Revd Martin Smith
@martinsmith14.bsky.social
Self supporting minister at ChristChurch, Woking (PTO) and father of two, grandfather to four. Love helping people to make some sense of it all.
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
Yet most of the public think immigration increased last year, despite the fact it fell by half. Only 16% now expect net migration to fall, while twice as many expect it to go up.
November 27, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Yet most of the public think immigration increased last year, despite the fact it fell by half. Only 16% now expect net migration to fall, while twice as many expect it to go up.
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
PUBLISHED TODAY: ‘Noise & Nuance: What the public really thinks about immigration’ – new findings from the British Future/Ipsos Immigration Attitudes Tracker, which has studied public opinion on immigration and asylum since 2015 [🧵]
November 27, 2025 at 7:44 AM
PUBLISHED TODAY: ‘Noise & Nuance: What the public really thinks about immigration’ – new findings from the British Future/Ipsos Immigration Attitudes Tracker, which has studied public opinion on immigration and asylum since 2015 [🧵]
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
Substantially more Republicans than Democrats support arming Ukraine!
November 26, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Substantially more Republicans than Democrats support arming Ukraine!
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
Republicans showing more support for Ukraine than Democrats here. But some of the American left live in a fantasy world, thinking themselves insulated by the Atlantic Ocean
Most US voters still back arming Ukraine and keeping sanctions on Russia.
🧵 1/6 ⬇️
🧵 1/6 ⬇️
November 26, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Republicans showing more support for Ukraine than Democrats here. But some of the American left live in a fantasy world, thinking themselves insulated by the Atlantic Ocean
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
the price of populism
"By 2025, Brexit had reduced UK GDP by 6% to 8%, with the impact accumulating gradually over time. We estimate that investment was reduced by between 12% and 18%, employment by 3% to 4% and productivity by 3% to 4%"
Read the Stanford report:
siepr.stanford.edu/publications...
Read the Stanford report:
siepr.stanford.edu/publications...
The Economic Impact of Brexit
Other
siepr.stanford.edu
November 25, 2025 at 7:43 PM
the price of populism
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
A noticeable trend here: people who challenge the Trump administration are often mocked in the same way by officials — by questioning whether they hold the title given to them.
Note: Kelly is a retired Navy Captain, Black is a pastor, and Budde is a bishop.
Note: Kelly is a retired Navy Captain, Black is a pastor, and Budde is a bishop.
November 25, 2025 at 1:52 PM
A noticeable trend here: people who challenge the Trump administration are often mocked in the same way by officials — by questioning whether they hold the title given to them.
Note: Kelly is a retired Navy Captain, Black is a pastor, and Budde is a bishop.
Note: Kelly is a retired Navy Captain, Black is a pastor, and Budde is a bishop.
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
Music of Coldplay at All Saints Church, Northallerton @dioceseofyork.bsky.social
Excellent evening.
Excellent evening.
November 21, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Music of Coldplay at All Saints Church, Northallerton @dioceseofyork.bsky.social
Excellent evening.
Excellent evening.
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
⚓✝️ I am an advocate for the Northern Province. It is a challenging and wonderful place to minister (and Jesus never said it would be easy and comfortable, right?) But also this cartoon - truth! It heads Simon Parke's article on the culture of grievance (today's Church Times)
November 21, 2025 at 8:37 PM
⚓✝️ I am an advocate for the Northern Province. It is a challenging and wonderful place to minister (and Jesus never said it would be easy and comfortable, right?) But also this cartoon - truth! It heads Simon Parke's article on the culture of grievance (today's Church Times)
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
1/9 Trump’s secret talks with Russia are not about peace.
They are about surrender and blackmail.
Here’s what Axios and Epstein emails reveal 🧵
They are about surrender and blackmail.
Here’s what Axios and Epstein emails reveal 🧵
November 19, 2025 at 2:35 PM
1/9 Trump’s secret talks with Russia are not about peace.
They are about surrender and blackmail.
Here’s what Axios and Epstein emails reveal 🧵
They are about surrender and blackmail.
Here’s what Axios and Epstein emails reveal 🧵
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
Btw, in case you have not noticed it--the last few hours have confirmed one thing. The alliance of dictators and autocrats is no longer notional--it is now up and running. The remaining democratic states in the world have to react now.
November 19, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Btw, in case you have not noticed it--the last few hours have confirmed one thing. The alliance of dictators and autocrats is no longer notional--it is now up and running. The remaining democratic states in the world have to react now.
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
I didn't truly understand this until I had to help an octogenarian friend who'd been unable to access her email and thus half her friendships for six months, simply because the interface had changed and she was trying to find her way round it using a screen magnifier on an eight-year-old laptop.
I am going to be banging this drum forever, but holy shit moving menus is evil from an accessibility standpoint. It sucks for those of us who can see and aren’t in any stage of senility, but if you can’t see it’s the fucking worst.
November 19, 2025 at 9:08 AM
I didn't truly understand this until I had to help an octogenarian friend who'd been unable to access her email and thus half her friendships for six months, simply because the interface had changed and she was trying to find her way round it using a screen magnifier on an eight-year-old laptop.
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
When Christians tie Christianity to a particular political figure and party, not only do they fuse the reputation of Christianity to everything that political movement does, they become more shaped by the ways of that political movement than they do by the ways of Jesus.
