On prodigal sons

Henry's reference to Clive Crook in this context reminds me of an old bee I have in my bonnet about use of this parable.

That being, although the prodigal son gets his big bang-up party and calf roast to celebrate his homecoming, it is a vital part of the story that the next day he is, basically, out on his ear. Or at least, continuing to live at the mercy and on the charity of his younger brother. The line "for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found" is immediately preceeded by "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine". The import of that is that the younger son had taken his share of the inheritance and spent it, and that it was therefore gone. He got a calf for his party, but an already desperately unconvincing parable would have been rendered even more so if the father had said "and now he is back from all those late night coke and hooker parties, I will now redivide the patrimony up again, as if this had never happened".

The message being that when some fucker like Clive Crook changes his mind, or some dullard suddenly realises the Iraq War was a bad thing or whatever, then yes by all means shout "hurray, thank god for that". But just as hooker-boy didn't get stuck right back into position as son and heir, it doesn't mean that someone who has spent the last four years being an idiot can suddenly get all his credibility back, scot free. That's the kind of thinking that gives you the Quilliam Foundation.