|
Back in the 1970s, when I last regularly attended church with my parents, the world of religion and politics was relatively easy to understand. Our lot, the Anglicans, attended a fine Gothic church at the top of the high street where the local aristocracy had their decorated tombs. It really was the Conservative party at prayer. The Catholics had a much newer church in an off-prime location and were thought more likely to lean towards Labour. The Methodists occupied a brooding Victorian building on the main road to London and I never really knew where their sympathies lay.
And that all seemed to make sense to my teenage self. I haven’t really thought about it since, but it looks as if the Reform Party insurgency may be shaking all this up. A new poll, the results of which are published exclusively on The Conversation, suggests that most Anglicans are still likely to shun the Labour Party, but Reform has pipped the Conservatives for the top spot. Catholics, meanwhile, still seem to reject the Conservatives and all their works, but are now pretty much equally divided between Labour and Reform. Anyway, something to think about during the sermon on Sunday, if you are a churchgoer.
It may be that you prefer a lie-in? In which case you’ll be gratified to hear that occasionally spending more time in bed in the mornings is a positive boon for both body and mind. Holiday lie-ins give your body a chance to recover from the sleep deficit you build up as part of working life. And you’ll dream more. It’s a win-win. Just don’t make it a weekly occurrence. Here’s what you need to know.
When I was on holiday in Spain last year I fell prey to a simple internet scam. It was stupid really and as soon as I pressed “send” on my phone in the hope of a free air-fryer, I realised that I’d been had and immediately took steps to protect my bank account. But telling that story subsequently I’ve been amazed at how many people said they too had fallen for something online. I assumed this might be something to do with age. But research suggests that the people you’d expect to be the most adept with spotting misinformation online, the young people who have grown up with it, are the least likely to pick up on inaccurate or false information they
encounter.
Next month is the 80th anniversary of the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima, arguably the most important event of the 20th century. We’re still dealing with the consequences today. Our Insights team has produced this vivid account of the events of August 6 1945, full of eye-witness accounts of the day and its aftermath. With an arms race underway once again and the nuclear threat level rising, everyone should read about the horror of that day.
This week we also learned about Sylvia Plath’s “fig-tree analogy” and why young people (them again) are misappropriating it. We worried about how some prescription drugs can affect your hearing. And we lamented that dating is getting harder for young people.
As ever, do make time to listen to our podcast, The Conversation Weekly. This week we look at Israel’s nuclear programme and the deal between Golda Meir and Richard Nixon which allowed it to remain an enigma.
|
