Видео

Re the state being saddled with large amounts of debt, it's important first of all to remember that we had massive cuts after 2010 as the new government span the doubling of the national debt as being to due to Labour over-spending rather than what actually happened which is we bailed out the banks. They cut and cut and cut and then ooop! they suddenly found £700 billion for COVID. If the deficit / debt was so problematic how did that happen? And where does this money come from? Some of it is printed and some of it is borrowed from private people and institutions. And we pay them a very nice return for it. In other words, the national debt is like our country being a bank for very wealthy interests - the same interests whose wealth we saved in 2008 when their investments all went bad. The consequence of COVID was that the money paid out for furlough went to the same wealthy interests in the form of ordinary people paying their mortgages, buying food etc as the government paid their salaries. The wealthy however saw their spending massively fall as the economy ground to a halt. Thus they emerged from the economy even better off than before it. This then enabled them to buy more property, more stocks, more shares etc pushing up the prices of those things for ordinary people It is absolutely vital that ordinary people begin to understand public debt better because it does NOT function like a household budget and our lack of understanding about that means we end up with less and less public services, lower pensions etc while they very wealthy end up with more and more and more

Love Beeswing, such an amazing story... I only learned of its existence at 56!! ( I know, but I've not been exposed to this type of music before)

Kevin Toolis is in fine, gracious, thoughtful form here. I increasingly admired his sustained patience with his uncomprehending interlocutor.

It's a great read and it's full of pictures that really speak multitudes

Thank you Matt - for bringing the festival to Swindon. It's been incredible.

Open Letter to Matt Dear Matt For thirty years you have done an extraordinary thing. You have offered to Swindon, in a range of creative sessions including, presentations, panel debates, interactive shows and cross-cultural performances, the celebration and enjoyment of words. You also offered chances for new thoughts and ideas, new ways of seeing, new ways of being, so we all might re-consider our understanding of that "tricky" thing called life and perhaps choose to change our behaviours. Thousands upon thousands of lives have been impacted over the thousands of sessions you have steadfastly organised during those "dark November days". The Swindon Festival of Literature has been enthusiastically embraced by significant numbers in Swindon, and further afield. I have lost count of the times that officialdom has listed the Festival as being a factor in why Swindon is a great place to live or why Swindon should be awarded a particular grant or status. We will all miss the "Fifth session on the fifth day of the fifteenth day of the fifteenth Swindon Festival of Literature". We will miss "We now have 23 minutes and 14 seconds for questions" the "Unless you are a midwife ..." the "Let's give a Swindon Festival of Literature welcome to ... Matt Harvey, Mo Mowlam, Sir Richard Attenborough, The Chipolatas!" (to name just a few). We regular Festival fans can all now quote the story of the 16 wheeled lorry that ran over the tiny hand bell yet it survived with an even sweeter ring. May your retirement now, in which we suspect you will keep busy, have many fresh, new, sweet rings of your own choosing. I would like to thank you Matt, on behalf of all those audience members over thirty years. Thank you also for your incomparable service to Literature in its many guises and for your contributions to the quality of life in Swindon. Tony Hillier Supporter of Swindon Festival of Literature Swindon’s Community Poet 8 May 2023 on the announcement by Matt Holland that he is stepping back form organising the Swindon Festival of Literature.

A brilliant,if difficult book,but one which I will keep on my shelves,and accessible,I hope,for tge rest of my life.

I just received this book!! I can’t wait to get back home today to start reading. 🐰

A great read addressing issues which increasingly affect all of us. Entertaining, wise and humane.

Two very clever guys - love the philosophy behind what they both say. Great book also 🙌🏼

You are life saver

Good news.

This was a great discussion and genuinely interesting. Big fan of Sawyer's work as a journalist. Lockdown has led to me rediscovering radio and podcasts so it was interesting to hear about how they're viewed by people in comparison to things like film and theatre.

Thank you so much for posting! I've been interested in reading this book for a while.

We are globally pushed to live in cities and slave for a tiny minority of self-righteous privileged. We are ruled economically by the most successful dishonest people, but as their power gives them the possibility to forge the law for their own interest...Such hypocritical so-called "civilisation"! Greed, selfishness, passivity bring hell to most of us since a long time, and our demise soon. What a total waste. However, congratulations to the courageous author, great job.

Hopefully the CofE will be replaced by the Orthodox church in the next couple of centuries.

A year too late but thoroughly enjoyed. Nice interview.

Nice one having our kid back in’t Smoke.