November 13, 2025 at 6:36 PM
When Christians tie Christianity to a particular political figure and party, not only do they fuse the reputation of Christianity to everything that political movement does, they become more shaped by the ways of that political movement than they do by the ways of Jesus.
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
A Christianity that makes the ultra wealthy and powerful feel safe and supported while making the poor and powerless feel unsafe and unsupported is a Christianity that is following someone other than Jesus.
November 1, 2025 at 6:59 PM
A Christianity that makes the ultra wealthy and powerful feel safe and supported while making the poor and powerless feel unsafe and unsupported is a Christianity that is following someone other than Jesus.
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
And Jesus will say, “When I was hungry, you did not feed me.”
November 8, 2025 at 11:45 PM
And Jesus will say, “When I was hungry, you did not feed me.”
We started a Warm Welcome Space back in 2022 and have been going pretty much every Wednesday afternoon since. 1 guest is knows all about fly tipping and Panto! An unusual combination. 1/
November 12, 2025 at 6:10 PM
We started a Warm Welcome Space back in 2022 and have been going pretty much every Wednesday afternoon since. 1 guest is knows all about fly tipping and Panto! An unusual combination. 1/
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
This is even more stark when you stop and work out 'hmm, where did the content on most social media *come from*?'
Finally, a bit of a reality check from our 2024 election book (out soon!) for everyone hyperventilating about collapsing public trust in the BBC - free to air TV (mostly the BBC) is still the most widely consumed and widely trusted source of news - blows print, online & social media out of the water
November 11, 2025 at 2:50 PM
This is even more stark when you stop and work out 'hmm, where did the content on most social media *come from*?'
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
One strange thing about the BBC/Trump row is that the programme in question was actually made by an independent production company. Yes, the BBC producers and Panorama’s editor should have checked everything before it was broadcast. But…
1/3
1/3
November 10, 2025 at 11:02 PM
One strange thing about the BBC/Trump row is that the programme in question was actually made by an independent production company. Yes, the BBC producers and Panorama’s editor should have checked everything before it was broadcast. But…
1/3
1/3
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
✨🙌
1/ Eleven Dutch parties across the political spectrum from socialist to conservative have issued a joint appeal to a provincial government to build a memorial to Black American soldiers who died in World War II, to replace one removed from the Netherlands American Cemetery. ⬇️
November 10, 2025 at 10:20 AM
✨🙌
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
Anthony Farindon, #Anglican, says that justice gives every person their own, but ”locks up” goods. Mercy opens up these treasuries, and make others the beneficiaries of our gathering, or co-gatherers with us.
Do we instead celebrate miserliness?
Do you have any co-gatherers?
Do we instead celebrate miserliness?
Do you have any co-gatherers?
November 10, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Anthony Farindon, #Anglican, says that justice gives every person their own, but ”locks up” goods. Mercy opens up these treasuries, and make others the beneficiaries of our gathering, or co-gatherers with us.
Do we instead celebrate miserliness?
Do you have any co-gatherers?
Do we instead celebrate miserliness?
Do you have any co-gatherers?
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
FedEx just emailed me to say they have exhausted all their efforts at finding my brand new computer they incorrectly delivered and they have just.... closed the ticket. So what exactly does a person do now? I paid cash for a computer and I'm just.. not going to get it? I'm losing my mind
November 6, 2025 at 6:42 PM
FedEx just emailed me to say they have exhausted all their efforts at finding my brand new computer they incorrectly delivered and they have just.... closed the ticket. So what exactly does a person do now? I paid cash for a computer and I'm just.. not going to get it? I'm losing my mind
Well worth a read to see the reality.
Meanwhile, in parts of Reform UK Ltd run Kent, there will be no Christmas lights to switch, because of the flags on the lamp posts
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
November 9, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Well worth a read to see the reality.
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
Meanwhile, in parts of Reform UK Ltd run Kent, there will be no Christmas lights to switch, because of the flags on the lamp posts
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
November 9, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Meanwhile, in parts of Reform UK Ltd run Kent, there will be no Christmas lights to switch, because of the flags on the lamp posts
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
The Heritage Fountain- definitely racist
1/ The US Government has quietly removed a memorial to Black soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, South Limburg. The move follows a complaint from the right-wing Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission. ⬇️
November 9, 2025 at 9:27 AM
The Heritage Fountain- definitely racist
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
There's gonna be a lot of stranded assets soon...
China is “reshaping the world’s energy outlook, geopolitics and its capacity to limit the catastrophic effects of #climatechange”, says @economist.com
- "China is now making more money from exporting green technology than US makes from exporting fossil fuels'
$
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
- "China is now making more money from exporting green technology than US makes from exporting fossil fuels'
$
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
China’s clean-energy revolution will reshape markets and politics
The world’s biggest manufacturer now has an interest in the world decarbonising
www.economist.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:31 AM
There's gonna be a lot of stranded assets soon...
Reposted by Revd Martin Smith
We’ve joined almost 300 organisations in an urgent plea to politicians and the UK government to stop scapegoating the country’s human rights framework.
Quakers join call for “full-throated defence” of UK human rights protections
Almost 300 organisations, including Quakers in Britain, have issued an urgent plea to politicians and the UK government to stop scapegoating the UK’s human rights framework.
www.quaker.org.uk
November 6, 2025 at 4:09 PM
We’ve joined almost 300 organisations in an urgent plea to politicians and the UK government to stop scapegoating the country’s human rights framework.