smallVOICE podcast – December 2021

Our December podcast is a festive Selection Box of items in another hour-long mix of matters moral, ethical and spiritual. We review this year’s crop of Christmas TV adverts, Anne speaks to pastor Jonathan Somerville who shares his picture that’s worth a thousand words & tells us about ‘Blue Christmas’; and we are SO pleased to be able to bring you a couple of festive tunes specially recorded for us by long-time friends of the show fiddler Sally Simpson and singer Hannah Rarity …. But we couldn’t ignore the hardest story in the news as we recorded this podcast early in December: our Moral Mixdown considers the tragic news of people seeking safety, who were drowned in the English Channel at the end of November. We ask what can be done to consider asylum seekers as human beings like us?

Presented by Darren, Anne, and Holly. This podcast was recorded on Thursday 2 December, remotely via Zoom.

Duration: 1 hour 6 minutes.

Available from Apple Podcasts, TuneIn Radio and from all your usual podcast Apps.
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Theme music and stings by Nicolai Heidlas.

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Geraldine Rooney says:

December 17, 2021 at 12:38 pm

Thanks for another cracker (I can do dreadful puns too). Very noble of you, watching Christmas adverts so I don’t have to – and to make the analysis interesting too.
Though-provoking piece on refugees/asylum seekers. Perhaps you can consider helping to educate people about what the difference is between those two terms, with help from a relevant charity perhaps – sorry, not meaning to be bossy (and maybe you’ve already done sessions in the past?), but it is helpful to understand, I think. I helped a group of young people earlier this year in planning to bring a Syrian family to Scotland under the UK Community Sponsorship Scheme (now extended beyond Syria, I think): that family is now settling into Scottish life with continued hands on support from the group – now looking to fundraise to bring another family, God bless them.
That may be a daunting thought to undertake, but these groups have to fundraise, and seek household goods, food, clothing at times: people can learn more at https://resetuk.org/join-in. Or we can write to our MPs and MSPs – preaching to the converted now, surely?!
Thanks, and coorie in for Christmas.

smallvoice1 says:

December 18, 2021 at 6:53 am

Hi Geraldine – Darren here! Many thanks for your comments. Before recording the Moral Mixdown we did spend a fair bit of time debating terms, and which was the most appropriate to use, conscious that many tabloids (and beyond) are (deliberately?) lax/provocative/downright misleading in the language they use. It’s hard to pitch it right between “surely everyone knows this” and “it can’t hurt to say it again” but we will definitely consider your suggestion.

All the best to you and yours for Christmas. I just realised that by being born in a stable with (I have to presume) plenty of ventilation, the baby Jesus came into the word in a relatively Covid-compliant setting…

Geraldine Rooney says:

December 18, 2021 at 11:21 am

Thanks, Darren. No reproof from me, let me be clear, and I’m sure it was all considered. There’s a natural opportunity to revisit this as the Nationality and Borders Bill goes through the Westminster Parliament (https://www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk/the-borders-bill-what-you-need-to-know/). I find these issues are poorly reported (as in terms like “refugee” used wrongly, effect on devolution not properly explained etc – sloppy/hostile journalism) and I have great confidence in your collective skills!
I think that for me it ultimately boils down to, in the words of that great Sweet Honey In The Rock song, “Are my hands clean?”.

1. smallvoice1 says:
  
  December 19, 2021 at 3:42 pm
  
  Thanks for this link Geraldine, and the info and link in your other comment, that’s all really helpful. We also hadn’t thought of Sweet Honey in the Rock for years – what a great band. Thanks for listening and getting in touch, much appreciated.

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