I've just listened to the Church of England's plug here on youtube for the general synod. It used to be said that the Church of England was the Tory Party at prayer. These days it sounds more like the Guardian at prayer. No wonder no one goes to church anymore.

Just to be accepted and feel accepted must be wonderful! 🙏🙏🙏. “The simple act of listening to another person, before we judge them”. There’s something very profound in this statement. I know Jesus does say “Judge not lest ye be judged”. But, it is I am afraid, human nature to ‘judge’ a person when we first meet them, even if it’s a case of thinking 🤔 ‘Umm, I think we’ll get along together.” But, in truth, there’s so many people out there who, once they know you’re a Christian, are so quick to think harshly of you; especially if you make a mistake. I am sure we’ve all heard how people say “and they call themselves a Christian???” But, they don’t stop to think that, whatever they’ve been told, may have been 1) in the days before you found the Lord Jesus Christ. And 2) Might not be true anyway! With the first example, people forget that we are all sinners, and may have done things we are not proud of! Thankfully, the Lord Himself said “I came to the sinner, not the righteous”. And “A healthy person doesn’t need a physician”. We ALL come to Jesus in the state of sin, and it should be remembered that, no one is born a Christian, we all have to make our own decision either for or against Our Lord Jesus Christ. And the second point is, people are so very quick to believe a “juicy bit of gossip” and condemn a person without checking what they have been told is actually true! 🙏🙏🙏

Thanks Matt and farmyard circus , particularly liked the shadows playing with you. Cheers maryx

What an honour and delight to hear you speak, Richard and then SING! - such an intimate format - thank you SFL for making it possible.

That was a great vid

That was really brill....

“The narrative dare”. Brave books. I love this idea.

A remarkable book about a remarkable man. Two great teachers with great stories.

What a wonderful amazing finale!!! Thank you to Matt and everyone who spoke, performed, sang, played music, and produced such a moving, thought provoking, innovative and fun filled festival.

Wow!!!!! You are an incredible writer and beautiful reader. Thank you for this wonderful collection.

Thank you Matt Holland and the team for bringing this truly beautifully created book to the Swindon Festival of Literature 2021. I too am an ex member because my parents joined in the 1940s and left in the 1960s. Yes Matt - you cannot choose your parents. Having lived "outside" for many years now I feel it only fair to observe that almost as many people have chosen to leave the life as have chosen to join. For an adult it is a hard life of commitment to community and faith. All the human weaknesses are there so it is a constant struggle to stay on the right path - whatever that is. The good news is that war between nations and all its subtle supporting structures are always avoided. However, when it comes to tolerance the Bruderhof suffers as many a church where shunning, expulsion and deep hurt is committed on those who do not "agree". It is true that children are allowed to come to the life in their own way but sadly the hemorrhaging of young ones is as great as ever. Commitment to a life of peace and sharing is hard. When you join you freely give your all and all your worldly goods. When you leave you leave with nothing.

Lovely way to greet the sun on May day.I hope the festival of Literature goes well.Great reminders of other May days with fondely remembered other traditions!

Absolutely brilliant, so sad to have to miss this but this video is a wonderful compromise. 🥰

Thank you. That was lovely.

It was a quiet - I had to turn down my sound for the jingle, then turn everything up for the talk! Book sounds good, will have to add to my list!

this was great....

but I'm hanging on to every word!

Finding it hard to hear Jon! :(

Thanks to a pandemic I finally get to see the wonderful dawn chorus!

Thanks. Another interesting talk, with plenty of food for thought and even a contender for best backdrop of the Zoom/Teams/RUclips era so far (Manuela's painting).

Brilliant dawn entertainment and thoughtfulness softly, safely countering our covid containment.

An interesting discussion. Looking forward to reading the book.

Really enjoyed this ;spoken with passion and authority , many thanks. And here in the midlands the bluebells are stunning!

Can see you OK on line Mike at 17.51 Monday 3 May - going well.

A wonderful service and a reminder that we should never forget what happened during the Holocaust and in other acts of genocide since. "We need to actively remember so that we do not forget!" Chief Rabbi Ephraim Murvis

He's right on point, great poem, thank you!

Awesomely inspiring words & insights into the mind and lives of 2 talented people. Thank you 👍

I came upon this post quite by chance and I am so glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed this talk. Thanks to both of you for some serious food for thought!

I'm rather late in watching this, but it brought tears to my eyes - particularly the bluebirds at the end!

Katie, thank you for this fabulous virtual tour of some of Swindon's best works and the stories behind them, and thank you also for the references to the Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery.

Great talk, sis!

Wow!