Your mum and dad they fuck you up... in blackpropaganda

This was yesterday’s headline in the Daily Telegraph

Justin Welby: DNA test reveals my secret father was Sir Winston Churchill’s private secretary

Now this might not mean much to some people - but Welby is the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Anglican Church world-wide. So what - he cannot be responsible for what happened before he was born. However, it does raise the issue of how we understand the nature of the family - and issues of personal morality in his family.
It was well known that his putative father was an alcoholic and split from W’s mother when JW was 3. JW lived with him from then on and had to cope with his father - until he died when JW was 22. The fact he coped, had a business career, and then became a clergyman says much for his capability as a person - and the knowledge of his natural father through DNA tests has also brought out his essential goodness. He was concerned for his mother - who has led an exemplary life having been an alcoholic too - but she told the story as it was.
Before a hasty marriage to Gavin Welby she had a drunken night of passion with a friend - and the protection did not work - but since JW was born nine months after the marriage there did not seem any problem. She assumed it was her husband’s child.
I know of at least one person who had a fling immediately before settling down to marriage - drink also played a part - and how many other people have these kind of ‘skeletons’ in their cupboard. It reminds us that family life can be a messy business - and the advertisers’ (and politicians’ )ideal of the perfect family rarely exists.

Anyway, today the sun is splitting te sky (hooray) although it is still chilly. The spirits are lifted - and even better, we are invited out for a meal this evening.

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