It is a pleasure to bring Good News to the Tavern and boy did we get some over the past few days.  I have been very busy of late, what with a splendid picnic in the fine weather after a 'bells and smells' Mass in the tiny Church in Colebrook at the weekend. So much incense that you could not even see a stick to shake !   Many came from all over the State to give our new Monks a good welcome. And the news we shared was equally splendid.

A Nation that dishonours its past does not deserve a future. One could see that as something of a judgement but in fact it is a simple consequence. At times in any Nation's history an extreme effort is called for and its success is honoured. It must be honoured. But we live in - as the Chinese say - 'interesting times', (read, 'difficult') and Britain's leaders, both political and 'media' are deliberately dishonouring Britain's extreme efforts. This will not end well. In the Tavern we take a minute of silence at 11am on November 11th. It is the day we remember those that fell in the First World War.  Many young people do not even know of that war because their 'educators' do not want it remembered.  Others, too, do not want it remembered, let alone honoured. It is scandalous. Simon Jenkins....the Guardian, of course.

Pop, Da, Daddy, Father, the Ol' Man, yes, we have had a special day, once a year for him for a while now.  We celebrated  him.  For Generations it was Mum and Dad: both had their special days. Once upon a time we all had one of each to call our own but now Fathers are on the nose in 'official' circles. There are special 'family courts' full of weasels to throw him to the curb. Passports and Birth Certificates avoid mentioning his status as a Dad, preferring 'Parent B'. Even mums are losing out - Parent A.

[One of the most disappointing developments of the last 150 years or so has been the education of people. Once was a time when barely 1% of the population could read or write. It can be true to say not much development went on back then. One century went by much as the last one. But clever folk there were who nevertheless managed to rise and dispel some of the ignorance they encountered.  They were 'Elite'. For most people life, the world, reality was what they could see from the bottom of a deep hole of ignorance. That old 'Elite' actually knew a thing or two. They had worked out the value of knowledge. They had discovered ethics, right from wrong, morality and even manners. They gave us Chivalry, not to mention the combined knowledge and technologies of the past few millenia. Pretty good for far less than universal writing facility.

here are two sorts of perverts. Those that are villified and those that are lauded.  OK, a third too: those that are simply ignored.  The past year and the past week has shown what the media can do to perverts. Priests and pederasts, paedophiles and poofters are all treated quite differently.  Child abusers come under particular scrutiny, depending on which other non-pervert factors get taken into decisive consideration. Really nasty - nay wicked - ones have been consistently ignored.  

There is a ‘game’ played by dysfunctional people and described by psychiatrist Dr Eric Berne in his capital little book, “The Games People Play”. People often disagree with one another. A protagonist with an ax to grind and a lack of moral, civil or mental sufficiency, sets her or his victim up against external overwhelming forces. They may disagree with the victim and have no cogent or legitimate argument so they call in the police with their ‘authority’ and a gun on their hips, and the Courts that have the full panoply of process and procedure, backed by Laws made by the complainant’s friends. The Laws, the legislators, the police become complicit in gross acts of indecency and bring that Law and authority and panoply into disrespect when they do not punish such dysfunctional protagonists. And they are complicit.