Vaughan Roberts
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vaughanroberts.bsky.social
Vaughan Roberts
@vaughanroberts.bsky.social

Writer and speaker; priest and canon emeritus, spouse, father and grandfather. Interested in sport, culture, religion and how organisations function.

Vaughan Edward Roberts is a Church of England clergyman. Since 1998, he has been the rector of St Ebbe's, Oxford. In 2009, he became Director of the Proclamation Trust.

Source: Wikipedia
Art 21%
Political science 18%

Whilst Rogers was scoring twice at Elland Rd I was at the theatre watching "Dear England" - a play about Southgate's time as England manager ... spooky, or what?
In newly leaked audio, Peter Thiel admits he urged JD Vance to ignore Pope Leo XIV on moral questions — including the ethical development of AI.

He goes even further, branding Leo “the woke American pope” and suggesting he’s a tool of the Antichrist.
NEW: JD Vance’s Top Donor Suggests Pope Leo XIV is Antichrist
In a leaked lecture, Peter Thiel says he’s urged Vance to ignore the pope on moral questions — and simply pray for him.
www.thelettersfromleo.com

My recent encounters with Van Gogh: (1) alongside Anselm Kieffer at the Kieffer – Van Gogh exhibition @royalacademyarts.bsky.social (2) and alongside John Lennon in the play "When Vincent Met John" at the Minerva Theatre. Both most enjoyable!
1/5 The attack on the BBC is an alignment of four interest groups that has been years in the making:

Reposted by Vaughan S. Roberts

Reposted by Vaughan S. Roberts

Cracking, as per, from @chrisgrey.bsky.social . I particularly loved "[BBC] Radio Four’s Moral Maze (surely the most flatulently self-important and uninformative show in the entire history of broadcasting, but that’s by the way)." #DriveBy
Stasis, sanctimony and the liberal paradox. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog with such Brexit news as there is, but mainly analysis of what 'responsible Farage' tells us about the tensions in Reform and what the BBC row tells us about Brexitism: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/11/stas...
Buckle up - because this now amounts to a direct and deliberate attack on our country and its cultural sovereignty. Which side our politicians take - Trump's or the BBC's - over the coming days and weeks will speak volumes about their patriotism.
Trump says he will sue BBC for at least $1bn over Panorama edit
The US president confirmed he intends to sue the broadcaster for at least $1bn over the Panorama edit of a 2021 speech.
www.bbc.co.uk

Excellent MODEM conference yesterday on "The Common Good in Organisations" with two fascinating keynote speakers Stephen Cherry (Dean of Chapel, King's College Cambridge) and Jo Berry CBE (founder of Building Bridges for Peace).
"What is certain, and felt instinctively by almost everybody, is that things cannot go on in their present way" – The Times, May 1975

“It is difficult to imagine a previous period when such an all-pervasive hopelessness was exhibited at all levels of British life” – Professor Stephen Haseler, 1975

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Probably too much to ask but I'd love to see @davidallengreen.bsky.social's 'could' turn into the Beeb's 'will'!
The letter the BBC could send to Trump in reply to his $1bn claim
12th November 2025 Yesterday this blog offered a close reading of the letter Trump’s lawyers had sent to the British Broadcasting Corporation. As a follow-up, this is a letter that the BBC could se…
davidallengreen.com

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The story of how an editorial blunder has provided those men of moral probity and honesty, Boris Johnson and Donald Trump with the opportunity they and right wing culture war allies have long sought to undermine independent broadcasting in the UK: bylinetimes.com/2025/11/11/p...
The Pro-Trump Bias of the 'Neutral' Sources in the Leaked BBC 'Prescott Dossier'
Byline Times’ analysis of key sources in the memo about the BBC’s alleged ‘progressive bias’ shows it relied on highly partisan right-wing, Trump-aligned organisations
bylinetimes.com
NEW

A close look at Trump's $1 billion claim against the BBC

The litigation letter is weak, but his underlying practical position is not weak

By me:
emptycity.substack.com/p/a-close-lo... (Substack)

(Non-Substack link to follow.)
A close look at Trump's $1 billion claim against the BBC
The litigation letter is weak, but his underlying practical position is not weak
emptycity.substack.com
Should Gibb be sacked? yes, obviously. He's an abomination of basic journalistic standards. His GB News channel spreads conspiracy theory & disinformation. His Jewish Chronicle newspaper spreads invented stories. He is plainly trying to undermine the BBC so it's as bad as everything else he touches.

