some foodbanks could do with a hand. Might even learn something
David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, on photo of Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak posing with a Tesco delivery
The Church of England launched a Facebook campaign this week to help people to “share comfort and joy with your community”. Oddly, it was illustrated with a photo of Our Lady of Lourdes in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. This was followed by an advert that said “How can your church prepare for Christmas” with a photo of the Catholic cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula in Brussels. Did someone in Church House just Google for “pretty churches”?
The Times Diary, 21 November
An earlier version of this article misstated the activity on QAnon message boards on [the internet forum] 8kun. One of the message boards about QAnon had fewer new posts than the board for adult-diaper fetishists, not the most active QAnon board
Correction, New York Times, 10 November
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