As a Chelsea fan, it was not a great weekend. However, as Principal of South I have every reason to be very happy indeed about substantially more important football results. South College football teams have had outstandingly successful seasons. My huge congratulations to all Owls and Owlesses. You bring our college enormous credit. Thank you.
On the wider scale, there are of course, very serious issues about which to be deeply concerned. All my thoughts are with the people of Ukraine.
This historian will avoid the many risks of futurology. I am reminded that Francis Fukayama's The End of History and the Last Man (Free Press, 1992) predicted the end of ideological evolution and the universal triumph of Western democracy. It felt only slightly hubristic at the time, and many in western capitals hoped it might prove prophetic. Now it stands comparison with H.G. Wells' hope that the First World War might prove to be The War to End War (Frank & Cecil Parker, 1914).
Suffice it to say that 2022 may take its place among years that are seen as turning points. Comparisons with 1939 are imprecise, but there are echoes. Our world is changing, and the consequences will change lives. This is a time to be well-informed. We are privileged that here in the UK there are no barriers to knowing what is going on. I recommend BBC News (particularly BBC Radio 4) , Sky News, C4 News, the Financial Times, CNN, Le Monde, The New Statesman and The Spectator. Above all, I recommend The Conversation UK https://theconversation.com/uk Those of us who can read multiple languages have additional options. I recommend caution about social media. This is a time for facts.
If anyone in College needs support of any kind or would simply like to talk, my colleagues and I are here and happy to help. Meanwhile, I hope and pray for peace in Ukraine.