Gosh, what next...?⬇️
Putin's biggest fear has been exposed.

As a Russian dissident who spent 10 years in his prisons, I can tell you it's not sanctions or missiles. It's the rising legitimacy of the Russian opposition.

🧵 And that legitimacy just got a major boost.

Reposted by Vaughan S. Roberts

Putin's biggest fear has been exposed.

As a Russian dissident who spent 10 years in his prisons, I can tell you it's not sanctions or missiles. It's the rising legitimacy of the Russian opposition.

🧵 And that legitimacy just got a major boost.

Reposted by Vaughan S. Roberts

Day conference in London (13 Nov) The Common Good in Organisations- enabling ways of organizing to prevent harm and better serve the common good. Speakers @jo-berry.bsky.social (Building bridges for Peace founder) & Stephen Cherry (author of ‘Unforgiveable?’) Details eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-common...
REV. BLACK (who was shot in the head with a pepper ball): “If this is what they’re doing to pastors, journalists, teachers, mothers, and the elderly gathered to sing and pray outside ICE facilities… what might they be doing to our neighbors who are behind those walls?”
Farage: epic grifter

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It’s about time the media focus switched, from scapegoating people seeking asylum to examining the Tory government’s reckless disregard for basic governmental functions & its pernicious, structural afterlife.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Home Office 'squandered billions' on asylum accommodation, MPs say
www.bbc.co.uk
The reform party nativity scene.

No unmarried mothers. No Middle Eastern people. No refugees. No people seeking emergency accommodation.

And not a wise fvcking man in sight…
I know this is obvious. And I know we all know this.
But if the President can raise taxes because an advert annoyed him, without even consulting Congress, then the US constitution is simply not functioning as intended.

Reposted by Vaughan S. Roberts

The Archbishop in Jerusalem, the Most Revd Hosam Naoum, has praised the resilience of #Palestinians and has entreated Christians to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem”, in a discussion following a service at the Cathedral of St John the Divine, in #NYC, on Sunday
Pray for us, Archbishop in Jerusalem tells New York congregation
Resilience, or samud in Arabic, is ‘a quiet, active and strong will to stay to the last’, he says
www.churchtimes.co.uk

👏👏👏👇
The priorities of Trump are very different from the priorities of Jesus.

Follow Jesus. Not Trump.

Reposted by Vaughan S. Roberts

The priorities of Trump are very different from the priorities of Jesus.

Follow Jesus. Not Trump.

Reposted by Vaughan S. Roberts

Farcical
Wrongly-released migrant 'tried to return to prison 4 or 5 times', witness says.
“Kebatu was outside the prison for “about an hour and a half" before finally leaving. ‘They [the officers] sent him away, saying, 'Go, you've been released, you go.'’ news.sky.com/story/witnes...
Wrongly-released migrant 'tried to return to prison 4 or 5 times', witness says
The driver says Kebatu returned to the prison 'four or five times' and was eventually sent away in a 'stressed' and 'upset' state.
news.sky.com
That's racism. Plain and simple.

No other word for it.

It's shocking beyond belief that this sort of thing is somehow acceptable.
Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin, “It drives me mad seeing adverts full of black people, full of Asian people, full of anything other than white"

Followed by that time Sarah Pochin said, "My kids say: mum, you're such a moron" 👀

Reposted by Vaughan S. Roberts

Best on-the-ground analysis you'll read all day.

Reposted by Vaughan S. Roberts

Reform UK’s ‘Doge’ unit yet to carry out any council audits on.ft.com/4np57aT
Reform UK’s ‘Doge’ unit yet to carry out any council audits
Party promised six months ago that a specialist team would tackle wasteful spending in local government
on.ft.com

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This is really worth watching. About time Niall Ferguson’s self-affirming TV series was updated & there’s no one better than @davidolusoga.bsky.social (whatever you think of his treatment of Sir Stephen Fry) to do it.

Reposted by Vaughan S. Roberts

Grateful to Sojourners for covering ICE's assault on this pastor

sojo.net/articles/int...
The Chicago Pastor Who Confronted ICE in a Viral Photo
Rev. David Black found himself in the middle of a spectacle, but he wants to be clear: This story isn't about him.
sojo.net