Nicholas Baines

LATEST ARTICLES ( 612 )

• Strange Land

  

  Speak of ‘strange land’ and musicos will immediately think of the great, anthemic album by Keane. Older people (ahem) might recall an echo of Boney M or, even,... Read more

  Posted on 22 March 2020 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Hard Times

  The silence outside the house is a little unnerving. The birds clearly haven’t spotted the problem yet – they just keep tweeting. Read more

  Posted on 21 March 2020 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Waiting for a Miracle? Politics, Wisdom and Faith

  This is the basic text of a lecture given at Bradford Cathedral on Sunday 16 February 2020, followed by a Q A and a sermon (at Choral Evensong) on Revelation... Read more

  Posted on 20 February 2020 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Who’s Afraid of the Media?

  

  This is the text of a commissioned article published last week in the Church Times.Whenever I go to New Broadcasting House in London I can’t avoid the statue... Read more

  Posted on 19 February 2020 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• 75 Years After Dresden

  

  75 years ago tonight Allied bombers destroyed nearly 90% of buildings in the German city of Dresden, killing around 25,000 people. Dresden became synonymous wit... Read more

  Posted on 13 February 2020 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• How to Listen

  This is the script of this morning’s Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2 with Zoe Ball.I have just returned from speaking at a convention in the United States. Read more

  Posted on 30 January 2020 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Commitment

  This is the script of this morning’s Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.I live not far from Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters. The... Read more

  Posted on 17 January 2020 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill

  This is the text of a speech in the House of Lords at Second Reading of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill today. I was the sixth speaker of... Read more

  Posted on 13 January 2020 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Throwing Stones

  This is the script of this morning’s Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.Being in the public eye is clearly often a very uncomfortable... Read more

  Posted on 10 January 2020 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Queen’s Speech: Foreign Policy

  This is the text of a speech I gave this afternoon in the first day of debate in the House of Lords on the Queen’s Speech (foreign affairs, defence,... Read more

  Posted on 07 January 2020 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Shape of You

  This is the script of this morning’s Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2’s Zoe Ball Show.I know it’s easy to get out of touch, but I was a bit boggled to read the... Read more

  Posted on 04 December 2019 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Karaoke

  

  This is the script of this morning’s Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2’s Zoe Ball Show as Rylan completed his karaokathon in aid of the Children in Need... Read more

  Posted on 13 November 2019 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• The Fall of the Wall

  

  Thirty years ago today the Berlin Wall fell. What follows is the basic text of a lecture I gave at Bradford Cathedral on Wednesday 6 November. It was followed b... Read more

  Posted on 09 November 2019 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Brexit Debate in the House of Lords

  This is the verbatim text of my speech in the debate in the House of Lords today on Brexit and the PM’s deal. There was a five minute speech limit and I was... Read more

  Posted on 19 October 2019 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Judy

  This is the script of this morning’s Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2’s Zoe Ball Show:I don’t often get the chance, but I went to the cinema the other day to se... Read more

  Posted on 15 October 2019 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• The Rule of Law (a Sermon)

  I was invited by the Dean of Manchester to preach in his Cathedral at the annual Service to mark the beginning of the Legal Year this morning. There was a... Read more

  Posted on 06 October 2019 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• BBC and Indarjit Singh

  I have just seen the report in today’s Times newspaper about Lord Singh’s withdrawal from doing Thought for the Day on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. I am... Read more

  Posted on 04 October 2019 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Freedom is Coming

  

  Last night I did a lecture in South Creake, Norfolk, and addressed the theme of my new book ‘Freedom is Coming’, seeking to distil lessons for today from the... Read more

  Posted on 28 September 2019 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Language and Leadership

  The language used in the House of Commons last night is probably unprecedented. Drawing the name of a murdered MP into the fight was, at the very least,... Read more

  Posted on 26 September 2019 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Blake’s Vision

  This is the script of this morning’s Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.“And did those feet in ancient time walk upon England’s mountains... Read more

  Posted on 20 September 2019 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY